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Nightwings
Aug. 5th, 2003 07:49 amThis was the sci-fi story I was reading. It was a Hugo-winning novella by Robert Silverberg taking place following the 2nd cycle (which I guess is our civilization, highly advanced). You'd think there'd be a sense of decay, but the author actually conveys a wonderful sense of beauty.
There are just touches of the exotic--a large blue wall surrounds the walls of Roum (Rome). They don't have computers--they use the brains of the dead. They're in tanks and you put a helmet on your head to interface with it (that's actually a pretty good idea). The narrator is in the guild of the Watchers and he's with a Flier and Changeling on their way to Roum. Everyone on this world is part of a guild, except for changelings. And Fliers are a little like faeries--human bodies w/ wings. A Watcher's job is, through the use of his instruments, to cast his mind out into the universe to look for any possible Earth invasion.
This story is a part of a compilation of Hugo winners I picked up at a library sale. I haven't read so many different sci-fi stories since I was a kid. Still, I'm lazy as always--what usually dictates what I'll read? How long the story is. This compilation had a few famous stories I've heard of over the years, and famous writers I've never read. A Larry Niven story called "Neutron Star" is here. Niven is the person who wrote Ringworld, a novel (and sequel) that I have a tendency from time to time to forget that I've read. 1 of the characters in Ringworld is a "puppeteer," and alien, and a puppeteer is in "Neutron Star", as well. So I'm thinking that Niven started thinking about using this character after writing this story.
Speaking of writing--I couldn't last night. Had to practice flute. I've got a lesson on Thursday, and did I practice enough? No, of course not. So now I have to make it up over the next 2 nights.
There are just touches of the exotic--a large blue wall surrounds the walls of Roum (Rome). They don't have computers--they use the brains of the dead. They're in tanks and you put a helmet on your head to interface with it (that's actually a pretty good idea). The narrator is in the guild of the Watchers and he's with a Flier and Changeling on their way to Roum. Everyone on this world is part of a guild, except for changelings. And Fliers are a little like faeries--human bodies w/ wings. A Watcher's job is, through the use of his instruments, to cast his mind out into the universe to look for any possible Earth invasion.
This story is a part of a compilation of Hugo winners I picked up at a library sale. I haven't read so many different sci-fi stories since I was a kid. Still, I'm lazy as always--what usually dictates what I'll read? How long the story is. This compilation had a few famous stories I've heard of over the years, and famous writers I've never read. A Larry Niven story called "Neutron Star" is here. Niven is the person who wrote Ringworld, a novel (and sequel) that I have a tendency from time to time to forget that I've read. 1 of the characters in Ringworld is a "puppeteer," and alien, and a puppeteer is in "Neutron Star", as well. So I'm thinking that Niven started thinking about using this character after writing this story.
Speaking of writing--I couldn't last night. Had to practice flute. I've got a lesson on Thursday, and did I practice enough? No, of course not. So now I have to make it up over the next 2 nights.
