Poul Anderson had a speculative idea about how beings with bodies heavy enough for intelligence might nevertheless be able to fly in terrestroid conditions but how was he to present this idea in a story about human beings? Introduce a conflict between a theoretician and widely experienced practical type of man.
The theoretician is convinced on general principles that the flyers cannot be intelligent whereas the practical man spots the gill-like apertures through which the flapping wings pump oxygen directly into the bloodstream, energizing the bodies and brains of the Ythrians.
Thus, a human story is seamlessly combined with a First Contact story.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
The problem with Vaughn Webner lay in him being so attached to GENERALLY valid theories that he ignored or overlooked how there could be EXCEPTIONS to them. MOST times, the size and weight problem does makes it unlikely any particular world will have an intelligent species which can fly. Diomedes and Ythri were among the rare exceptions to that rule.
Ad astra! Sean
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