ran@ho95b.UUCP (RANeinast) (04/15/85)
In "Expanded Universe", Heinlein, in a tribute to E. E. (Doc) Smith, says that there was to have been a seventh novel (not "Masters of the Vortex"--that seems to me to be a side-stream novel), that Smith had it all worked out in detail (but not necessarily written down), and that he told Heinlein the ending. All Heinlein says about it is that the ending "develops by inescapable logic from clues in CHILDREN OF THE LENS." Anybody out there know anything else? Does the story exist? What are the clues? I have a few ideas but would like to see what all of you think. -- ". . . and shun the frumious Bandersnatch." Robert Neinast (ihnp4!ho95b!ran) AT&T-Bell Labs
chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen) (04/16/85)
In article <367@ho95b.UUCP> ran@ho95b.UUCP (RANeinast) writes: >In "Expanded Universe", Heinlein, in a tribute to >E. E. (Doc) Smith, says that there was to have >been a seventh novel (not "Masters of the Vortex"--that >seems to me to be a side-stream novel), that >Smith had it all worked out in detail (but not >necessarily written down), and that he told Heinlein >the ending. All Heinlein says about it is that >the ending "develops by inescapable logic from >clues in CHILDREN OF THE LENS." > >Anybody out there know anything else? Does the story >exist? What are the clues? I have a few ideas >but would like to see what all of you think. Can you say "story cycle"? I thought you could. From the clues in COTL: 1) The Kinnison kids will find a planet and settle down in a nice, loving, incestous relationship and be the Guardians of Civilization in their spare time. 2) After a long period of time, a new threat to civilization will develop: one that the Guardians won't be able to handle by themselves. 3) The Guardians will then attempt to breed a race to supplant them as the Guardians of Civilization. 4) As a by-product of the struggle and hardship necessary to produce such a new race, I think the old Civilization will be partially or totally destroyed. 5) The races involved in the breeding plan will of necessity become the primary moving forces behind the new Civilization much as the Rigellians, Tellurians (humans to you uneducated people), Velantians, and Palanians are the primary movers in the present Civilization. 6) Steps 1-5 have already happened as the reader is presumably a third-level intellect of the new race. 7) What is left is the presumably final confrontation followed by the "passing on" of the current Guardians of Civilization. Note: There are actually two separate Civilizations. The Civilization that the readers know as CIVILIZATION and the civilization of the Guardians. Due to the fact that full knowledge of the function and purpose of the Guardians would damage an immature civilization (read less than third level) badly, the two civilizations will remain essentially separate with the mature civilization functioning as Guardian to the immature one. Those who reach the third level would probably live a "normal" lifetime and then simply fade away to join the Guardians. Given the amount of time between major threats, the Guardians will probably include more humans and members of other various races. My theory is also that most of humanity (and some other races) will be destroyed. Instead of attempting to prevent damage to the current Civilization by premature intevention, the Guardians will instead allow the immature Civilization to "suffer". The prime movers of the immature Civilization will of necessity bear the brunt of the damage done as they will be the prime targets for those wishing to corrupt or weaken the current Civilization and they will be the ones doing most of the resisting. The new threat will mark the beginning of the decline of the human race (and other races) as we know it. I don't think anything I've outlined is too far-fetched as I believe I can back up *everything* I've proposed. I can also understand Smith's belief that NOBODY would publish this story. Talk about depressing. Most (if not all) of the conventional human race either gets killed off or subverted before some new race(s) rise to pull the fat out of the fire. Then at the end of the story, the Tellurian (and other) Guardians of Civlization will either wander off into some other dimension or commit mass suicide depending on your interpretation. Nice, huh? I have to admit, though, that I wish Smith had written the story. I'd like to read it for real. Ray Chen princeton!tilt!chenr