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alternate_history:the_race [2013/06/04 08:48] Petikealternate_history:the_race [2018/10/27 09:35] – [The Race (Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series)] max_sinister
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 ====== The Race (Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series) ====== ====== The Race (Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series) ======
  
-The Race (or "Lizards," as they're popularly known) are the antagonistic alien species that invades Earth (or Tosev 3, as they call it) during World War II in Harry Turtledove's //World War// and //Colonization// series. The Lizards, who have technology slightly in advance of our world's 1990s, are methodical, slow to adapt to changing situations, and are susceptible to getting addicted to ginger, which has drug-like properties to them. +The Race (or "Lizards," as they're popularly known) are the antagonistic alien species that invades Earth (or Tosev 3, as they call it) during World War II in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s //[[alternate_history:worldwar|World War]]// and //Colonization// series. The Lizards, who have technology slightly in advance of our world's 1990s, are methodical, slow to adapt to changing situations, and are susceptible to getting addicted to ginger, which has drug-like properties to them. 
  
 The Race sent a probe to Earth in approximately 1142, observed the planet was primitive, and sent a fleet to invade it after a leisurely preparation period of 1600 Home years (800 Earth years). They assumed that the 'Tosevites' would progress as slowly as the Race and the other races they had previously conquered. This proved to be an incorrect assumption. The Race sent a probe to Earth in approximately 1142, observed the planet was primitive, and sent a fleet to invade it after a leisurely preparation period of 1600 Home years (800 Earth years). They assumed that the 'Tosevites' would progress as slowly as the Race and the other races they had previously conquered. This proved to be an incorrect assumption.
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 The Race have become a popular phenomenon on AH.com, particularly in the fields of ASB scenarios and fanfics.  The Race have become a popular phenomenon on AH.com, particularly in the fields of ASB scenarios and fanfics. 
  
-It is thought by many that the Race are partly intended by Turtledove as a critique of the modern military industrial complex, especially in a Gulf War (1991) context as the first Worldwar book was published soon after that conflict. The Race are at a similar level of technology to the Desert Storm forces there, similarly overrate their air power and technological advantage, and have an exaggerated fear of nuclear weapons compared to the contemporary humans (much like modern people compared to 1940s people). +It is thought by many that the Race are partly intended by Turtledove as a critique of the modern military-industrial complex, especially in a Gulf War (1991) context as the first //Worldwar// book was published soon after that conflict. The Race are at a similar level of technology to the Desert Storm forces there, similarly overrate their air power and technological advantage, and have an exaggerated fear of nuclear weapons compared to the contemporary humans (much like modern people compared to 1940s people).
  
 On the other hand, there is also an 'alien' aspect to the Race, which can be summarised thusly: On the other hand, there is also an 'alien' aspect to the Race, which can be summarised thusly:
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   * Their homeworld, known simply as Home (illustrating their introversion and arrogance), is a desert world with only small seas. This has several consequences - the Race consistently underestimate the importance of navies and sea transport on Earth, they have saltier blood than humans, and the first circumnavigation of Home was accomplished by a party marching on land rather than sailing the oceans as on Earth. Home's year is only about half as long as that of Earth's. The Home system lacks an asteroid belt, meaning the Lizards do not realise the concept of asteroid weapons until humans think them up in the 1960s, and it is perhaps hinted that the reptilian life forms of Home are dominant because the planet did not have a K/T event like Earth's.    * Their homeworld, known simply as Home (illustrating their introversion and arrogance), is a desert world with only small seas. This has several consequences - the Race consistently underestimate the importance of navies and sea transport on Earth, they have saltier blood than humans, and the first circumnavigation of Home was accomplished by a party marching on land rather than sailing the oceans as on Earth. Home's year is only about half as long as that of Earth's. The Home system lacks an asteroid belt, meaning the Lizards do not realise the concept of asteroid weapons until humans think them up in the 1960s, and it is perhaps hinted that the reptilian life forms of Home are dominant because the planet did not have a K/T event like Earth's. 
   * In a similar vein, they have no flag and no symbols, as they have been united for so long and there is nothing else to distinguish themselves from. Naturally, the imbeciles who made the British edition covers gave them one (and clothes, which the Race do not wear, instead using elaborate patterns of body paint to denote their rank and status).   * In a similar vein, they have no flag and no symbols, as they have been united for so long and there is nothing else to distinguish themselves from. Naturally, the imbeciles who made the British edition covers gave them one (and clothes, which the Race do not wear, instead using elaborate patterns of body paint to denote their rank and status).
-  * The Race are ruled by an absolute Emperor, and worship him in their only real kind of religion, not dissimilar to the Japanese in OTL (Turtledove states). Inconsistently, the Emperor's lineage and the fact that he has to be a male are stated in the opening paragraphs of the first Worldwar book, yet elsewhere it is consistently said that the Race do not care about who fathers what child and make no real sex-based division in occupations (except the soldiers, who are all male to avoid them going into heat while on conquest).+  * The Race are ruled by an absolute Emperor, and worship him in their only real kind of religion, not dissimilar to the Japanese in OTL (Turtledove states). Inconsistently, the Emperor's lineage and the fact that he has to be a male are stated in the opening paragraphs of the first //Worldwar// book, yet elsewhere it is consistently said that the Race do not care about who fathers what child and make no real sex-based division in occupations (except the soldiers, who are all male to avoid them going into heat while on conquest).
   * They go into periodic mating seasons, and the rest of the time are uninterested in sex. They view humans' continuous sexual behaviour as perverse. Later, it transpires that ginger makes females of the Race go into heat spontaneously, and thus the Race on Earth begin to change their sexual habits, making them closer to those of humans.    * They go into periodic mating seasons, and the rest of the time are uninterested in sex. They view humans' continuous sexual behaviour as perverse. Later, it transpires that ginger makes females of the Race go into heat spontaneously, and thus the Race on Earth begin to change their sexual habits, making them closer to those of humans. 
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 ==== Race Terminology ==== ==== Race Terminology ====
alternate_history/the_race.txt · Last modified: 2019/03/29 15:13 by 127.0.0.1

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