Added by: susan6th | Karma: 3133.44 | Fiction literature | 17 December 2009
3
The Creatures of Man
A future war is being fought across the galaxy and the key to victory can be found on the legendary lost world where humanity originated - Earth. But even if the lost homeworld can be found, there may be no place for humans on it anymore. The creatures which mankind once dominated have been raised to a high level of intelligence, and the future they plan is not one with any room for the former rulers of the planet.
Earth is a dead cinder beyond the dense clouds. On a terraformed Venus the land is ruled by savage plants and the even more savage beasts that prey on them, while monsters out of nightmare swim though the globe-girdling seas. Mankind huddles in domed underwater Keeps, living a purposeless static existence—dedicated to pleasure but destined for oblivion later if not sooner.
Only the Free Companions, the mercenaries who fight proxy wars for the Keeps, live on the surface of Venus. Their warships course the seas, battling one another in struggles to decide victory or defeat for one day, life or death for a few individuals. The Free companions live till they die with the searing thrill of danger, and their deeds bring excitement and color to the bored residents of the Keeps; but Mankind is doomed unless something changes.
Few are willing to risk their lives for that change, battling both the terrifying environment and the ruthless oligarchs for whom the status quo means a lifetime of luxury. But there are a handful of courageous visionaries in the Keeps and in the Free Companies where death is a way of life!
God and Mankind: Comparative Religions (8 lectures, 45 minutes/lecture) Taught by Robert Oden Carleton College Ph.D., Harvard University
Life ... ? Death ... ? Suffering ... ? Redemption ... ? The origin of being ... ? Each of these complex issues raises many, many questions. How do the major religious systems address those questions? And what do their answers tell us? An Ideal Starting Point for Inquiry These eight lectures by Dr. Robert Oden are an ideal starting point for pursuing those questions. And if you've been thinking about them for a while, as so many do, you will likely discover he has many fresh insights to offer you.
