Most of this story consists of complicated economic arguments segueing into some subtle manipulation of de Smet by Coffin which I will not attempt to summarize here. After all, the main theme of this blog is: read or reread Poul Anderson; not: read my summaries of Poul Anderson's narratives.
However, the conclusion is classic Anderson which has to be quoted here. Dan Coffin has just pulled off a long term deal for the development of his beloved lowlands so, of course, nature rejoices with him. First, we are told how he feels:
"...he walked again like a young buccaneer." (p. 115)
The text could have ended there on a purely people note. However, there is one final sentence:
"The wind outside had strengthened, a trumpet voice beneath heaven, and every autumn leaf was a banner flying in challenge." (ibid.)
Wind and banners...
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Wind and banners? That reminded me of this paragraph from "Sargasso of Lost Starships" in RISE OF THE TERRAN EMPIRE (Baen, 2009, pp. 293-94): "The men of the Imperial Solar Navy walked close together. They were ragged and dirty and bearded, clad in such ragged articles as they had been able to salvage, armed with the crudely forged weapons of a vanished age, carrying their sick and wounded on rude litters. Ghost world, ghost army, marching through an echoing windy to its unknown weird--but men's faces were still brave, and one of them was singing. The sunburst banner of the Empire flapped above them, the one splash of color in the great murky landscape."
"Sargasso" was first pub. by PLANET STORIES in its issue for January 1952. Even so early in Anderson's writing career we see hints there of how he would use "winds" and "banners." Also, in the paragraph preceding the text I quoted above we read this: "A lonely bird, cruel-beaked and watchful, hovered on great black wings far overhead, waiting for them to die" (page 293). Another favorite of Anderson, flying raptors.
Ad astra! Sean
Correction: To my irritation I overlooked typing "solitude" after "windy" in the first paragraph above.
Sean
Post a Comment