Orion Shall Rise

from the back cover of the December 1984 Pocket Books paperback edition Centuries after the nuclear cataclysm, Earth is once more turning toward war! The nature-loving empire of the Maurai is trying to control the atomic-minded North. Europe is beginning to rebel against Skyholm, the hovering aerostat that commands absolute authority. In this beautiful, frightening epic, lovers, fighters, poets and spies play out the drama of their time. Mankind has learned from its violent history - but now only transcendent heroism and courage can keep the Earth from burning again!

Fortunately, this post-apocalyptic novel doesn't spend too much time telling us how the end of the world as we know it, happened. The first part of the book is a little less fun to read than the last. Maybe because I was trying to understand how the different names for new countries and peoples related to the old. Chicago is Chai-ka-go, etc. The story is very well paced. The post-nuclear fears and Gaean thoughts are well balanced with each other.

I am not saying that this is not a good novel. But I think it is clear that Anderson shines when writing about space - not fictional Earth. This is a wellworn scenario that apparently few ever tire of reading - a post-nuclear Earth. My own opinion is that things will not be nearly as pleasant as these type of novels make it appears. A classic conflict between good and bad, war and peace. Some knowledge survived and with that humans built divergent societies that ultimately clashed. The plotline twisted as it sought to both make a point and tell a tale. I gave it a 3.5 and rounded up.

An excellent and thoughtful depiction of the world about 800 years after nuclear apocalypse, populated by interesting and well-developed characters. Rich with implicit commentary on the foibles of politics and religion, as is characteristic of Anderson's work. Only slightly marred by a short-cut ending. Nonetheless, highly recommended.

This may be Poul Anderson's best long novel, which is saying something. Hundreds of years after the nuclear Doom, new cultures and empires have arisen. Science has recovered and even advanced, but its technological expression is stifled in a world that is desperately resource-poor. Earth's dominant power is the Maurai, a deeply conservative culture that is committed to long-term ecological and political stability. The Maurai's chief rivals are the Norresterners, anarchic technophiles who think that atomic energy might not be so bad after all. The Maurai have defeated and occupied the Norresterners, but you just know it can't last. This big, sprawling novel also sketches several other fascinating cultures, including a feudal republic dominated by a floating city that survived the nuclear war. About half-way through the book the general plot pattern may begin to look familiar. If you're acquainted with Norse mythology, you're in for a treat, because Anderson rings some truly marvelous changes on those oft-told tales. Even if you're not, though, this is still a solid read, hard SF mixed with some very plausible anthropology and politics. Some wooden characters and an overly pat ending are the only things that keep it from being a perfect "10". Highly recommended