Rooting for Team Human

“Short” is an interesting adjective—one of the things that happened in the 1960s is that science fiction novels started to become long. They eventually became very very long. Try to find a recent great science fiction novel that is under 600 pages (and being part one of a trilogy does not count). It can be done, but it is hard.

The High Crusade also fits into the genre called “Space Opera”—an odd term indicating a multiple-planet, multiple-alien races all fighting in some grand battles full of lots of over-the-top melodramatic moments. The “opera” part is curious since operas are not like that. But, you know what is like that? Soap operas. Hence the name.

Here is what makes The High Crusade stand out. The story takes place in 1345—yes, 1345, not 3145. An alien race lands its space ship in Merrie Olde England, where it encounters Sir Roger, a Baron, who had just mustered his army to go off to fight the dastardly French. Out of the massive spaceship comes hideous figures using their ray guns to slay the valiant Englishmen. The battle ensues, and Thanks Be To God, the Englishmen with their bows and swords win the day against the vastly outnumbered aliens.

Then it gets really interesting. Having just defeated these horrid creatures who are obviously the French, Sir Roger leads his army onto the Ship, commanding the lone surviving alien to take them back to his homeland of France where the English army can join (and win) the war. The alien complies, flying the ship home, which to the surprise of the English, but not the Reader, is not France at all, but a distant planet.

Commence the Story Proper. What happens when a 14^th century English Army ends up on a planet populated by an alien race which rules an interstellar empire? The ship which landed on Earth was a scout ship, seeking new planets to conquer. Obviously our 14th century Heroes are doomed in a war against these empire builders and their advanced technology.

Ah, Dear Reader, you have sold Humanity short. Sir Roger does us proud. Like I said, a very fun story, complete with a subplot worthy of Sir Lancelot and Guinevere! Space Opera meets Soap Opera. Settle in for a Rollicking Good Time.

Once you have enjoyed reading this tale, you can sit back and ask: Should you feel guilty for enjoying this book?

Crime Number 1: Was it OK to root for the Humans? Here we have a tale where the Humans come up against another species (the Wersgorix) and the humans merrily engage in a war against them. The Wersgorix aren’t nice, to be sure—they did just land a scout ship on earth and started incinerating humans, after all. They also have captured a whole bunch of planets and formed their Empire. So these aliens are Bad Guys. But, in a war between Humans and Wersgorix, which side is in the Right?

Let’s be Honest. You, Dear Reader, are not at all troubled by this question. Obviously you are on Team Human. Why? It’s pretty obvious. You are Human. (Sadly, the Wersgorix do not read this here blog—that is just the kind of race they are, those Wersgorix. Is it OK to curse the Wersgorix?) Since you are human, you root for humans. When a Wersgor soldier shows up, you do not root for it to destroy humans. Well, unless you are one of those nasty traitors to the human race. But, you aren’t like that, right? You would not betray all the humans to the Wersgorix, would you?

The question of whether it is OK to root for the Humans because you are Human is intriguing. Does that rule generalize? If it is OK to root for the Humans in their battle against the Wersgorix, what about in their battle against the flesh-eating wolves or malaria-bearing mosquitoes?

Crime Number 2: Was it OK to celebrate the triumph of human ingenuity against outside threats? Sir Roger and his army win the war not because they have superior weapons; they don’t. They win because they have superior minds. Humans are clever, very clever. Faced with an obstacle, humans figure out how to solve it. Are 14^th century humans up against a technologically advanced Empire? Why did you think the humans had the disadvantage? Which would you rather have on your side: ray guns or human minds?

If it is OK to celebrate the triumph of human ingenuity in the war against the Wersgorix, what about in the war against the planet? The planet is a hostile place. Most species discover they can only live in a small ecological niche on the planet. But humans? Is it not amazing that humans can live anywhere they want? Is it not amazing that humans constantly figure out how to conquer the environment? Is it wrong to think that is amazing and root for human ingenuity when the environment puts up obstacles?

The surprising thing about The High Crusade is how much it celebrates Humanity. If you want to feel good about your species, this is a great story. Does anyone still write stories showing how amazing humanity is?