Technic History: Difference between revisions

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* [[Ape Shall Never Kill Ape]]: Dominic Flandry is kidnapped by an alien race, who assert that they are far more civilized than the Terran Empire, as they would never betray an oath or otherwise be dishonest (except to other, lesser, races, like humans). He soon has the entire leadership of the planet backstabbing each other, noting that their refusal to admit that they, too, can betray each other if the price is right, is what enabled him to succeed in destroying them.

* [[Big Badass Bird of Prey]]: The Ythrians dominate a large part of the series. They are not exactly avian but they look avian and Anderson considered making a winged creature that could carry a brain capable of sapience in normal gravity to be an interesting puzzle. Ythrian's hat, to some degree is being Warrior Poets. While massive wars are not as much a part of their history as among Terrans, they have their own heritage of violence and feuding, and they have a code of honor or "Deathpride" and an ethic of heroism. In many ways they are a Fantasy Counterpart Culture of Medieval Iceland.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: Lots. Especially the Dominic Flandry stories; Flandry succeeds, but [[Cartwright Curse|loses any woman he truly loves]], feels guilt at hurting the feelings of the others, and in one story is troubled by the contrast between several honest, decent rebels, who are ''at best'' going to be locked up for the rest of their lives, and the decadent, despicable Emperor. The prequel novel had a back-cover blurb which summed up:

* [[Meaningful Name]] : David Falkayn is called Falkayn and he founds a colony with the help of the bird-of-prey-like Ythrians. He is also a trader and explorer and his homeworld is Hermes, the Greek god of travelers.

* [[Mixed Metaphor]]: Nicholas van Rijn, along with [[Malaproper|malapropisms]], often mixed metaphors. Particularly appealing was his reference to forcefully seeking something he wanted "like a bulldozer going after a cowdozer."

* [[Patron Saint]]: Nicholas van Rijn swears by Saint Dismas (the Good Thief, appropriately), and has expressed the intention of burning candles in offering (to which another character responded "The Saint had best get it in writing").

* [[Planet Terra]]: The Dominic Flandry stories refer to Terra and the Terran Empire.