Topic Actions

Topic Search

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

Out of order snippet

Aliens? Invading aliens? What will Earth do? Well...we may have a few more resources than we first thought. Come join a friendly discussion about David Weber's newest Tor series - "Out of the Dark."
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by FriarBob   » Thu May 30, 2019 6:57 pm

FriarBob
Rear Admiral

Posts: 1061
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:29 pm

Theemile wrote:
FriarBob wrote:[...]But many (likely most) emperors in the history of mankind -- especially those setting up a new dynasty -- have decreed a new dating system shortly after gaining power. [...]


Ah, but in those cases, an emperor or king or whoever starting the dating process on his birth/throne ascention/wolf killing/whatever was the normal dating process. His father did it - his son will do the same. You were born in the 4th year of the reign of Claudius, and married in the 12 year of his replacement. The names were "tab" markers in the same system, not a complete break.

Like BC/AD, This would a complete replacement of the current system. If anything people would be referring to the number of years since the Shongairi invasion for awhile, Not the start of the Terran Empire or whatever it is initially named.

My initial point (obviously missed) was the name appears to be from a future context, with a Historian derived dating system and possible title which may be different than the actual governmental title. Yes, I could be wrong, But David is known to write from an future historical point of view in previews and openings - like the Honorverse Book intro to the Mayan Crises from Ceres Press in the 2050s PD.


We each either confused the other or perhaps missed a point. Or just disagree and can't let go. Or maybe all of the above. Because my point is that even if the child follows in the footsteps and renumbers (again) *someone* started it. Someone -- usually the founder of the dynasty and/or empire -- did it first. And that it was not 'weird' for him to do so.

And yes you could be wrong, but so could I. For that matter, anyone who has ever dared to speculate about where Weber is going has probably been wrong more often than right. But while he has written from a future history perspective before, that still doesn't eliminate any (much less all) of my other points: that empire is normal in this scenario, that authoritarian government is too, that an empire can still have democratic principles, that this is common in Weber's work, and that the empire is about to be formed. (And for the last one, yesterday's snippet rather blatantly hints at such, but does not outright prove it.)

Nor does his habit of writing 'future history' eliminate my last point: that this is going to be (in this fictional 'reality') such a major departure from all of prior history that it's appropriate to redate more or less immediately.
Top
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by phillies   » Sat Jun 08, 2019 9:51 am

phillies
Admiral

Posts: 2076
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:43 am
Location: Worcester, MA

Rugdumph wrote:Please, please, not midichlorians!


No, maxichlorians. Or perhaps maxiweberians. :D We perhaps appear to see the author writing himself into the novel.
Top
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by George J. Smith   » Sat Jun 22, 2019 5:11 pm

George J. Smith
Commodore

Posts: 873
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 7:48 am
Location: Ross-on-Wye UK

DrakBibliophile wrote:Not midichlorians but likely nanotech. :twisted:

And no, the MWW hasn't told me anything. ;)

Rugdumph wrote:Please, please, not midichlorians!


runsforcelery wrote:"Worked!" he said exuberantly. "At least this time we got something." He tapped a control, zooming the image even farther. "In fact, it looks like — Jesus Christ!"


At the risk of accusations of being facetious, maybe he saw a miniature of some chap with long hair and a beard, wearing sandals a long robe :lol: :lol:
.
T&R
GJS

A man should live forever, or die in the attempt
Spider Robinson Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977) A voice is heard in Ramah
Top
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by justdave   » Tue Jun 25, 2019 5:16 pm

justdave
Lieutenant Commander

Posts: 119
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 12:10 pm

runsforcelery wrote:
"Worked!" he said exuberantly. "At least this time we got something." He tapped a control, zooming the image even farther. "In fact, it looks like — Jesus Christ!"


to quote(?) the Mad Wizard, Dum T Dum . . .
Top
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by shayvaan   » Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:30 pm

shayvaan
Lieutenant (Senior Grade)

Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:56 pm

my questions would thus:


1. Who did this?

2. Why did they do this?

3. Are they friendly?

4. If not and they can do this to us, what can they do to their own soldiers?

Personally, I find the last question frightening, because if I was altering some backwater bumpkin-catspaws for whatever reason (and definitely when I couldn't be assured that they'd be friendly/subservient to me ahead of time) I wouldn't make them so nasty as to have even a snowball's chance againt me.
Top
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by DrakBibliophile   » Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:49 pm

DrakBibliophile
Admiral

Posts: 2311
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: East Central Illinois

Well, "they" may have attempted to make them controllable and failed.

Which may be the answer to Number 4. Since they failed with humans they may not have attempted it with their own people.

It is possible that they saw their mistake and attempted to destroy the experimental humans.

Only a few did survive (Vlad's group) but the others were either destroyed by their creators or destroyed by other humans.

Note, I suggested in another thread that Vlad's group had been involved in destroying some of the others. IE As bad as Vlad may have thought he was then, there were worse "vampires" than him. ;)


shayvaan wrote:my questions would thus:


1. Who did this?

2. Why did they do this?

3. Are they friendly?

4. If not and they can do this to us, what can they do to their own soldiers?

Personally, I find the last question frightening, because if I was altering some backwater bumpkin-catspaws for whatever reason (and definitely when I couldn't be assured that they'd be friendly/subservient to me ahead of time) I wouldn't make them so nasty as to have even a snowball's chance againt me.
*
Paul Howard (Alias Drak Bibliophile)
*
Sometimes The Dragon Wins! [Polite Dragon Smile]
*
Top
Re: Out of order snippet
Post by shayvaan   » Mon Jul 08, 2019 9:46 pm

shayvaan
Lieutenant (Senior Grade)

Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:56 pm

DrakBibliophile wrote:Well, "they" may have attempted to make them controllable and failed.

Which may be the answer to Number 4. Since they failed with humans they may not have attempted it with their own people.

It is possible that they saw their mistake and attempted to destroy the experimental humans.

Only a few did survive (Vlad's group) but the others were either destroyed by their creators or destroyed by other humans.

Note, I suggested in another thread that Vlad's group had been involved in destroying some of the others. IE As bad as Vlad may have thought he was then, there were worse "vampires" than him. ;)




The only sign of change (mentally anyway) is an aversion to being medically examined (which was probably deliberate). Therefore I don't see any reason they couldn't improve themselves to an even possibly greater degree, (after all, you would probably only alter your own - loyal - soldiers) possibly with a biological analog to what the Achuultani Master Computer did in the Dahak series, with the leaders getting the most potent upgrades.
Top

Return to Out of the Dark