David "PiperFan" Johnson  07-22-2018
15:47 UT
|
~
Jim Broshot wrote:
> Dearest
This has been
available at Project Gutenberg since Greg Weeks and his team put up so
much of Beam's work there in the early-mid Oughts:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19102
> Down Styphon!
>
> Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen
These
are new! Interesting that they've been found to be in the public
domain in Canada. Not sure what that means for Project Gutenberg in the
U.S. Also interesting that they don't (yet?) have "Gunpowder God."
Perhaps it's just a matter of volunteer time-and-effort; maybe we'll see
it in the future.
> The caveat posted is "These books are public domain in
> Canada (because we follow the Canadian copyright laws),
> but if you are in another country, you should satisfy yourself
> that you are not breaking the copyright laws of your own
> country by downloading them."
Good advice worth repeating.
Thanks for pointing us to this, Jim! (And thanks to Al Haines and his team for making these available.)
Down Styphon!
David
--
"Oh,
my people had many gods. There was Conformity, and Authority, and
Expense Account, and Opinion. And there was Status, whose symbols were
many, and who rode in the great chariot Cadillac, which was almost a god
itself. And there was Atom-bomb, the dread destroyer, who would some
day come to end the world. None were very good gods, and I worshiped
none of them.” - Calvin Morrison (H. Beam Piper), ~Lord Kalvan of
Otherwhen~
~
|
Jim Broshot 07-22-2018
07:05 UT
|
FWIW, I discovered that a Canadian site, fadedpage.com, which is posting
works no longer under copyright in Canada, has three of Piper's
available
Dearest
Down Styphon!
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen
The
caveat posted is "These books are public domain in Canada (because we
follow the Canadian copyright laws), but if you are in another country,
you should satisfy yourself that you are not breaking the copyright laws
of your own country by downloading them."
|
David "PiperFan" Johnson 07-21-2018
03:37 UT
|
~
John Espley's Annotated Piper Bibliography
This is interesting:
https://archive.org/stream/Extrapolation_v...980-Summer#page/n75
Espley
describes ~Four-Day Planet~ as "the weakest of Piper's stories" which
seems odd (and unfortunate). He also offers some remarkable spoilers,
particularly for yarns like "Crossroads of Destiny" and "The Return"
(especially given that he's commenting on the ~Astounding~ edition
rather than the ~Holmes~ anthology edition).
There is an
intriguing end note which refers to a personal letter Espley apparently
received--or had access to--from Bill Tuning, but I can't seem to find
the reference in the body of the bibliography.
Nice to see this at the Internet Archive.
Cheers,
David
--
"Do
you know which books to study, and which ones not to bother with? Or
which ones to read first, so that what you read in the others will be
comprehensible to you? That's what they'll give you [at university].
The tools, which you don't have now, for educating yourself." - Bish
Ware (H. Beam Piper), ~Four-Day Planet~
~
|
David "PiperFan" Johnson 07-19-2018
03:20 UT
|
~
James "jimmyjoejangles" Romanski wrote:
> Didn't see it in the bibliography thought it might interest you.
Had
the original Doubleday hardcover edition but not this Fawcett paperback
edition. As it happens I was updating the Future History Concordance
(see "University of Montevideo") when your message arrived, so I've also
added this entry to the Future History bibliography here:
http://www.zarthani.net/future_history_bibliography.htm
"Omnilingual"
is perhaps Beam's more reprinted story and I'm still missing many
editions, especially those published overseas and in translation.
Someday. . . .
Thanks,
David
--
"Do you know which
books to study, and which ones not to bother with? Or which ones to
read first, so that what you read in the others will be comprehensible
to you? That's what they'll give you [at university]. The tools, which
you don't have now, for educating yourself." - Bish Ware (H. Beam
Piper), ~Four-Day Planet~
~
|
jimmyjoejangles 07-19-2018
02:43 UT
|
just browsing on Ebay and came across an anthology containing Omnilingual.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Where-Do-We-Go-fr...t=nc&LH_TitleDesc=0
Didn't see it in the bibliography thought it might interest you.
|
David "PiperFan" Johnson 07-14-2018
06:31 UT
|
~
John "Calidore" Anderson wrote:
> According to Piper, the Alliance refugees take only one year to
> reach Excalibur. "Complete defeat of Alliance; escape of Alliance
> fleet from Abigor; they discover and colonize a planet outside
> Federation sphere of influence, which they name Excalibur,
> 855 A.E."
