The Scaine Croi hijacking is a very gentlemanly affair. The sophotect guarding the antimatter informs Nicol that he is "'...totally aberrant...'" (CHAPTER 13, p. 177) and asks him to explain his actions! Nicol responds by apologizing and switching off the sophotect, like HAL in 2001.
Thunderball and 2001 are two iconic works. Harvest Of Fire, unfortunately, remains with the literary ghetto of genre sf. Keith Ferrell, Editor of Omni, wrote that Harvest Of Stars was:
"An important work - not just of science fiction but of contemporary literature."
-quoted on the back cover of Poul Anderson, The Stars Are Also Fire (New York, 1997).
But this is an exaggeration.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I've been delayed in my rereading of the Bond books. I think the next one will be DR NO.
Amusingly polite, both Jesse and the sophotect. I would probably have just switched the latter off.
And I recall reading of how one of Anderson's editors thought so well of his works that he took the steps needed to nominate him for the Nobel Prize in Literature. But, given the politics involved, it didn't go further that. "Simple justice," that editor called his efforts.
Ad astra! Sean
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