Divide and rule

Divide and Rule: a weird world of knights and 'hoppers' Sir Howard Van Slyck is a member of the aristocracy, being the second son of the Duke of Ploughkeepsie. As such he is certainly a cut above the workers, and has spent his time learning the fine art of knighthood, including how to run in armor and knock a man off his horse with a lance. Above the aristocracy are the 'hoppers', kangaroo like creatures that have exclusive rights to technology like cars and planes. Sir Howard enjoys the respect he is give by the workers and does not mind saluting in his turn to the 'hoppers'. That is the order and way of doing things that God has ordained after all. As a last fling before he settles down the young Sir Howard sets of on a journey to nowhere in particular in search of adventure. He soon meets Lyman Haas from Wyoming, an unorthodox fellow skilled in the use of rope lassoing. Together they set out to rescue Sally Mitten, a beautiful young woman who has been detained by a local warlord. Amid all this adventure Sir Howard is sure that the world is as it should be, but is that really so? Events will soon conspire to make him think, and think deeply. The first part of this novella has a distinct feel of fantasy, as if one was reading some weird alternate history. The combination of medieval society with technology is most intriguing. Then about halfway through the tale 'explanations' are given and the story changes into pure science fiction. Thematically the story is about order in society, particularly through political systems, and what is the best method of doing this. Showing some depth of thought De Camp touches on the possibility of a democratic world government for Planet Earth, but ultimately this book is a celebration of the 'twentieth century American way' of doing things. De Camp does not even mention the great Soviet experiment, which was well under way by the time this tale was written. The work consists of only 14 short chapters, which does not leave much room for development, but De Camp does manage to swing a complete revolution of though for Sir Howard. The author, however, is at his very best when describing rollicking adventure, as he does in the first half, rather than when he is being philosophical. This adventure of course contains a dash of De Camp's trademark humor to jolly us through the story. Considering this novella was last revised in 1948 it is interesting that we can read it in the twenty first century without feeling that it is a 'quaint old tale'. It is, indeed, an amusing read perfectly suited to an occasion when you have a day free to read, but don't want to start on a long novel. The Stolen Dormouse: the company is all The year is 2236 and the influence of business companies has greatly increased. The company is all: one lives in the company building, dresses in company uniform, works for the same company all ones life, and is even born into the company. An individual might even fight a duel