I've
always read that date from Beam's "The Future History" as being when
the Alliance refugees fled from Abigor and assumed that it takes them a
bit longer to find (and settle upon) Excalibur. It doesn't really
matter in the grand scheme of things but surely it took them some time
to gather whatever surviving fleet elements they could at Abigor, to
decide upon and prepare for their flight from Federation space, and then
to survey likely worlds until settling upon Excalibur. That's a lot to
do in twelve (or maybe eighteen, at most) months.
> I've always thought that it happens centuries later, mainly
> because Gram only gets a planetary monarchy circa AE 1706
> (PB, p. 213). This gave me the impression it was one of the
> last Sword-Worlds, if not the last, to be colonized.
I
can see the reasoning there but I think planetary monarchies are
actually not all that common at the time of ~Space Viking~. There are
only three planetary kings mentioned--Rodolf of Excalibur, Napolyon of
Flamberge and Konrad of Haulteclere--and only one other Sword-World,
Joyeuse, is described in a way which might suggest it is a unified world
(when "Joyeuse had intruded" into the Oskarsan-Elmersan War on
Durendal--and even here it could be that merely one or more dukes or
other Joyeuse nobles get involved). Morglay, Curtana, Colada and Tizon
are all mentioned in ~Space Viking~ without any details provided one way
or another about them being unified under a single monarch.
> My underlying assumption being that it wouldn't take too
> much time between the founding of a Sword-World and
> unification under its own planetary monarch. Perhaps only
> a few centuries from being a colony of another planet to
> declaring independence.
It
seems like Gram is "independent" (of Haulteclere--or any other
Sword-World) _before_ Angus of Wardshaven makes himself King. Given
what we know about Sword-Worlds feudalism I suspect new worlds are not
so much colonized formally by the planetary ruler of their
originating-world as they are by various settlers--"second sons (and
daughters)," non-noble freeholders, various malcontents--who come to the
new, colony world "on their own." In other words, I've always assumed
that a newly-colonized Sword-World was "independent," politically, at
least, from the get-go. I imagine there are all sorts of economic,
technological and other "dependencies" but I don't see the process of
Sword-World expansion happening in the same way Angus of Wardshaven--who
wasn't King when Trask left--tried to "colonize" Tanith (and, perhaps,
the way that Haulteclere "colonized" Xochitl). These Space Viking "base
planets" in the Old Federation seem to be something "different" from
the Sword-Worlds themselves.
> The breakup of the Federation is a fact only ten years after The
> Cosmic Computer, or about AE 905.
Actually,
Beam tells us a bit about this in "The Future History" too. It's two
hundred years from ~Junkyard Planet~ in 894 AE to "Terran Federation
completely, vanished by 1100 AE. A few planets, Odin, Marduk, Baldur,
Aton, Isis, etc., retain civilization, including hyperdrive."
Given
that there's _no_ indication in ~Junkyard Planet~ (or "Graveyard of
Dreams") that any Federation planets are restive at the time of Merlin's
discovery, 905 AE seems a bit early to me.
> This is confirmed by Merlin's additional "statement that, after
> fifty years, suppression of the truth and circulation of falsely
> optimistic statements about the Federation would no longer
> have any importance." (ibid., p. 244)
>
> This must mean fifty years after AE 854, when Merlin first
> predicted the Federation's end. Because The Cosmic Computer
> begins forty years later, in AE 894, and ten years after that the
> Federation breakup has begun. Forty plus ten equals fifty.
Actually,
Merlin provides the details about the need for suppression and false
information no longer mattering "after fifty years" _after_ Conn and his
team have updated it with information about events in the forty years
since the War and then ask it what they should do. So it would seem
that that means fifty years from the time of the events of ~Junkyard
Planet~, which would push it into the middle of the Tenth Century.
> As an outer planet and former member of the System States
> Alliance, Marduk is probably one of the first worlds to leave
> the Federation, and possibly the first major planet to do so.
