Hall of Fame Award
- Thread starter Who's Wee Dug
- Start date
Er, Dug - you didn't identify the blank and white photo at the bottom as Rush (the Canadian band). *hint* 
It's interesting to note that everyone is nominated once and once only, except Harry Turtledove (who gets two nominations for two of his stories). Why is that? Is the nomination committee biased in Harry's favour, or choosing to ignore the other authors and bands etc.? Or is this a genuine oversight on their part? I don't know, I'm just conjecturing.
I tried reading Harry Turtledove once, and wasn't too impressed. The story he's nominated for - "Between the Rivers" - tells the story of a merchant in a Bronze Age civilization (probably somewhere in Mesopotamia) who also has strange ideas upholding free will and independence, and "challenging traditional cultural assumptions in a struggle for freedom from divine rule."
This is all very well, but how many Elamites / Arameans / Babylonians / Akkadians / Hittites / etc. can you think of that didn't believe in a god (or gods), or challenged their rule? At the very least, they'd probably be considered crazy and banished from the city they're in. At worst, they'd be shunned as heretics and punished.
In the ancient world, but no heretic was immune to punishment. Even the most powerful were punished. Look at what happened to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, for instance; when he died, his city was abandoned, his temples destroyed, his ideas declared heretical, and his name declared damnatio memoriae (in Egyptian, of course).
Similar things happened to Roman emperors and politicians, or Greek politicians and philosophers. Under the Romans, followers of "alternative" cults -- e.g. Jews, Christians, Arians, etc. etc. -- were certainly oppressed and punished. A Vestal Virgin that broke her sacred vows, or a Roman citizen that broke his sacred vows (e.g. by killing his parents), were punished in horrific ways.
Given all that, I think Harry's merchant would realistically have stood no chance. Sorry, Harry. The book may be a fantasy, but even in a fantastical realm based on Mesopotamia, no-one would deny the existence of gods. This is Mesopotamia, not 20th-century New York. *shrug*
It's interesting to note that everyone is nominated once and once only, except Harry Turtledove (who gets two nominations for two of his stories). Why is that? Is the nomination committee biased in Harry's favour, or choosing to ignore the other authors and bands etc.? Or is this a genuine oversight on their part? I don't know, I'm just conjecturing.
I tried reading Harry Turtledove once, and wasn't too impressed. The story he's nominated for - "Between the Rivers" - tells the story of a merchant in a Bronze Age civilization (probably somewhere in Mesopotamia) who also has strange ideas upholding free will and independence, and "challenging traditional cultural assumptions in a struggle for freedom from divine rule."
This is all very well, but how many Elamites / Arameans / Babylonians / Akkadians / Hittites / etc. can you think of that didn't believe in a god (or gods), or challenged their rule? At the very least, they'd probably be considered crazy and banished from the city they're in. At worst, they'd be shunned as heretics and punished.
In the ancient world, but no heretic was immune to punishment. Even the most powerful were punished. Look at what happened to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, for instance; when he died, his city was abandoned, his temples destroyed, his ideas declared heretical, and his name declared damnatio memoriae (in Egyptian, of course).
Similar things happened to Roman emperors and politicians, or Greek politicians and philosophers. Under the Romans, followers of "alternative" cults -- e.g. Jews, Christians, Arians, etc. etc. -- were certainly oppressed and punished. A Vestal Virgin that broke her sacred vows, or a Roman citizen that broke his sacred vows (e.g. by killing his parents), were punished in horrific ways.
Given all that, I think Harry's merchant would realistically have stood no chance. Sorry, Harry. The book may be a fantasy, but even in a fantastical realm based on Mesopotamia, no-one would deny the existence of gods. This is Mesopotamia, not 20th-century New York. *shrug*
Turtledove didn't get two finalist places. He got enough people suggesting his stories to get two to be _considered_. That can happen in any voting set-up. Only one was included.
Also, as far as I know, the Romans were fine with other gods' religions as long as the people _also_ paid service to Rome's official religion. They went after people who refused.
The Truth is one of my favorites but I will be surprised if it wins.
Also, as far as I know, the Romans were fine with other gods' religions as long as the people _also_ paid service to Rome's official religion. They went after people who refused.
The Truth is one of my favorites but I will be surprised if it wins.
I agree, "The Truth" is one of my favourites too. But my all-time Pterry favourite, by a very narrow margin, is "Night Watch". The first time I read it, I simply loved how it brought the story started by "Guards! Guards!" completely full circle; how it brought us back to witness the A-M characters - watchmen, Dibbler, Vetinari and all - but 30 years younger.
