Re: Don't know what a slide rule is for

On Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:02:34 -0800, "Brion K. Lienhart"
<brionl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Daniel Silevitch wrote:
On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 11:31:05 -0800 (PST), louann_m@xxxxxxxxx <louann_m@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jan 9, 12:50 pm, Walter Bushell <pr...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Most Pernese were low tech farmers, which is the role their ancestors
choose for them. Hewers of water and carriers of wood and so forth. We
don't see much of them as we spend most of our time on Pern amongst the
movers and shakers.
I gave up on Pern after the first-arrival-on-planet book, and skipped
several before it. But I remember from that one that the first
colonists had consciously chosen to have a low-tech, subsistence-
farming world.

Is there any later book where some people from a planet that _hadn't_
low-tech turn up and behave like Mongol Hordes? Or is there even a
faint hint of some mechanism that would prevent this happening even
though the planet is low-tech and the colony will therefore be
vulnerable for many centuries?

I don't recall mention of any such mechanism, though it's been several
years since I read Dragondawn. Maybe the Galactic Empire collapsed and
all of the high-tech planets reverted to barbarism; that seems to be a
common fate for Galactic Empires.

IIRC, one of the "first founding" books had a small side group being
rescued, which resulted in the Encylopaedia Galactica listing the system
as "icky-poo uninhabitable". Since there are lots of inhabitable
systems, mostly it gets ignored.

It was a short story. A ship shows up a couple of decades after the
landing, during the first threadfall period (by the time most of the
colonists had evacuated to the north continent, because of the combination
of earthquakes and thread). They find a handful of folks, and are told
that the rest of the colony has died out (which, as far as these folks know
is true) observe thread's behavior, rescue the handful of 'survivors', and
file a report that the planet is uninhabitable due to thread (they aren't
in-system long enough to know about Intervals).
--
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
(Bene Gesserit)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Dont know what a slide rule is for
    ... Is there any later book where some people from a planet that _hadn't_ ... low-tech turn up and behave like Mongol Hordes? ... Maybe the Galactic Empire collapsed and all of the high-tech planets reverted to barbarism; that seems to be a common fate for Galactic Empires. ... Since there are lots of inhabitable systems, ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: Dont know what a slide rule is for
    ... I gave up on Pern after the first-arrival-on-planet book, ... Is there any later book where some people from a planet that _hadn't_ ... low-tech turn up and behave like Mongol Hordes? ... Maybe the Galactic Empire collapsed and ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • What MUST be done . . .
    ... When everything went wrong a few thousand years ago on the planet, ... Reconnecting to CREATION is the first step. ... who choose not to reconnect will have to be removed from the planet. ... Release attachment to all self limitation and to everything you fear ...
    (talk.religion.newage)
  • Re: [Blog] Is Ignorance Really Bliss?
    ... planet will be uninhabitable, ... In my case, it's a fear of, well, losing the 4x4, skiing and playing around ... I don't drive half a mile to the shops, ...
    (uk.rec.motorcycles)
  • Re: Only Rifles and Shotguns
    ... that will keep all those lawbreaking criminals from carrying one. ... His planet is all rose colored with fluffy clouds and unicorns. ... where does your fear come from? ...
    (talk.politics.guns)