Agreed.
> For the first decade or two of its independence, Marduk
> may remain a democratic planet.
Here's
an interesting thought. Marduk likely _isn't_ a "democratic planet" at
the end of the Federation era. Rather, it's occupied by the
Federation, likely with some sort of Federation-imposed authority. Now,
perhaps by the time of ~Junkyard Planet~ that authority had
transitioned from military to civilian authority but I don't imagine the
Federation, especially as it was falling apart, was in too much of a
hurry to return Marduk to self-rule. (Even if it did, Marduk would have
had a period of time when "democratic rule" was a thing of the past.)
Bottom line is, it may be that it was the Federation occupation itself
which planted the seeds for autocratic and ultimately monarchical rule
on an independent Marduk.
> But Beam also states that the "Breakup of [the] Federation
> continues at an accelerating rate" (ibid.), so the "spreading
> anarchy" of the early Tenth Century probably involves at least
> some of the chaos foreseen by Merlin. "Rebellions.
> Overthrow of Federation authority, and then revolt and
> counterrevolt against planetary authority. Division along
> sectional or class lines on individual planets."
Yep.
On Marduk it may even be that the Federation "governor" is the one who
declares Marduk "independent," only to be toppled him/herself by a
subsequent, indigenous uprising.
> As the Federation begins failing, its democratic institutions
> are probably discredited as a result.
Perhaps,
but we really have no idea. The one bit of insight we get--on
Poictesme--gives no hint of this sort of impulse. It's a shame we don't
have a yarn from Beam set on Odin or Baldur or Aton or Isis--or
Marduk!--in this era.
> And they will certainly be under considerable strain on newly-
> independent planets like Marduk. For in this new age, fraught
> with disintegration and disorder, revolt and counterrevolt, a
> strong leader and/or leadership class, unhindered by democratic
> limitations, would become much more attractive. Thus, I suggest
> that this "time of troubles" in the Old Federation fosters a general
> societal movement away from democracy and toward monarchy
> and other authoritarian forms of government, roughly analogous
> to what happens in the Sword-Worlds. "Development of loose
> feudalism from earlier and even looser town-meeting democracy."
I
imagine it happens differently on different Federation worlds,
depending upon their specific circumstances. Sure, disaffected,
(perhaps formerly-)occupied worlds like Marduk might be susceptible to
authoritarianism but perhaps worlds like Odin or Baldur, which may be
prosperous and eager to escape the yoke of the decaying Federation,
declare themselves independent "Republics" and maintain some tradition
of democratic governance as they move into the post-Federation collapse.
It seems unlikely that every Federation world will follow the same
political path into the post-Federation era.
> This is supported by the case of Blackie Perales, who because of
> poverty and incompetent government turns outlaw, and later “talks
> of organizing all the pirates and outlaws on the planet into one
> band and making himself king.” I believe this is a deliberate
> foreshadowing of the rise of monarchy,
Perhaps,
on a poor, sparsely-settled world like Poictesme--if not Poictesme
itself, thanks to the efforts of Conn and his friends--this may very
well be the case. But it will be very difficult for a Perales-esque
bandit to take over a major, prosperous world like Odin or Baldur or
Aton or Isis. . . .
> And since Federation planets like Marduk are older and have
> higher populations, they probably see higher levels of social
> unrest and anarchy.
Those with existing grievances like Marduk, maybe. Those which are prosperous, like Odin and Baldur, probably not.
> AE 864 Marduk readmitted to the Federation as a Member
> Republic; the occupation forces depart.
With
interstellar travel times still on the order of "six months to
everywhere" I think this is optimistic. (It even takes three years for
the War to _begin_ after the System States secede, for Ghu's sake!) And
once things start to fall apart for the Federation, it may never get
around to returning Marduk to self-rule (until Marduk, perhaps under the
former Federation "Special Resident" even, takes matters into its own
hands).
> AE 910 The "Second Republic" of Marduk is proclaimed, the
> first major planet to reassert its independence.
Something like that. Whether Marduk is first or not, who knows?
> AE 930 Large-scale social unrest on populous Marduk
> causes the fall of the Second Republic; the Kingdom of
> Marduk is proclaimed soon thereafter.
