Wednesday 3 May 2023

What On Earth


Mirkheim
I.

Earth in the Solar Commonwealth has:

Delfinburg, as we have seen;

a lodge for trade pioneer crew members;

Terraport, where cheap hotels do not approximate extra-terrestrial environments;

a Buddhist monastery in the Andes Mountains;

transoceanic airliners;

the London Times;

the European Exploratory Foundation whose Captain Leonardo Rigassi rediscovers Mirkheim.

Not a lot of background details but some interesting ones. It is good to know that the Times is still published and that Europe still plays a role. We have become accustomed in this kind of sf to interstellar liners but need to be reminded that planet-dwellers will still need to travel between continents.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I would have thought a Catholic monastery in the Andes Mountains more likely than a Buddhist one. I thought of the Himalayas as where you would find a Buddhist monastery.

I remember that bit about Chee Lan reading the London TIMES.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Sean: by then, everyone would be living everywhere! And with cheap, fast aircars and air transport by contragravity to everywhere, things would be much less localized -- which is one reason people leave for places like Dennitza.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Again, you make points I agree with. Esp. why many would emigrate from a homogenized Earth

Plus, I have daydreamed of having my own aircar! (Smiles)

Ad astra! Sean