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The ''Childe Cycle'' is an unfinished series of
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
novels by Canadian writer Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to "
Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a narrative poem by English author Robert Browning, written on January 2, 1852, and first published in 1855 in the collection titled '' Men and Women''. The poem is often noted for its dark and atm ...
", a poem by
Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...
, which provided inspiration for elements in the work. The series is sometimes referred to as the Dorsai series, after the Dorsai people who are central to it. The related short stories and novellas all center on the Dorsai, primarily members of the Graeme and Morgan families. In addition to the six science fiction novels of the Cycle, Dickson had also planned three historical novels and three novels taking place in the present day. In an essay in his book '' Steel Brother'', Dickson describes how he conceived the Childe Cycle, the panoramic "consciously thematic" treatment of the evolution of the human race, and the planned contents of the six never-written novels. Each group of three novels would include one focused on each of three "archetypes, the Philosopher, the Warrior, or the Faith-Holder". The first novel's protagonist would be
mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
John Hawkwood Sir John Hawkwood ( 1323 – 17 March 1394) was an English soldier who served as a mercenary leader or '' condottiero'' in Italy. As his name was difficult to pronounce for non-English-speaking contemporaries, there are many variations of it in ...
, who lived from the 1320s to 1394. Hawkwood "has been referred to as the first of the modern generals." He defeated a Milanese ruler who might have stymied the Renaissance. The second historical novel was to deal with the poet John Milton (author of Paradise Lost) in the period he served as a "Faith-Holder" and "Fanatic", a "propagandist for the Cromwellian government." The third historical novel's focus would have been on
Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...
whose "poetry is a vehicle for his philosophy." The three twentieth century novels would have focused on: "the life and character of George Santayana to showcase a Philosopher," a World War II "Warrior", and a female "Faith-Holder" in the 1980s. The latter novel was expected to deal with issues of space colonization, beginning a thread continuing through ''Necromancer'' and concluding with the full formation of the Splinter Cultures. As originally envisioned, the Cycle was to stretch from the 14th century to the 24th century; the completed books begin in the 21st century. The cycle deals with the conflict between progress and
conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
. It also deals with the interaction and conflict among humanity's traits, most importantly Courage, Faith, and Philosophy.


Novels and shorter works

The science fiction novels of the main Childe Cycle include: * '' Dorsai!'' (alternate title: ''The Genetic General'') (1959) * '' Necromancer'' (1962) (issued under the title ''No Room for Man'' between 1963 and 1974) * '' Soldier, Ask Not'' (1967) * '' Tactics of Mistake'' (1971) * ''
The Final Encyclopedia ''The Final Encyclopedia'' is a science fiction book by Gordon R. Dickson published in 1984. It is part of the Childe Cycle series. ''The Final Encyclopedia'' transitions from the militaristic action-adventure of the earlier books in the Childe Cy ...
'' (1984) * '' The Chantry Guild'' (1988) The final book, to have been titled ''Childe'', had not been completed at the time of Dickson's death, and has never been published. Dickson's essay in ''Steel Brother'' says it was to chronicle a battle "in which the adventurous part of the id family wins its identity over the conservative part, and the human identity is made whole again." In addition, there are four shorter pieces and three novels that take place in the same
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
as the Childe Cycle, but are not part of the core cycle. * ''
Lost Dorsai Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have be ...
'' (
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
) and "Warrior" (
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
), published together in ''
Lost Dorsai Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have be ...
'' (1980) * '' Amanda Morgan'' (novella) and "Brothers" (short story), published together in '' The Spirit of Dorsai'' (1979) In the latter volume, the stories are framed by a conversation between
Hal Mayne HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fight ...
and the Third Amanda Morgan, during the events of ''The Final Encyclopedia''. "Warrior" (1965) and "Brothers" (1973) had previously appeared in other publications. The four works have since been collected in one volume as '' The Dorsai Companion'' (1986). The three other novels are: * '' Young Bleys'' (1991) * ''
Other Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
'' (1994) * ''
Antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
'' (with David W. Wixon) (2007) These three novels concern the background and development of
Bleys Ahrens ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a fantasy series written by Roger Zelazny chiefly in ten books published from 1970 to 1991. It features a great variety of characters from a myriad parallel universes (including "our" Earth universe). All universes spi ...
, the antagonist of ''The Final Encyclopedia'' and ''The Chantry Guild''. They take place in the decades leading up to those books, and were apparently added to the original series outline to provide more detail of the ultimate conflict in ''Childe''. The year 2007 saw the publication of ''Antagonist'', finished by Dickson's long-time assistant David W. Wixon. The first published reference to the Dorsai appeared in
Lulungomeena
, a 1954 short story published in ''
Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...
'' and later dramatized on the '' X Minus One'' radio program. The narrator is a man from "the Dorsai planets," who has been working far from home for a long time. The story portrays the Dorsai people as tough and matter-of-fact, but says little else about them.