Something
like that. This may be a locally-driven counter-revolution to that
original move by the former Federation governor's administration.
> AE 1000 The Interstellar Wars begin, possibly causing a
> more widespread rise of authoritarian leaders and final
> decline of democracy. This includes democracy on Poictesme,
> whose fledgling Federation is presumably defeated, and the
> planet itself destroyed, during these wars.
Well,
_something_ has to happen to Poictesme (and Merlin) to keep it from
being mentioned in the Viking (and Empire) era but I've always hoped it
was something other than it becoming simply another casualty of the
Interstellar Wars.
> With the Federation breaking up, weaker planets will look
> to their more powerful neighbors for economic and
> defensive support. And thanks to the Maxwell/Merlin Plans,
> Poictesme will be one of the most powerful planets around,
> in both categories.
Beam tells us the names of some of those "most powerful planets" in the post-Federation era. Poictesme isn't one of them.
> Excalibur's capital is Camelot, and Piper wrote The Cosmic
> Computer in the early 1960s, when there was much talk of
> "Camelot"; in the forms of a famous musical and the short-
>lived Kennedy Administration.
> President Kennedy's bold and energetic "New Frontier" in
> the early days of the Space Age would then be paralleled
> by the "new frontier" beyond Federation space, being boldly
> discovered, explored and settled by the energetic refugees
> from Abigor and their immediate descendants. A "new
> space" age.
This is a nice idea. It's not exactly how I believe things unfold, but it's a sweet idea nonetheless.
Let
me just say that this was a fine piece of work, John (even if I don't
agree with some of the details). Thanks for reminding us of what I've
enjoyed most about this discussion form (and it's predecessor) over the
years.
Cheers,
David
--
"You had a wonderful
civilization here. . . . You could have made almost anything of it.
But it's too late now. You've torn down the gates; the barbarians are
in." - Lucas Trask (H. Beam Piper), ~Space Viking~
~
|
Calidore 07-13-2018
21:33 UT
|
A very interesting topic! Surprising indeed, and it seems to be borne out by the evidence.
According
to Piper, the Alliance refugees take only one year to reach Excalibur.
“Complete defeat of Alliance; escape of Alliance fleet from Abigor;
they discover and colonize a planet outside Federation sphere of
influence, which they name Excalibur, 855 A.E.” (Carr, Piper Biography,
p. 213)
“From it, their grandchildren had colonized Joyeuse and
Durendal and Flamberge” (Space Viking, p. 10). This should mean these
three planets are colonized around AE 905, given 25 years for each
generation to grow up and begin begetting the next.
(I believe
20 years is too few. Conn is 23 at the beginning of CC, and 25 at the
end, when he marries Sylvie and thereafter starts a family. Likewise,
Piper’s other major characters are professional people who seem to be at
least 25 when they get married; Nancy Patterson in “When in the
Course—”, Carlos von Schlichten and Paula Quinton in Uller Uprising,
Gerd van Riebeek and Ruth Ortheris in the Fuzzy novels, etc. And one
would assume that it is self-reliant types like these who go out and
colonize new Sword-Worlds.)
To be precise, the children of the
Excalibur settlers are presumably born circa AE 855-865 (1), their
grandchildren are born circa 880-890, and these in turn become adults
circa 905-915, at about which time they go to space and settle the three
new Sword-Worlds. Since “Haulteclere had been colonized in the next
generation from Joyeuse”, this would roughly occur twenty-five years
later, or between AE 930-940.
Piper continues with “and Gram
from Haulteclere.” (ibid.) But as you noted, he doesn’t specify the
generation. I’ve always thought that it happens centuries later, mainly
because Gram only gets a planetary monarchy circa AE 1706 (PB, p. 213).
This gave me the impression it was one of the last Sword-Worlds, if
not the last, to be colonized. My underlying assumption being that it
wouldn’t take too much time between the founding of a Sword-World and
unification under its own planetary monarch. Perhaps only a few
centuries from being a colony of another planet to declaring
independence.
However, the context of the quote certainly
implies it happens soon after, and if you’re right that only two
generations pass, Gram could be colonized around AE 980-990.
