SM Stirling's
In The Courts Of The Crimson Kings reads as if it is about
a real Mars (not
our real one, of course!) which other versions merely hint at. That
is what writers of fiction try to do. CS Lewis tells us, quite legitimately, that HG Wells' Martians are very different from the
real Martians... My other general observations are, first, that I strongly dislike Stirling's Martians' attitudes to life and to each other and, secondly, that I still find them rather complicated and convoluted to read about but that last point just means that I need to persevere as a reader.
And the relevance of all this to Poul Anderson is that, both for comparative purposes and also for their own sakes, Anderson presents more fictional Martians than any other sf writer, even Heinlein.
In a short post, and without initially intending to, we have referred to no less than Stirling, Lewis, Wells, Anderson and Heinlein - and will now stop short of listing others especially at this time of night!
Good night or whatever time of day it may be where you are now.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
It's precisely those complications, those convolutions, their astringence, etc., that made Stirling's Martians so interesting to me. Nor are the inhabitants of the "Real World" totally devoid of empathy--they certainly have affection for their children. And some have their own ideals.
Sh'u Maz! Sean
Not that the Martians have a fair amount of violence, but they don't have huge wars the way we do. Nobody would support them!
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Ha! I remember that, how the hominins of Mars were far too hardheadedly rational to fight on to the bitter end the way we Homo sapiens so often do.
Sh'u Maz! Sean
Also too rational to push opponents into a corner with no escape.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Granted, but there were times when the Tollamune Emperors of the Crimson Dynasty believed it necessary to be ruthless. After the failure of Prince Heltaw's conspiracy to eliminate the Imperial Heiress, Emperor Sajir sa-Tomond issued a rescript swaying the Real World ordering the prince's fellow plotters among the High Ministers to give Unconditional Apology to the Throne. However, this was moderated by the Emperor declaring that the children of Chinta sa-Rokis and the other treasonous ministers would be spared. And a reasonable portion of their parents' estates would be returned to them on reaching adulthood, along with being allowed to reproduce.
The guilty High Ministers had to die, but their children were spared and not all of their estates were permanently confiscated. That was the "escape" the Emperor granted them.
Sh'u Maz! Sean
"Also too rational to push opponents into a corner with no escape."
I saw come commentary about the Russia-Ukraine War claiming that the Ukrainians are make a point of damaging the Kerch strait bridge enough to make moving supplies from Russia to Crimea difficult, but not enough to make it hard for people to flee Crimea.
Kaor, Jim!
I had not known of that, but it makes sense, Ukraine allowing an escape route for civilians trying to flee the peninsula. And it contrasts very favorably compared to the barbaric behavior of the Russians--who are now using drones to randomly chase and kill Ukrainian civilians.
The hominins of Mars would not approve!
Sh'u Maz! Sean
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