I have posted a lot about Jack Havig's birthplace, Senlac, before.
"Senlac is a commercial center for an agricultural area; it maintains some light industry, and that's about the list." (p. 10)
A real-sounding place. These two opening pages of Chapter I could have been the beginning of a mainstream novel set in 1933. The science fiction starts on p. 11 although the reader does not necessarily recognize it as such yet. Eleanor Havig is distraught:
"'Johnny. Two of him. Then one again.' She choked. 'The other one!'" (p. 11)
Those in the know might recognize bilocation as a side-effect of time travel. When young Johnny/Jack travels a moment into the past, he temporarily coexists with his younger self. This is a very small beginning. The historical past and the future lie ahead of Jack and of his readers.
7 comments:
As a matter of logic, I don't buy time travel with an inalterable timeline. There would have to be some sort of intelligence overseeing things and forcing them to stick to the script -- a Time Patrol built into the structure of the universe. But history is extremely contingent.
Kaor, Paul!
In Catholic circles bilocation has been reported for some of the saints.
Stirling's comments does make it harder to accept time traveling thru timelines which are immutable. If we assume many/alternative universes then we can allow for the sheer contingency of human history. Which is what Stirling has chosen for his books.
Ad astra! Sean
There are large impersonal forces -- for example, the slow buildup of navigational knowledge and shipbuilding tech in the 15th century in Europe.
But how they affect history is extremely contingent and dependent on individuals.
Columbus was wildly wrong about the size of the earth, but managed to get Spanish backing because they were envious of the Portuguese and the wealth they were getting from their voyages around Africa.
Incidentally, the fact that Europe was divided among hundreds of different sovereignties rather than a single giant empire was also a driving force. You had to keep up with innovations or your neighbors would eat you alive. The constant warfare drove innovation, not just in weapons and tactics (though they were very advanced) but in administrative technique and economic technology.
Incidentally, there's a difference between -developing- a set of techniques and having them -introduced-.
In TO TURN THE TIDE, the Romans get things -- not only material things, but others of an ideational nature like algebra and positional arithmetic and germ theory, and the scientific method -- handed to them.
The consequences are different from developing them yourself.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, cooperative competition in a race as bellicose as ours is crucial if one's tribe or nation is to survive.
It might have been better for China if the great Imperial dynasties had not so often succeeded in making real the ideal of "All Under Heaven" united by a giant empire.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: not to mention that Confucian ideology was anti-merchant and rather worshipful of agriculture.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
That is correct, an aspect of Confucianism I regret.
I've read some of the Confucian basics: the ANALECTS, MENCIUS, and HSUN-TZU, there is much worthy of respect in them.
Ad astra! Sean
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