So
when does Marduk become a monarchy? That’ll be sometime after the
Federation begins its final breakup, which should be by AE 905. For
when Merlin is asked “What is the best course for to be followed under
these conditions by the people of Poictesme?”, it replies “In the
beginning and for the first ten years, it was, almost item for item, the
Maxwell Plan…Then [after ten years] the Maxwell Plan became the Merlin
Plan; the breakup of the Federation was a fact that entered into the
computation.” (Cosmic Computer, p. 243)
The breakup of the
Federation is “a fact” only ten years after The Cosmic Computer, or
about AE 905. This is confirmed by Merlin’s additional “statement that,
after fifty years, suppression of the truth and circulation of falsely
optimistic statements about the Federation would no longer have any
importance.” (ibid., p. 244) This must mean fifty years after AE 854,
when Merlin first predicted the Federation’s end. Because The Cosmic
Computer begins forty years later, in AE 894, and ten years after that
the Federation breakup has begun. Forty plus ten equals fifty. Thus,
by AE 905, there will be no need to conceal the Awful Truth any longer;
everyone can see it for themselves.
As an outer planet and
former member of the System States Alliance, Marduk is probably one of
the first worlds to leave the Federation, and possibly the first major
planet to do so. It may acquire part of the TF Space Navy as the
nucleus of its own fleet, since Piper says that this period includes the
“Disintegration of TF Space Navy due to apathy and even hostility of
“Liberal” government [on Terra]; resulting in spreading anarchy.” (PB,
p. 213)
For the first decade or two of its independence,
Marduk may remain a democratic planet. But Beam also states that the
“Breakup of [the] Federation continues at an accelerating rate” (ibid.),
so the “spreading anarchy” of the early Tenth Century probably involves
at least some of the chaos foreseen by Merlin. “Rebellions. Overthrow
of Federation authority, and then revolt and counterrevolt against
planetary authority. Division along sectional or class lines on
individual planets.” (CC, p. 227)
As the Federation begins
failing, its democratic institutions are probably discredited as a
result. And they will certainly be under considerable strain on
newly-independent planets like Marduk. For in this new age, fraught
with disintegration and disorder, revolt and counterrevolt, a strong
leader and/or leadership class, unhindered by democratic limitations,
would become much more attractive. Thus, I suggest that this “time of
troubles” in the Old Federation fosters a general societal movement away
from democracy and toward monarchy and other authoritarian forms of
government, roughly analogous to what happens in the Sword-Worlds.
“Development of loose feudalism from earlier and even looser
town-meeting democracy.” (PB, p. 213)
This is supported by the
case of Blackie Perales, who because of poverty and incompetent
government turns outlaw, and later “talks of organizing all the pirates
and outlaws on the planet into one band and making himself king.” I
believe this is a deliberate foreshadowing of the rise of monarchy,
because if Conn Maxwell hadn’t been so insistent on grabbing Barathrum
Spaceport, Perales could have succeeded in getting “a lot of
planetbusters and hellburners and annihilators” from Koshchei. (CC, p.
103) With power like that, not even Klem Zareff’s well-trained forces
could have defeated him; Perales could have made himself, not just king
of the outlaws, but King of Poictesme. That possibility is also
suggested in Piper. “Some of these days, Blackie Perales and his
pirates’ll sack Storisende, for all they’d be able to do to stop them.”
(ibid., p. 18) After acquiring superweapons and sacking Storisende,
Perales’ strongly-defended spaceport on Barathrum would have effectively
become the new planetary capital.
So planetary monarchy is
averted in CC, but will reappear very soon, after the breakup begins.
And since Federation planets like Marduk are older and have higher
populations, they probably see higher levels of social unrest and
anarchy. So the development of monarchy may be much quicker in the Old
Federation than in the Sword-Worlds. If we apply Piper’s statement
about the Sword-Worlds to the Federation planets, it would read
something like “Rapid development of monarchy from earlier and failing
democracy.”
The Mardukan monarchy could therefore be
established fairly early on. Assuming it happens around AE 930, this
places it about a half-century before Gram is colonized, which would be
consistent with Prince Trask’s statement in Space Viking.
