It is chilling to read the point of view of a being, Brechdan Ironrede, for whom the subjugation or extermination of other intelligent species is everyday business.
Perhaps I have found the real understated turning point in Flandry's career:
"'You may be out of the matter anyway, Flandry,' Ridenour said. 'Your orders came through several hours ago.'
"'Orders?'
"'You report to Commander Abrams at Highport. An amphibian will pick you up at 0730 tomorrow, Terran clock. Special duty, I don't know what.'" (CHAPTER EIGHT, p. 79)
Special duty: Abrams' aide on a mission to Merseia. After this, Flandry will stay in Intelligence. And it is our old friend, Ridenour, who gets to tell him.
En route to Merseia, Hauksberg's ship passes close to an Ymirite vessel. This reminds us that there are:
"...hydrogen breathers whose civilization was nearly irrelevant to man or Merseian." (CHAPTER NINE, p. 82.
- and is a precursor of a later episode featuring Ymirites.
The in-flight conversations between Hauksberg and Abrams and between Flandry and Persis flow naturally and the descriptions of the Merseain co-capital cities, Ardaig and Tridaig, make them sound like real places.
My advice: reread Poul Anderson.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, ENSIGN FLANDRY is well worth multiple rereadings. Which reminds me of the article I wrote defending the rereading of books.
The ruthlessness of Brechdan Ironrede has real world analogs! I thought of Stalin and how he said a single death was a tragedy, but a million (or billion) deaths only a statistic.
Ad astra! Sean
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