Chronology

The main sequence novels basically fall into four periods approximately a century apart. * ''Necromancer'': Late 21st century, shortly before humanity begins star travel * ''Tactics of Mistake'': Late 22nd century, in the early development of the splinter cultures. ''Amanda Morgan'' takes place at the same time as the crisis of this book. * ''Soldier, Ask Not'' and ''Dorsai!'' occur around the same time as each other, and overlap, with some events described in both novels. Late 23rd century, after the splinter cultures have fully developed. * ''The Final Encyclopedia'', followed by ''The Chantry Guild'': Mid-24th century, as the final conflict develops among the cultures. * The final planned volume, ''Childe'', was to resolve the conflict which had been set up in the last two books. Its events would immediately follow the events of ''The Chantry Guild''.


Splinter cultures

By the late 21st century, human culture begins to fragment into different aspects. Following the events of '' Necromancer'', humanity has colonized some 14 Younger Worlds. The inhabitants of these worlds have evolved culturally, and to some extent, genetically, into several specialized Splinter Cultures. This was done by the racial
collective unconscious Collective unconscious (german: kollektives Unbewusstes) refers to the unconscious mind and shared mental concepts. It is generally associated with idealism and was coined by Carl Jung. According to Jung, the human collective unconscious is populat ...
itself as an experiment to see what aspects of humanity are the most important. The inhabitants of Earth (now called Old Earth, since New Earth is one of the Younger Worlds) remain "full spectrum humans" as a
control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlling ...
. The interstellar economy is based on the exchange of specialists, which puts Old Earth, the jack of all trades, at something of a disadvantage. Of all the Splinter Cultures, three are the most successful: * The Dorsai (Courage): The Dorsai, inhabitants of a Younger World also called Dorsai, are honorable, elite mercenaries. Given the book-selling nature of their occupation, the Childe Cycle focuses mainly on their exploits, to the extent that the Cycle is sometimes called the "Dorsai series". The culture tends to have a number of Gaelic influences, including a love for the bagpipes, although their ancestry is drawn from all races and cultures. Dickson also mentioned in lectures that the "ethnic food" of the Dorsai is fish and chips, due to the great amount of surface water and oceans on their homeworld, with mutton being the most common red meat in the Dorsai diet. * The Exotics (Philosophy): The Exotics are the inhabitants of Mara and Kultis. They are peaceful philosophers, the descendants of the 21st century Chantry Guild. The traits which Dickson assigns to the Exotics in many ways mirror the
Human Potential Movement The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the counterculture of the 1960s and formed around the concept of an extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement takes as its premise the be ...
of the 1960s, in combining elements of
Eastern philosophy Eastern philosophy or Asian philosophy includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philosophy; which are dominant in East Asia, ...
and
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
with
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
. The Exotics clearly have some vaguely described level of paranormal powers. They can, among other things, communicate between star systems far more quickly than a ship can travel, an ability no other culture has. The Exotics hire themselves out as
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
s and mediators, among other things. The paranormal ability of the Exotics is never shown definitively (save for Donal
levitating Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...
with Exotic encouragement in '' Dorsai!'' and the events of '' Necromancer''), and ''The Final Encyclopedia'' reveals that their rapid communications ability is based on the use of a carefully hidden network of spaceships used innovatively, rather than on paranormal abilities. * The Friendlies (Faith/Fanaticism): The somewhat ironically named Friendlies inhabit the worlds of Harmony and Association. Friendlies can be true ''faith-holders'', or they can be fanatics. The difference, according to the Cycle, is that true faith-holders are guided by their faith, while fanatics use their faith to justify their actions. The Friendly homeworlds experience continual sectarian civil war. On their home planets, they are primarily agrarian, but, like the Dorsai, they earn interstellar credit as mercenaries, fighting in other people's wars. Unlike the Dorsai, Friendly mercenaries are drafted as cannon-fodder, with largely green troops and high casualty rates. However, they are tenacious defenders. While the Friendlies are sometimes presented as villains, their faith is co-equal in importance to humanity with the Courage of the Dorsai and the Philosophy of the Exotics. A recurring theme in the series is the experience of a young man placed among Friendlies, forced to gain respect for them. Dickson based the Friendlies on
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
's "
Roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...
s" of the
English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
. Other Splinter Cultures include the hard scientists of Newton and Venus, the miners of Coby, the fishermen of Dunnin's World, the engineers of Cassida, the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
farmers of St. Marie, and the merchants of Ceta. The internal consistency of the series suggests that the resolution to be sought in ''Childe'' is the evolution of Responsible Man, individuals who integrate the three disciplines of the Dorsai, the Exotics, and the Friendlies to the overall advancement of humanity, and who do possess explicit if not yet well-defined paranormal abilities. As of ''The Chantry Guild'', only
Donal Graeme Donal Graeme is a fictional character in the Childe Cycle of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. Although he only appears as a major character in one of the novels, ''Dorsai!'', he is transformed into the character Hal Mayne who is impo ...
/Hal Mayne has achieved the full status of Responsible Man. The conflict which drives this evolution is the developing war between Old Earth, supplemented by the Dorsai and the Exotics, and the organization of Others led by Bleys Ahrens, with the aid of the Friendlies and a powerful (but largely irrelevant to the psychological conflict) coalition of the technically inclined younger worlds. The strength of the Others is that they are hybrids of two of the Splinter Cultures (Ahrens is of Friendly and Exotic extraction), and while less capable than the emerging Responsible Men they are significantly more numerous, and more interested in gaining power for themselves (as by Ahrens using his combined background to manipulate the entire Friendly culture to support his war against the Dorsai, Exotics, and Old Earth).


