Childe Cycle

The Childe Cycle is a series of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came", a poem by Robert Browning, which provided considerable inspiration for elements in Dickson's magnum opus.

While, on the face of it, the Childe Cycle is a science fiction series, it is also an allegory. In addition to the six science fiction novels of the Cycle, Dickson had also planned three historical novels and three novels taking place in the present day. It is known that one of the three historical novels would have dealt with John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. Judging from the frequent mentions of him in the published science fiction portion of the Cycle, Sir John Hawkwood, a 14th century mercenary, would probably have been the subject of another.

The Cycle stretches from the 14th century to the 24th century, and deals with the conflict between progress and conservatism. It also deals with which of humanity's traits are most important, namely, Courage, Faith, and the ability to think philosophically.

Contents

1 The Books of the Cycle 2 The Splinter Cultures 3 The Plot of the Cycle 4 Technology of the Cycle

The Books of the Cycle

The science fiction novels of the main Childe Cycle include:

• Dorsai! (1959)
• Necromancer (1960)
• Soldier, Ask Not (1968)
• Tactics of Mistake (1971)
• The Final Encyclopedia (1984)
• The Chantry Guild (1988)
• The Final Encyclopedia, Volume 2 (1994)

In addition, there are four books that take place in the same fictional universe as the Childe Cycle, but are not part of the greater allegory.

• The Spirit of Dorsai (1979)
• Lost Dorsai (1981)

Both of these books each contain two short works, and have a frame story. The frame story is a conversation between Hal Mayne and the Third Amanda Morgan, during the events of The Final Encyclopedia.

• Young Bleys (1991)
• Other (1994)

These two novels concern the story of Bleys Ahrens, the antagonist of The Final Encyclopedia and The Chantry Guild.

The Splinter Cultures

Following the events of Necromancer, humanity has colonized some 14 Younger Worlds. The inhabitants of these worlds have evolved culturally, and to some extent, genetically, into several specialized Splinter Cultures. This was done by the racial collective unconscious itself as an experiment to see what aspects of humanity are the most important. The inhabitants of Earth (now called Old Earth, since New Earth is one of the Younger Worlds) remain "full spectrum humans" as a control.

The interstellar economy is based on the exchange of specialists, which puts Old Earth, the jack of all trades, at something of a disadvantage.

Of all the Splinter Cultures, three are the most successful:

• the Dorsai (Courage): The Dorsai, inhabitants of a Younger World also called the Dorsai, are honorable, elite mercenaries. Given the book-selling nature of their occupation, the Childe Cycle focuses mainly on their exploits, to the extent that the Cycle is sometimes called the "Dorsai series".

• the Exotics (Philosophy): The Exotics are the inhabitants of Mara and Kultis. They are pacifistic philosophers, the descendants of the 21st Century Chantry Guild. Dickson based the Exotics on Eastern Philosophy. The Exotics hire themselves out as psychiatrists, among other things.

• the Friendlies (Faith/Fanaticism): The somewhat ironically named Friendlies inhabit the worlds of Harmony and Association. Friendlies can be true faith-holders, or they can be fanatics. The difference, according to the Cycle, is that true faith-holders are guided by their faith, while fanatics use their faith to justify their actions. The Friendly homeworlds experience continual sectarian civil war. Like the Dorsai, the Friendlies earn interstellar credit as mercenaries, fighting in other people's wars. Unlike the Dorsai, Friendly mercenaries are drafted cannon-fodder, with largely green troops and high casualty rates. However, they are tenacious defenders. While the Friendlies are sometimes presented as villians, their faith is co-equal in importance to humanity with the Courage of the Dorsai and the Philosophy of the Exotics. Dickson based the Friendlies on the Puritans.

The Plot of the Cycle

By the chronology of the Cycle, the novels fall in the following order:

1. Necromancer
2. Tactics of Mistake
3. Soldier, Ask Not
4. Dorsai!
5. The Final Encyclopedia
6. The Chantry Guild

However, the best way to read them is in this order:

1. Tactics of Mistake
2. Soldier, Ask Not
3. Dorsai!
4. Necromancer
5. The Final Encyclopedia
6. The Chantry Guild

Technology of the Cycle

The invention of the hyperdrive allowed the colonization of the Younger Worlds. (The hyperdrive used in the Child Cycle appears in many of Gordon R. Dickson's works.) It uses an application of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. During a jump, a spaceship's position becomes infinitely uncertain, and occupies every position in the universe, before resolving again at a specific point. The jump itself is instanteous, but each jump requires a lengthy calculation. A jump is never exact, and long journeys require several jumps, each getting closer to the final destination. A certain percentage of jumps never resolve, and the ships are never seen again. Because of this, the higher the number of jumps, the greater the risk. By the 24th century, a ship could jump directly off a planet's surface, but only the Dorsai are brave/foolhardy enough to do this on a routine basis.

When the hyperdrive was first invented, a jump would cause passengers severe disorientation. During the Necromancer period (21st century), the disorientation was so bad that the technology was limited to inanimate cargos. The invention of certain drugs enabled human passengers to use the hyperdrive. By the 23rd century, these drugs were only necessary in the case of repeated jumps. By the 24th century, the jumps were hardly noticeable.

Except for the hyperdrive, technology is not a large part of the Childe Cycle. This is partly because the "science fiction" is used mainly as a setting, the real focus of the Childe Cycle is elsewhere. Also, a large part of the series focuses on the exploits of the Dorsai. In the face of escalating countermeasures, the Dorsai choose to use relatively simple weapons, which are less likely to be jammed. The other militaries follow suit. By the 23rd century, the average civilian sports hunter has a more technological weapon than the average solider.

The main infantry weapon throughout the Cycle is the cone rifle. This simple weapon uses chemically self-propelled flechette. These flechettes are cone shaped, allowing them to be stacked into tubes. The rifles are little more than launching platforms with triggering mechanisms. Because the cones accelerate after being fired from the rifle, they are more deadly at long ranges than short.