Nature continues on the planet called "Good Luck" after the extinction of all or most vertebrates:
"The bay glittered and chuckled between golden-green hills. At its entrance began an ocean; coming down [Trevelyan] had identified fantastically big shoals of marine plants and animals. No wings rode the wind that rumpled his hair... Insects, or their equivalent, swarmed on delicate membranes that often threw back the sunlight in rainbows. Silvery forms leapt from the water. The wind smelled of salt, iodine, and life.
"Overhead wandered some clouds, blue-shadowed in a dazzlingly blue heaven.
"...the day was sunny, cool, and peaceful." (p. 112)
I have had to select rather than to copy an entire page - but read the page and the story.
It reminds us of the exploration of Gray, not yet named Avalon, in the Technic History. Future histories enrich each other, especially when written by the same author.
Lancaster life: Rain. Gym this morning. Meeting this evening.
3 comments:
Ideal planet for introducing Earthly vertebrates, then!
If a nearby supernova caused a mass extinction on an earthlike planet, I would expect small burrowing animals to be among the survivors. In general small animals are more resilient. Almost anything that results in a mass extinction would result in a situation like the Paleocene, with descendants of the survivors radiating into the vacated niches with many of them quickly (by evolutionary standards) increasing in size.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Jim!
Mr. Stirling: Wish I had thought of that, the previous times I read "The Pirate"!
Jim: Ugh, that has to include nasty things like rats and mice, creatures I vehemently dislike! And we see Anderson having rats undergoing rapid evolution in works like "A Message in Secret" and "In Memoriam," one of his grimmer pieces.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment