Keith Laumer's "The Long Twilight", 1969. скачать в хорошем качестве

Keith Laumer's "The Long Twilight", 1969.

“The Long Twilight” by Keith Laumer. First book publication Putnam 1969. “The Long Twilight” was first serialized as “And Now They Wake” in Galaxy Magazine March, April and May 1969. I read this great novel in monthly installments at 14. This book is written a little episodically, Laumer uses that technique occasionally. Background and story synopsis: Laumer uses Norse/Viking mythology as a foundation for the story, with major changes. This Thor and Loki are closely linked military personnel humans, but off world ones. They are engineered, physically superior humans fighting a war against an ancient enemy, and are scouting the Earth for tactical and strategic purposes. Gralgrathor [Thor] arrives about a decade before Lokrien [Loki] in their AI starships. The AI starships have personalities and are very motivated to win the war at any cost, for their homeland, Ysar. The ships can also create “constructs” which the locals around Bjornholm decode as trolls and monsters. Loki arrives in his Starship Xix, after a long search for Thor. He expects Thor to pack up, leave his family and return to duty. Thor says no, he cannot leave and takes Loki to his home, to meet his wife Gudred, and young son. Loki is adamant about their leaving to get back in the war. Thor says he needs to take a walk to consider all of this. Something or someone kills Thor’s wife Gudred and their son, during the walk. Thor is wild with rage and tracks down Loki in his ship, and he severely damages the starship Xix. Xix manages to throw Thor out, and discusses with Loki the need for Loki to come up with a means to repair the ship. Xix will be dormant most of the repair time, to conserve power. So, we have at this point, Thor, who has always had a Moral Compass, consumed with anger and purpose. Loki, who has more of a Duty and Procedure Compass, trying to nudge humanity into developing the Technology to repair Xix. Which he is not so interested in after 2000 or so years. Xix is only aware from time to time, but is also working toward a means to effect repairs and carry out his mission on Earth, which will destroy the planet. Thor and Loki have thousands of years to mature and learn to be better people. Xix has no concept that time is passing while dormant, and makes no inroads toward growth and maturity in about 3000 years, which seems to be almost no time, to him. So, Laumer begins the novel with both main characters Loki and Thor having more or less forgotten their origins, but the US has developed Broadcast Power and starts broadcasting. That action triggers them all awake to their aforementioned origins: Thor, Loki and Xix. The story is complex, grim, historical, psychological, technological, with quite a bit of social commentary and a lot of fast-moving action. Memory and identity are examined. A cautionary tale, somewhat along the lines of “Dinosaur Beach”. Comparing and contrasting what the various characters consider the most important concepts in life: 1. Grayle/Thor: Duty to the individual/family (Parent/Moral Authority/Civilization). 2. Gudred: Family (Parent/Moral Authority/Civilization) 3. Anne: Family (Parent/Moral Authority/Civilization) 4. Falconer/Loki: Duty to the mission, until tempered by time and experience (The Evolving Mind/Law and Order/Moral Authority). 5. Xix: Duty as a destructive absolute (The Dead End/Egomaniac). 6. John Zabisky: Loyalty/Duty as inheritance (John is a fictional descendant of historical figure John Sobieski, the “Hero King” of Poland). 7. Hardman: A combination Character, who makes a drastic error in judgment. But corrects it later, to no avail. 8. Harmon, or possibly Harm Man: Egomaniac: (No Moral Authority, only Government Authority) Laumer often wrote female characters who were either anchors of stability or sources of immense guilt for the protagonist. I cannot say much else, without spoiling some of Laumer’s points. Spoiler Alert: • The Emotional Anchor (Grayle, Gudred, Anne): They provide the moral compass. Without the protector who values the "small" lives of a wife and child, life is just a cold, hollow exercise in survival. These people keep the world worth living in. • The Structural Architect (Loki): He provides the stability. Without the strategist who understands power dynamics and "permanent opposition," the world would fall into chaos or tyranny. • Xix sees only himself fulfilling the Structural Architect role. This is the classic Golden Age tension between the "Man of Action" and the "Man of Systems." Two halves of whole person, which is Falconer's major change in outlook. This is one of Laumer's strongest writing traits: The moment a rigid, duty-bound character finally breaks under the weight of human reality. I give this complex, thoughtful and action-packed novel a 9 out of 10 stars. It may have been over the heads of the target audience of Galaxy in 1969, it was for me until about 1978