Anderson's work is awash in historical themes. Tiger by the Tail is, at first glance, a parallel to the decaying (I would use "decadent" but its original denotation as "decaying" as been connotated into "pleasurable": look for "decadent chocolate") Roman Empire confronting barbarian humanoids. The story takes an unexpected twist as intelligence officer Landry destroys the barbarian alliance with careful manipulation. The parallels to Roman/barbarian interaction are well done and historically accurate in the parallel; the Romans never developed faster than light spacecraft.
His short story "Duel on Syrtis" really captures the tragedy of the last of the off-reservation Indians in a future context.
Anderson is hands-down my favorite SF writer, and one of my top 3 writers of any genre. He could blend hard science (his descriptions of alien planets are downright cinematic) and sociology so seamlessly as to make it look easy. I am on the third volume of his massive 5-volume short story anthology and loving it every time I turn the page.
ReplyDelete"The High Crusade", in which aliens attempt to invade High Medieval England and find them outwitted by knights and a Duke or an Earl when all the Humans know is that this is some kind of flying ship that sails through the air is also imaginative and amusing. They return to earth hundreds of years later speaking middle English to the puzzlement of the various military air traffic controllers who intercept their transmissions.
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