What is _Urth of the New Sun_ about?

Mike Ward · 30 Dec 2003, 15:54 · from rec.arts.sf.written.2003.mbox

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From: Mike Ward <m at d.w>
Subject: Re: What is _Urth of the New Sun_ about?
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:54:09 GMT
Message-ID: <BchIb.258637$Ec1.8939473 at bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>
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) alternate histories, near future dystopias and space operas
> are a dime a dozen, but I suppose this sort of sub-genre (if it really
> can be called that) would require quite a bit more imagination and
> ability to pull off.The only books I can think of in this genre are
> 'the Night land' by William Hope Hodgson (God-awful and damn near 
> unreadable after chapter 10 or so....some of the ideas are amazing
> though,given it's pre WWI) Jack Vance's 'Dying Earth' series, Wolfe's
> "Book of the new sun" series and of course 'the Time machine' by
> H.G.Wells. Anyone know of any other examples?

Edmund Hamilton's _City at World's End_ is about a modern city thrown so 
far into to future that the earth is starting to cool.  They find ruined 
domed cities that had relied on geo-thermal energy until the earth itself 
had cooled then apparently they had left the earth.

The classic Superman story "Superman Under the Red Sun" also by Hamilton I 
beleive has Superman trapped on earth in the far future where the sun has 
turned red which elmimates Superman's powers.  All the people have long 
since migrated into space, and only androids and strange new creatures 
which have evolved to live in the new environment remain on earth.

Mike

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