Birthright: The Book of Man

The age of the star ( ISBN 3- 426-05793 -X, 1985, Orig: Birthright: The Book of Man, 1982) is a science fiction novel by the American writer Mike Resnick. The novel is about the conquest of the galaxy through humanity, a theme which also Resnick used in many other of his works.

Action

The age of stars spanning a period of 17 millennia, starting with the first expansion experiments into space and ends with the death of the last people. It describes the steady expansion, including setbacks. The intelligent races of the galaxy have been overwhelmed by the people and then suppressed, and with any means that was available: economic pressure and dependence, diplomatic maneuvering, or as a last option military superiority.

Not all chapters are devoted to the subjugation of humanity by extraterrestrials, some also deal with the development of a democracy to a monarchy by the expansion of the human empire. However, the greatest part of the narrative take on the abilities of mankind to prevail against all odds in the conquest of the galaxy.

Over time is no more room for further expansion of human power range, dementsprechenend finds a retrogression instead. Internal squabbles within the Empire and the resentment of the aliens to the people provide for a reduction in the influence and power of humanity. Resnick describes in this part a similar period as that of the ascent, gives him in the novel but less space. Despite their abilities to conquer the galaxy, people are no longer able to consolidate their influence and keep. One of the chapters is concerned, in the context of very ironic, to create in the human nature a literary fiction that does not share any of the alien races.

Construction

The book is divided into 26 chapters, each telling its own story in the course of human history. Each chapter introduces its own characters that appear in no other. At first glance it seems to be a collection of short stories, but fits together into a whole. The impression of short stories thins out only by the context of the development, which extends over 17 millennia. Each chapter is named after a human group or a professional title, such as " The cartographers ," " The Artist " and "The Priest ".

Most chapters are introduced by excerpts from the fictional history of the people and those of the aliens that relate to the operations of the following chapter. Compared to the following in the chapter narrative, the "official" histories of significant distortions of actual events.

Inspiration and connection to other works

Even in the age of the stars themselves Resnick serves the style of a historical narrative in order to create the framework of his vision of the future, similar can be found in the novels Ivory, A Miracle of Rare Design, and Santiago. Resnick great interest in African history provided him with the inspiration. The colonialism of the 16th and 19th century, under the Africa suffered, has many parallels with the expansion of humanity into Resnick's universe in this novel. The features are ruthless exploitation of resources, suppression of native cultures, based on an ideology of the superiority of their own race.

In the age of the star is believed that this behavior is one of the basic principles of human nature and that practice will continue at a "conquest" of the universe. The later part deals with the phenomenon that seemingly invincible empires crumble always slow to end up disappearing completely. History provides numerous examples, including the Roman Empire, the Mongol and the British Empire and the kingdom of Alexander the Great.

Likewise, the book can be seen as the antithesis of stereotypical alien representation that is peddled in many movies and books, like in Starship Troopers, and in the Predator and Alien films. Here mankind is the worst and most dangerous race in the universe. Similarly, go with the theme Resnick, even in the short story With Friends Like These and Alan Dean Foster in the trilogy The Damned to.