Michael Shaughnessy has become one of the first Kith. He is seventy although his grandson, who gave up starfaring because his wife would not have been happy in space, is a hundred and ten and the Mayor of Kith Town which is currently surrounded by a vicarial preserve although, as I remember, later in the history it will again be a district of a city. Is Santa Verdad a real place? All that remains of it is:
"...a long, high mound and a few broken walls..." (p. 78)
The family name has changed to Shauny and Mayor Ramil Shauny has a neochimp servant. (Planet of The Apes?)
The immobile street is centuries old and buildings are antiquated. Kith town has taken form.
Conditions on Earth and the colonies change but:
"We starfarers - our starfaring keeps us changeless." (p. 83)
Earth is ruled by greatmen and vicars but Michael will embark on a long voyage and:
"'...outlive the bastards.'" (p. 84)
Envoy has been gone 750 years/2 months. Future history is on its way. Chapter 11 takes us back inside the ship.
5 comments:
The Kith can do time travel -- just in one direction!
Pretty much, kind of, sort of.
Kaor, to Both!
I agree.
Ad astra! Sean
Note that approaching the speed of light has similar effects to Wells' time machine -- from the viewpoint of someone on the ship, time outside would go by in a blurr; from the viewpoint of someone outside the ship, it would appear to be frozen within.
And I've been told by physicists that exceeding the speed of light would be equivalent to time travel.
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