Planets of the Childe Cycle

Dickson has admitted that he was frequently inconsistent on the total number of inhabited worlds. The correct total is sixteen, under nine stars (counting Alpha Centauri A and B separately). Some uninhabited planets also play a role in the series. *
Sol Sol or SOL may refer to: Astronomy * The Sun Currency * SOL Project, a currency project in France * French sol, or sou * Argentine sol * Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864 * Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991 * Peruvian sol ( ...
** Mercury: Site of Project Springboard during the 21st century. Not a major inhabited world. ** Venus: Hard science culture. Research stations were set up early, expanded, and eventually became connected together. ** Old Earth: Homeworld of humanity, and most populated and richest of the worlds. Politically not very united. ** Mars: First human colony to be terraformed. Cold, and is not a major power. *
Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri ( Latinized from α Centauri and often abbreviated Alpha Cen or α Cen) is a triple star system in the constellation of Centaurus. It consists of 3 stars: Alpha Centauri A (officially Rigil Kentaurus), Alpha Centaur ...
: Has 12 planetary bodies. ** Newton: Hard science culture, the leading world in science. It is also known to have the best physicists. ** Cassida: Hard science culture, known for its technicians and engineers. A poor world, it also provided mercenaries. *
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinised from α Aquilae and abbreviated Alpha Aql or ...
** Dunnin's World: A harsh, dry world, with low population and resources. *
Epsilon Eridani Epsilon Eridani ( Latinized from ε Eridani), formally named Ran, is a star in the southern constellation of Eridanus, at a declination of 9.46° south of the celestial equator. This allows it to be visible from most of Earth's surface ...
: Both Harmony and Association are ruled by the Joint Church Council (United Council of Churches). The two worlds are known for their cheap but poor mercenaries. ** Association: Poor world, lacking in many resources and has poor soil for growing crops. ** Harmony: Similar to Association. * Fomalhaut ** Dorsai: A watery world of primarily island settlements. Known for having the highest quality professional mercenaries, and for producing soldiers unlike any other. * Procyon: Mara and Kultis are ruled by the Exotics, and are known for producing the best psychologists. ** Mara ** Kultis ** Ste. Marie: A small Roman Catholic farming world. ** Zombri: An uninhabitable small world. Despite this, it is a strategic location. ** Coby: Mining planet. A world of tunnels and mines, where the surface is uninhabitable. Since all the other settled worlds, unlike Earth, are metal-poor, Coby is the primary source of metals for the other planets. *
Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
** New Earth: Once had an atmosphere of hydrogen sulphide. By the late 23rd Century, it had long been terraformed with a more breathable atmosphere. Has a large variety of cultures. Atland, a territory of New Earth, had a civil war fought between the North and South Partitions. ** Freiland ** Oriente: an uninhabited planet, airless with a highly eccentric orbit. It is important only as a strategic military base in ''Dorsai!'' * Tau Ceti ** Ceta: Commercial low-gravity planet.