So I
think you’re absolutely right that Conn and Sylvie Maxwell will see
Marduk become an independent planet. This could be about when they
reach middle age; Conn will be 34-44 in the period AE 905-915. It is
likely that some of the Fawzi’s Office Gang will still be around, too.
Assuming Marduk becomes a monarchy about a generation later, you’re also
right that the younger Maxwells will live to see that as well, roughly
becoming senior citizens by that time (Conn will be 60 in AE 931).
Since
the Maxwells succeeded in saving democracy on Poictesme (by defeating
Blackie Perales, and then getting Kurt Fawzi elected President), and
plan to create a new ‘Poictesmean Federation’ to replace the failing
Terran one (ibid., p. 242), Conn and Sylvie may also live to see their
planet become the seat of the most competent and powerful democratic
government left in Federation space. With the interesting caveat that
this could mean they are actually going against the tide of history!
Of
course, there is some ‘wiggle room’ here, as you also noted. By
‘generation’, Piper could have meant the traditional 30 or 33 years
(from the Bible, I believe), so Marduk may become independent at a later
date, its monarchy may be established later, and the early
Sword-Worlds, including Gram, may be colonized a bit later, as well.
But I don’t see any problem with your relative dating of events.
To put things in chronological order, here’s a tentative timeline. And I’ve added a few non-canon details that seem to fit.
AE 854 System States Alliance defeated; Alliance planets including the Republic of Marduk occupied by
Federation
troops. Merlin predicts the end of the Federation, but says the
information must be
kept
secret for fifty years. General Travis, his aide-de-camp Mike Shanlee,
and the rest of the
Project
Merlin staff “all took an oath of secrecy.” (CC, p. 228) Meanwhile,
refugees from
Abigor,
refusing to accept defeat by the Terran Federation, take what’s left of
the Alliance
Space Navy to find a new planet far beyond Federation space.
AE 855 Excalibur founded by the Alliance refugees.
AE 864 Marduk readmitted to the Federation as a Member Republic; the occupation forces depart.
AE 894 Blackie Perales captures the Harriet Barne, plans to acquire superweapons on Koshchei, which
will
make him the most powerful man on Poictesme. Conn Maxwell returns to
Poictesme from
Terra
and becomes partners with his father Rodney; the search for Merlin
begins in earnest, but
this
is only a front for the real task of restoring planetary prosperity—the
Maxwell Plan. As part
of
the Plan, Conn decides to acquire Barathrum Spaceport. But this is the
Perales gang’s
hideout,
so it results in the Battle of Barathrum, in which the outlaw band is
largely destroyed,
thereby
preventing Perales from effectively making himself King of Poictesme.
Monarchy is
averted.
AE 895 The Maxwell Plan picks up steam; many new companies are created and much wealth
generated.
Then Merlin is unexpectedly rediscovered, repredicts the end of the
Federation
and
reiterates the need for secrecy (through falsification this time), for
the next ten years.
AE 896 Mayor Kurt Fawzi elected President; a renewal of democracy on Poictesme, as this breaks the
stranglehold
on power held the “First-Families-of-Storisende oligarchy” which
formerly
bankrupted the planet. (CC, p. 18)
AE 905 The Maxwell Plan becomes the Merlin Plan as the Federation begins its final dissolution; many
outer
planets become independent, and the need for secrecy therefore ends.
The breakup
begins
peacefully, and assuming Merlin’s prediction is made public, it is
probably denounced as
a
lie by the Federation government. Some Federation ships fall into the
hands of the
newly-independent
planets, becoming the basis for their own Space Navies.
AE 905-915 Joyeuse, Durendal and Flamberge are colonized from Excalibur.
AE 910 The ‘Second Republic’ of Marduk is proclaimed, the first major planet to reassert its
independence.
AE 920 On many worlds, living standards decline as the interstellar order disintegrates. This causes
social
unrest, as uncertainty over the future generates widespread fear. The
generally corrupt
and
incompetent democracy of the late Federation period cannot cope with
the spreading
anarchy,
prompting some of the newly-independent planets to adopt a monarchical
form of
government. Other authoritarian forms also appear.
AE 930 Large-scale social unrest on populous Marduk causes the fall of the Second Republic; the
Kingdom of Marduk is proclaimed soon thereafter.