On a semi-professional front, I learned so much about scene-setting, dialogue and characterisation from NW. (Heck, from all of them -- but NW in particular).
I wish I could go back in time, so I walk up to STP and say thank you.
On a semi-professional front, I learned so much about scene-setting, dialogue and characterisation from NW. (Heck, from all of them -- but NW in particular).
I wish I could go back in time, so I walk up to STP and say thank you.
Er, Dug - you didn't identify the blank and white photo at the bottom as Rush (the Canadian band). *hint*
It's interesting to note that everyone is nominated once and once only, except Harry Turtledove (who gets two nominations for two of his stories). Why is that? Is the nomination committee biased in Harry's favour, or choosing to ignore the other authors and bands etc.? Or is this a genuine oversight on their part? I don't know, I'm just conjecturing.
I tried reading Harry Turtledove once, and wasn't too impressed. The story he's nominated for - "Between the Rivers" - tells the story of a merchant in a Bronze Age civilization (probably somewhere in Mesopotamia) who also has strange ideas upholding free will and independence, and "challenging traditional cultural assumptions in a struggle for freedom from divine rule."
This is all very well, but how many Elamites / Arameans / Babylonians / Akkadians / Hittites / etc. can you think of that didn't believe in a god (or gods), or challenged their rule? At the very least, they'd probably be considered crazy and banished from the city they're in. At worst, they'd be shunned as heretics and punished.
In the ancient world, but no heretic was immune to punishment. Even the most powerful were punished. Look at what happened to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, for instance; when he died, his city was abandoned, his temples destroyed, his ideas declared heretical, and his name declared damnatio memoriae (in Egyptian, of course).
Similar things happened to Roman emperors and politicians, or Greek politicians and philosophers. Under the Romans, followers of "alternative" cults -- e.g. Jews, Christians, Arians, etc. etc. -- were certainly oppressed and punished. A Vestal Virgin that broke her sacred vows, or a Roman citizen that broke his sacred vows (e.g. by killing his parents), were punished in horrific ways.
Given all that, I think Harry's merchant would realistically have stood no chance. Sorry, Harry. The book may be a fantasy, but even in a fantastical realm based on Mesopotamia, no-one would deny the existence of gods. This is Mesopotamia, not 20th-century New York. *shrug*
It's interesting to note that everyone is nominated once and once only, except Harry Turtledove (who gets two nominations for two of his stories). Why is that? Is the nomination committee biased in Harry's favour, or choosing to ignore the other authors and bands etc.? Or is this a genuine oversight on their part? I don't know, I'm just conjecturing.
I tried reading Harry Turtledove once, and wasn't too impressed. The story he's nominated for - "Between the Rivers" - tells the story of a merchant in a Bronze Age civilization (probably somewhere in Mesopotamia) who also has strange ideas upholding free will and independence, and "challenging traditional cultural assumptions in a struggle for freedom from divine rule."
This is all very well, but how many Elamites / Arameans / Babylonians / Akkadians / Hittites / etc. can you think of that didn't believe in a god (or gods), or challenged their rule? At the very least, they'd probably be considered crazy and banished from the city they're in. At worst, they'd be shunned as heretics and punished.
In the ancient world, but no heretic was immune to punishment. Even the most powerful were punished. Look at what happened to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, for instance; when he died, his city was abandoned, his temples destroyed, his ideas declared heretical, and his name declared damnatio memoriae (in Egyptian, of course).
Similar things happened to Roman emperors and politicians, or Greek politicians and philosophers. Under the Romans, followers of "alternative" cults -- e.g. Jews, Christians, Arians, etc. etc. -- were certainly oppressed and punished. A Vestal Virgin that broke her sacred vows, or a Roman citizen that broke his sacred vows (e.g. by killing his parents), were punished in horrific ways.
Given all that, I think Harry's merchant would realistically have stood no chance. Sorry, Harry. The book may be a fantasy, but even in a fantastical realm based on Mesopotamia, no-one would deny the existence of gods. This is Mesopotamia, not 20th-century New York. *shrug*
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RathDarkblade
Hey! I'm not blaming you, or anyone. The review made a mistake, mistakes happen. It's all good.
I'm not blaming you, or anyone. The review made a mistake, mistakes happen. It's all good.
Likes:
Who's Wee Dug