Brian Aldiss said that sf is always about the time at which it is written. The twentieth century experience of two World Wars and more wars made sf less utopian and more dystopian. Poul Anderson moved from writing about intelligent species from many planets crossing space faster than light to writing about post-organic intelligences emanating from a single planet and crossing space slower than light. Alternative history fiction is a commentary on contemporary experience, not (or not just) an escape from it. SM Stirling's American time travellers narrowly escape from World War III. They escape. We do not. Where are reality and its fictional reflections heading to now? We are still in the Chaos which may be the only part of Anderson's Technic History to come true.
3 comments:
They escape -- and are determined to prevent nuclear war.
Yes. They are not mere escapists or escapologists.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: I think you are being a bit too sweeping about Anderson's later, post-Technic SF. The last chapter of THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS has both STL and many intelligent races. We see both STL and many non-human races even more clearly in STARFARERS.
Plus, Anderson had no use for or liking for AIs supplanting or sweeping aside mankind as we see being attempted in the HARVEST OF STARS books. Or succeeding in doing that in GENESIS. This was simply one of the ideas he rightly examined in his late phase.
Mr. Stirling: I can't help wondering how Marcus Aurelius and Artorius will deal with Col. Liu and the Han Empire he was modernizing in your third Antonine book! I'm sure Black Jade will be advising them. Eagerly anticipated!
Ad astra! Sean
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