Maurai
The Maurai series is a series of short stories and a novel by Poul Anderson set in a resource depleted, post-apocalyptic earth several centuries in the future. The series is named after its most frequent protagonists, citizens of the Maurai Federation. The Maurai (originally descended from Māori peoples of N'Zealann and other Polynesians, but including a diverse array of ethnic and racial groups) dominate the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Fearful of the social and ecological implications of a return to large-scale industrial society, they use their considerable might and covert resources to prevent other nations from developing nuclear power.
In Orion Shall Rise, the novel that culminated the series, Anderson allowed for the possibility that a more equitable distribution of power, and an advanced, space-faring civilization, might evolve.
Other societies in the Maurai series include:
- The Northwest Union - a technological clan based society in the Pacific Northwest of North America
- The Five Nations of the Mong - a feudal society in the center of North America, where an elite descended from post-war Russian, Chinese and Mongol invaders rules over a serf class descended from US citizens
- The Domain of Skyholm, a class-based European society located in France, the Alps, and the Low Countries dominated by an ancient pre-war dirigible sky-city.
- Other European nations include Angleylann, divided into small statelets including Devon; Italya, the confederation of the Alemanns in central Europe; and the Zheneralship of Espanya in the Iberian peninsula.
- In North America, various "Free Merican" states exist, including Corodo and the piratical "Sky People", who raid Meyco to the south with primitive airships.
- The story "Progress" takes place in Benghal, part of the Brahmard confederacy.
- An extremely patriarchal society is located in Khorasan.
- The island of Okkaido is a nation-state allied with the Maurai.
- There is a reference to an empire known as the "'Perio" having ruled much of America but having disintegrated before the time depicted in the stories.
Stories in the Maurai series
- "The Sky People" (1959)
- "Progress" (1961)
- "Windmill" (1973)
- Orion Shall Rise (novel; 1983)
- In addition, the Maurai world is one of the many past and future times visited by the time-traveling protagonist of There Will Be Time
See also
- Journey Beyond Tomorrow/Journey of Joenes (Robert Sheckley's novel also depicting a post-apocalyptic world dominated by Polynesians)
- v
- t
- e
- Earthman's Burden
- Star Prince Charlie
- Hoka!
- Star Ways
- The Snows of Ganymede
- Virgin Planet
- The Psychotechnic League
- Cold Victory
- Starship
Polesotechnic League period of Nicholas van Rijn |
|
---|---|
Terran Empire period of Dominic Flandry |
|
- Orbit Unlimited
- New America
- Maurai and Kith
- Orion Shall Rise
- Flight to Forever
- Vault of the Ages
- Brain Wave
- Question and Answer
- No World of Their Own
- The Long Way Home
- Perish by the Sword
- War of Two Worlds
- The Enemy Stars
- The High Crusade
- Murder in Black Letter
- Twilight World
- After Doomsday
- The Makeshift Rocket
- Murder Bound
- Shield
- Three Worlds to Conquer
- The Corridors of Time
- The Star Fox
- The Fox, the Dog and the Griffin: A Folk Tale Adapted from the Danish of C. Molbeck
- World Without Stars
- Tau Zero
- The Byworlder
- The Dancer from Atlantis
- There Will Be Time
- Fire Time
- Inheritors of Earth
- The Winter of the World
- The Avatar
- The Demnon of Scattery
- The Devil's Game
- The Boat of a Million Years
- The Saturn Game
- The Longest Voyage
- War of the Gods
- Starfarers
- Genesis
- Mother of Kings
- For Love and Glory
- Strangers from Earth
- Un-Man and Other Novellas
- Time and Stars
- The Horn of Time
- Beyond the Beyond
- Seven Conquest
- Tales of the Flying Mountains
- The Queen of Air and Darkness and Other Stories
- The Worlds of Poul Anderson
- The Many Worlds of Poul Anderson
- Homeward and Beyond
- The Best of Poul Anderson
- Homebrew
- Winners
- The Night Face & Other Stories
- The Dark Between the Stars
- Explorations
- Fantasy
- Winners
- Cold Victory
- The Gods Laughed
- Starship
- The Winter of the World / The Queen of Air and Darkness
- Conflict
- The Long Night
- Past Times
- The Unicorn Trade
- Dialogue With Darkness
- Space Folk
- Alight in the Void
- The Armies of Elfland
- Inconstant Star
- Kinship With the Stars
- All One Universe
- Going for Infinity
- Swordsmen from the Stars
- Operation Chaos
- Operation Luna
- Three Hearts and Three Lions
- The Broken Sword
- Hrolf Kraki's Saga
- A Midsummer Tempest
- The Merman's Children
- Conan the Rebel
- War of the Gods
- The Golden Slave
- Rogue Sword
- Mother of Kings
- "Brake"
- "Call Me Joe"
- "Delenda Est"
- "Entity"
- "Eutopia"
- "Goat Song"
- "The Light"
- "The Longest Voyage"
- "The Man Who Came Early"
- "Marius"
- "Memory"
- "Night Piece"
- "No Truce with Kings"
- "The Pirate"
- "The Queen of Air and Darkness"
- "Quest"
- "Sam Hall"
- "The Saturn Game"
- "The Sensitive Man"
- "The Sharing of Flesh"
- "Un-Man"