Tuesday 10 February 2015

Some Details In The Game Of Empire

Targovi calls Diana "'...little friend of the universe...'" (Poul Anderson, Flandry's Legacy, p. 244), another echo of "'...The Friend of all the World...'" (Rudyard Kipling, Kim, p. 6).

Axor wants "'...to know the truth - whatever the truth may be.'"  (Anderson, op. cit., p. 210) Targovi wants to "'...uncover the truth, whatever the truth may prove to be.'" (p. 247) However, Axor refers to theological truth whereas Targovi refers to military intelligence. These truths could not be more different yet both are parts of the truth.

Axor travels between the stars because he seeks the truth about the Universal Incarnation. Diana accompanies Axor because she wants to travel between the stars. Targovi accompanies them because their theological quest will provide cover for his intelligence work. Yet both Diana and Targovi are good enough not to mislead Axor. They do in fact guide him towards sources of information for his quest.

Comments on a recent post referred to Poul Anderson's "Earthman, Beware!" Searching the blog revealed several posts about this story. See here.

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