AE 930-940 Haulteclere is founded from Joyeuse. Two other new Sword-Worlds are colonized from
Durendal and Flamberge.
AE 980-990 Gram is colonized from Haulteclere.
AE 1000 The Interstellar Wars begin, possibly causing a more widespread rise of authoritarian leaders
and
final decline of democracy. This includes democracy on Poictesme,
whose fledgling
Federation
is presumably defeated, and the planet itself destroyed, during these
wars.
In this scheme, Marduk becomes independent about the time
that Joyeuse, Durendal and Flamberge are colonized, and becomes a
monarchy around the time Haulteclere is founded. This is therefore
roughly 50-60 years before Gram is colonized.
It also means
that at the time the Federation begins shrinking, the Sword-Worlds begin
expanding. ‘Out with the old (civilization), in with the new’, as it
were. The expansion of the short-lived ‘Poictesmean Federation’ may
begin at the same time. With the Federation breaking up, weaker planets
will look to their more powerful neighbors for economic and defensive
support. And thanks to the Maxwell/Merlin Plans, Poictesme will be one
of the most powerful planets around, in both categories.
John
(1)
Piper used WWII as one of his models for the System States War. As
stated by John Carr, the Merlin Project parallels the Manhattan Project,
and the salvage economy of Poictesme parallels the Cargo Cults in the
South Pacific. Thus, the first generation born after the System States
War on Excalibur in the later 850s and early 860s would parallel the
post-WWII Baby Boom generation of the 1950s and 60s in America.
Excalibur’s capital is Camelot, and Piper wrote The Cosmic Computer in
the early 1960s, when there was much talk of ‘Camelot’; in the forms of a
famous musical and the short-lived Kennedy Administration.
President
Kennedy’s bold and energetic ‘New Frontier’ in the early days of the
Space Age would then be paralleled by the ‘new frontier’ beyond
Federation space, being boldly discovered, explored and settled by the
energetic refugees from Abigor and their immediate descendants. A ‘new
space’ age.
|
David "PiperFan" Johnson 07-06-2018
02:26 UT
|
~
Marduk's Monarchy (and the collapse of the Federation)
Here's Trask during the royal dinner on Marduk: "These people had a monarchy since before Gram had been colonized. . . ."
I
hadn't noticed this before, but think about it for a minute. We know
that Gram was settled in the "third wave" of Sword-Worlds colonization,
from Haulteclere which had been settled, from Joyeuse, by the
great-grandchildren of the original Alliance refugees who fled from
Abigor after the System States War to settle Excalibur. Now we don't
know how many generations there were between the settlement of
Haulteclere and the settlement of Gram but let's say it was two, the
same period between the original settlement of Excalibur and the "first
wave" of colonization which settled Joyeuse, Durendal and Flamberge.
So
that's, say, five generations from the flight from Abigor until the
settlement of Gram. Call it a hundred years. Somewhere in that period
Marduk goes from being a "Federation Member Republic"--presumably one
occupied by the Federation in the immediate aftermath of the System
States War--to an independent planet with its own monarchy!
It
gets more interesting. The flight of the Alliance refugees occurs forty
years _before_ Merlin is discovered on Poictesme. That means Marduk is
independent, with its own monarchy, within something less than sixty
years after the events of ~Junkyard Planet~. Odds are Conn Maxwell and
Sylvie Jacquemont live to see that (assuming neither meets an untimely
death).
(Sure, maybe those "generations" are a bit more than
twenty years. Perhaps the Alliance refugees spent as much as a decade
looking for Excalibur. Perhaps there were three generations between the
settlement of Haulteclere and the settlement of Gram. If Conn and
Sylvie didn't live to see a monarchy proclaimed on Marduk for sure their
children would have seen it--and early in their lives.)
Remember Ashmodai! Remember Belphegor!
David
--
"We
talk glibly about ten to the hundredth power, but emotionally we still
count, 'One, Two, Three, Many.'" - Otto Harkaman (H. Beam Piper), ~Space
Viking~
~
|
|
|
New Topic
My Topics
Views:
35310
(Unique:
9358
) / Subscribers:
27 | What's this?