Poul Anderson's novels usually end by looking forward to a positive future. In The Long Way Home, there were two problems. Solar civilization was ossified and hostile aliens were manipulating human societies. Langley addresses the second problem. He alerts the human societies so that they can unite against the common enemy but he withholds one weapon that they might have used and tells the Solar intelligence chief:
"'Afterward, it'll be a healthy knowledge in you that somewhere in the galaxy is a planet of free men who have a weapon you can't stop. It may even give you some ideas about freeing yourselves.'" (p. 188)
So he opens the opportunity of addressing the first problem as well.
Langley leaves Earth for the last time:
"Atmosphere fell behind. Earth rolled huge and lovely against a curtain of incandescent stars. Langley looked at her with a wrenching of farewell.
"Good-by, Earth. Good-by, hill and forest, tall mountains, windy plains, great march of seas under the moon. Good-by, Peggy." (p. 180)
His wife, Peggy, had died five thousand years before. Now he leaves the planet where she had lived.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm skeptical about Langley's hopes as regards that weapon he withheld--if people know something is possible they will probably try to independently invent it. And possibly succeed.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
The Solarians would be handicapped by not being able to study the Holatans to learn how to duplicate their telekinesis.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
True, but one thing that was characteristic of the Technon was patience. If reasonably sure of the Solar System not being attacked by Centauri, the Technon could order setting up a long lasting research and development program figuring out how telekinesis works.
Ad astra! Sean
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