And never forget: any planet is a world, as complex and mysterious in its own right, as full of its patterns and contradictions and histories, as Ear… - Poul Anderson

Destiny," said John. "The ghastliest word a man can speak.

I was trying to avoid the cliché all too common in science fiction, even today, of a whole population feeling itself oppressed and waiting only for a leader to rise in a body against its overlords. No government for which that was actually the case could last a minute. There must always be a majority who have some stake in things as they are, whether that stake consist of wealth and power or simply of law, order, and predictability. Moreover, most people cannot really imagine any system working which is very different from the one they are used to. Hence they find rationalizations for it. Even slaves often do this.

But your sign says you can conjure up ever-filled purses," Holger began.
"Advertising," Martinus admitted. "Corroborative detail intended to lend artistic verisimilitude.