Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Horn of Time the Hunter by Poul Anderson

A science fiction story that follows Jong Errifrans and others as they search the remains of a lost civilization on a strange and haunting world. Jong sometimes hears a horn blow in the distance that may or may not be real. When a man from the search party is killed and drug into the water by strange beings, Jong decides to go in after his body to give him a proper burial. Jong runs into on of the creatures in the water and has a strange, yet peaceful encounter with it. The creature hands Jong its trident and swims off. He finds what remains of Mons, his dead comrade, and returns to the surface. The others find that all that Jong has retrieved was Mons’ head; the creatures have eaten the rest. When the men determine to go after the creatures to kill them, Jong talks them out of it, saying he feels like their brother. He thinks the creatures have evolved from the human civilization and were only protected their breeding grounds. They turn and head back to base; Jong thinks he hears the horn sound for a brief moment.

Interesting Sci-fi tale. Haunting and thought provoking.

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