What is _Urth of the New Sun_ about?

James Nicoll · 30 Dec 2003, 15:38 · from rec.arts.sf.written.2003.mbox

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From: jdnicoll at panix.com (James Nicoll)
Subject: Re: What is _Urth of the New Sun_ about?
Date: 30 Dec 2003 10:38:43 -0500
Message-ID: <bss663$593$1 at panix1.panix.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
References: <20031229225953.13604.00001784 at mb-m10.aol.com> <20031229232949.13604.00001786 at mb-m10.aol.com>

>And just another brief aside...I'm not overly well read in the science fiction
>genre,but it doesn't seem to me that this was ever a really popular theme
>(dying sun or million years into the future type stories)

	Dying sun scenarios have the problem that while it was a reasonable
scenario when Wells was writing [and Verne would toss in cooling of the
Earth's interior, which he felt was going to be Very Bad Indeed for us]
the current model suggests that the sun will continue to get brighter 
until it cooks Earth and only much later end up as a cooling white dwarf.

	OTOH, at some point all the stars will run out of material to
fuse and the universe will become rather dark. I know Stephen Baxter has
played with that scenario. Part of _Darwinia_ is set after things have
cooled off a bit, although only a little as far as the POV characters 
are concerned.
-- 
	"The Union Nationale has brought [Quebec] to the edge of an abyss.
With Social Credit you will take one step forward."

						Camil Samson

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