Primary characters

* ''Necromancer'' :Paul Formain :Walter Blunt :Kantele Maki * ''Tactics of Mistake'' :Cletus Grahame :Eachan Khan :Melissa Khan Grahame :Dow deCastries * ''Soldier, Ask Not '' :Tam Olyn (as a young man) :Jamethon Black :Kensie and Ian Graeme (Great-grandsons of Cletus and Melissa) * ''Dorsai!'' :
Donal Graeme Donal Graeme is a fictional character in the Childe Cycle of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. Although he only appears as a major character in one of the novels, ''Dorsai!'', he is transformed into the character Hal Mayne who is impo ...
(Great-great-grandson of Cletus and Melissa) :Anea Marlivana :William of Ceta :Ian Graeme * ''The Final Encyclopedia'' and ''Chantry Guild'' :Hal Mayne :Tam Olyn (as a very old man) :Bleys Ahrens : Amanda Morgan (the third of that name)


Technology

Throughout the series, Dickson's primary interest is the characters, not the hardware, much of which is explained only to the point where the reader will understand how it relates to the people around it and thus share the author's imagery.


Hyperdrive

The invention of the phase-shift drive allowed the colonization of the Younger Worlds. (The drive used in the Childe Cycle appears in many of Gordon R. Dickson's works.) It uses an application of the
Heisenberg uncertainty principle In quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle (also known as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle) is any of a variety of mathematical inequalities asserting a fundamental limit to the accuracy with which the values for certain pairs of physic ...
. During a jump, a spaceship's position becomes infinitely uncertain, and occupies every position in the universe, before resolving again at a specific point. The jump itself is instantaneous, but each jump requires a lengthy calculation. A jump is never exact, and long journeys require several jumps, each getting closer to the final destination. A certain percentage of jumps never resolve, and the ships are never seen again. Because of this, the higher the number of jumps, the greater the risk. By the 24th century, a ship could jump directly off a planet's surface, but only the Dorsai are brave/foolhardy enough to do this on a routine basis. When the phase-shift drive was first invented, a jump would cause passengers severe disorientation. During the '' Necromancer'' period (21st century), the disorientation was so bad that the technology was limited to inanimate cargo. The invention of certain drugs enabled human passengers to use the drive. By the 23rd century, these drugs were only necessary in the case of repeated jumps. By the 24th century, the jumps were hardly noticeable.


Weapons

A large part of the series focuses on the exploits of the Dorsai. In the face of escalating countermeasures, the Dorsai choose to use relatively simple weapons, which are both reliable and effective. The other militaries follow suit. By the 23rd century, the average civilian sports hunter has a more technologically advanced weapon than the average soldier. In fact, "advanced" small arms are treated with derision, such as the "Dally Gun" which Cletus uses to break up an ambush in ''Tactics of Mistake''. The Dally Gun is possibly derived from a
Cadillac Gage Textron Marine & Land Systems, formerly Cadillac Gage, is an American military contractor that manufactures armored vehicles, turrets, advanced marine craft, surface effects ships, and other weapon systems. It is owned by Textron, and was formed i ...
weapons system of the 1960s, the Stoner 63, which (like the "Dial-A-Gun" from the story) was designed with interchangeable components for reconfiguration as needed for a particular mission. While the Stoner 63 received significant use with the SEALs of the U.S. NAVY up until 1980 (with high praise regarding both durability and reliability, although it was a bit heavier than other comparable systems), the Dally Gun was considered a failure. The main infantry weapon throughout the Cycle is the cone rifle. This simple weapon, patterned after the
Gyrojet The Gyrojet is a family of unique firearms developed in the 1960s named for the method of gyroscopically stabilizing its projectiles. Rather than inert bullets, Gyrojets fire small rockets called Microjets which have little recoil and do not req ...
series of small arms, uses chemical-rocket-propelled
flechette A flechette ( ) is a pointed steel projectile with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette. They have been used as ballistic weapons sinc ...
s. These flechettes are cone shaped, allowing them to be stacked into tubes. The rifles are little more than launching platforms with triggering mechanisms. Because the cones (which explode on impact) accelerate after being fired from the rifle, they are more deadly at long ranges than short. Also used are spring rifles, utilizing a 5,000 sliver magazine in a non-metallic mechanism to fire a sliver up to one thousand meters. Power guns (energy weapons) were available as early as Cletus' period, where his aide is nearly killed with one. Sonic cannons are also used as weapons.


Awards

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...
s: * "Soldier, Ask Not" for best short story, 1965 * ''Lost Dorsai'' for best novella, 1981


References

*


Further reading

*


External links

* {{Cite web , title=Dickson, Gordon R , url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/dickson_gordon_r , website=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Science fiction book series Gordon R. Dickson