Only 82 pageviews yesterday when there were no new posts but so far 7922 today: what is going on? - unless it is just that the counting mechanism is malfunctioning.
I have finished proofreading a novel but have yet to email my suggested minor corrections etc. It is good to read a feel-good novel at Christmas especially in the current climate. After Christmas, we should get back to rereading Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History and, after that, who knows?
I hope that the world will be in better shape this time next year but it will take longer than that to sort out. To conflate two periods of Anderson's Technic History, the Chaos continues and the shadow of God the Hunter is over all.
19 comments:
All ages are ages of crisis, as far as their inhabitants are concerned!
Merry Christmas to all.
(I'm baking bread today as my contribution to a Christmas dinner with friends.)
Mr Stirling,
Merry Christmas and thank you for all your combox contributions this year.
Paul.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!
Mr. Stirling: The reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 138-61), might have been one of those too rare relatively quiet and peaceful periods of human history. Altho, of course, there would be plenty of troubles for people as individuals in the Roman Empire of that time.
Almost done reading your first Antonine book, TO TURN THE TIDE. Great reading! A real page turner! A few minor errors, such as using "Antonius" when you meant "Arctorius." I hope to get the hard copy edition, which should include your final revisions/corrections.
I noted with special interest your mention of the Early Christians in the chapter where the Quadii tried a night time attack across the Danube on Aelia Carnuntem. At one moment Arthur Vandenberg (Arctorius) nearly exclaimed "Jesus!" but caught himself just in time, changing it to "Jeboza". Christianity was an outlawed faith in which Trajan's rescript exposed them to persecution by any chance denunciation.
I noted how the common Roman view of Christians at that time was to think of them as we do of terrorists, with Arctorius adding Romans thought of Christians being like the jihadist terrorists trying to set up a new caliphate. I wondered how accurate such a view of them were when I recalled how Pliny the younger, in his report to Trajan, stated that his investigation of the Christians found them to be peaceful and harmless. True, some early Christians may had been violent and terroristic.
I second what Paul said about your many combox contributions!
A Merry Christmas to you! Sometimes I try my hand making corn bread using JIFFY. (Smiles)
Paul: If true, it's astonishing the blog got 7922 page views on Christmas day! Stirling's combox comments may well have attracted some readers.
Do you think you might offer some detailed comments about TO TURN THE TIDE?
Another all too apt phrase from Technic series for our era is to call what we are living thru the Time of Troubles!
Merry Christmas! Sean
Sean,
I thought I would comment on TO TURN THE TIDE when it is published.
The Time of Troubles, like the Long Night, was interstellar whereas the Chaos really is here and now.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Understood! I think TO TURN THE TIDE will be officially pub. on Dec. 31. Stirling kindly had a working draft sent via PDF. But I liked it so much I want to get a hard copy.
True, what you said about Anderson's "Time of Troubles," etc. And I would date our Chaos from 1914.
Happy New Year! Sean
It's going to be some time before TIDE is published -- it's with the editor now. I'm reasonably certain she'll buy it, but then it's at least 6 months before it hits the stands.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Dang, I was wrong! Well, that at least gives you time to make any needed corrections/revisions for TO TURN THE TIDE.
Happy New Year! Sean
Sean: corrections continue right up through the copyedit, which is the last stage before it goes to the printers (advance copies to reviewers are often done from the ms. before copyediting).
You never, ever get all the spelling mistakes or continuity errors, though.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Maddening, how errors, minor and not so minor, somehow slip thru despite the best efforts of authors, editors, proof readers, etc.!
I'm reminded of Tolkien's struggles to correct errors after THE LORD OF THE RINGS was published. Efforts which continued after his death by Christopher Tolkien and others.
I definitely want a hard copy of TO TURN THE TIDE when it comes out!
Happy New Year! Sean
Even the best AI spellcheckers can't get things like "cot" where it should be "cat", for example.
One of the basic problems is that you have a version of the text in your head, and you tend to 'see' that, instead of what's actually on the page/screen.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree. Having multiple proof readers would help, albeit not COMPLETELY solve the problem.
Happy New Year! Sean
If there is a typo that no one ever notices, is it really there?
Kaor, Paul!
Are you going Bishop Berkeley on us? (Smiles)
Happy New Year! Sean
Sean,
I believe that there is a material reality that is independent of our perceptions. On the other hand, if there is a typo that no one ever notices, then we do not know that it is there and it dies not matter. It spoils no one's appreciation of the text.
Paul.
In my experience, sooner or later, someone -does- spot the typo. And writes you about it... 8-).
But, if there is still another typo that no one ever notices, then we will never now. Seeing that typo will never be part of anyone's experience - as if it was not there.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Of course a falling tree actually does fall even if nobody was there to see or hear it fall. I was trying to be droll!
But a typo or error is THERE in a text, even if nobody notices it.
Mr. Stirling: It's a fun game some SF fans like to do, writing to favorite authors about errors or bloopers found in their stories. I admit having done that a few times in some of my letters to Anderson--and he took it with patience and good humor!
I think Larry Niven wrote of how some writers fear and dreaded getting letters from readers--while others, like Tolkien and Anderson, enjoyed getting fan mail.
Happy New Year! Sean
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I look forward to reading TO TURN THE TIDE when it is published.
It’s a little late to wish people a Merry Christmas, but general good will to all my fellow Anderson fans.
Best Regards,
Nicholas D. Rosen
Kaor, Nicholas!
Late is better than never. So, Merry Christmas!
And a belated Happy New Year!
Sean
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