As mentioned recently, I will be in London from Thursday to Monday otherwise engaged and without a computer. At least, than is the plan. Two recent one-day trips to London had to be cancelled because of ill health and tiredness. Arriving in London, I feel like Miriam Abrams arriving in
Archopolis. The diversity of
Birmingham feels like a precursor to the diversity of the Terran Empire - although some of us now see multi-species/FTL futures as old-style sf and more akin to fantasy. A friend said that he preferred the old-style stuff like Poul Anderson's Technic History with its hyperspace and multiple aliens to, e.g., Anderson's later
Genesis with STL interstellar travel by post-organic intelligences and no aliens but I have to ask which is now more plausible? The number of exoplanets is a hopeful sign: plenty of life in favourable conditions, at least unicellular? Much more can be learned in our lifetimes, provided that we survive, of course.
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Have a good time when you go to London!
Besides the too brief glimpses we get of Archopolis when it was still at the height of its glory as the Imperial capital in A STONE IN HEAVEN, we shouldn't forget Admiralty Center. We get striking descriptions of the HQ of the Imperial Navy in THE REBEL WORLDS and HUNTERS OF THE SKY CAVE. Plus, Flandry's anxious reflections about Admiralty Center in Chapter VI of HUNTERS has been embedded in my mind for years.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I forgot to add I agree with your friend's preference for that alleged "old-style stuff," SF stories using FTL and including many non-human intelligent races. That does not I am not also glad Anderson focused in his later years writing stories with different premises, STL and few or no known non-human races. Albeit STARFARERS has STL and many intelligent races.
Yes, it is now indisputable there are many thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars. Which vindicates Anderson's preference to assume it was more likely than not such planets exist for his stories. I also personally believe it's equally an open question whether or not life, including intelligent life, exists on many of these worlds.
Ad astra! Sean
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