Tuesday 6 August 2013

A Range Of Issues

Look at the range of issues covered by the last few Poul Anderson short stories discussed on this blog:

robotic evolution and artificial intelligence;
the human consequences of long interstellar journeys;
the future of technological warfare;
how society might cope with the threat or after-effects of nuclear war;
the coexistence of advanced technology with older social forms and value systems;
the science and politics of terraforming the Moon;
the significance of historical details and accidents in the twentieth century and in the future;
a hypothetical elder race;
conditions at the galactic center;
supernovae and neutron stars;
non-human races that might interact with or supersede humanity in future.

In each case, the issues are presented not as abstract discussions but in readable short stories about credible characters who matter to the reader, stories originally published in popular magazines where they could be read once for pleasure but that can also be reread with greater appreciation. In fact, what we need is a multi-volume Complete Poul Anderson Short Stories Collection.

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