Tales of Future Past v2

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Titan

Life on Other Worlds > Life on the Moons

This is the first of Paul's space cities that I came across in the 1960s and is still one of my favourites.

The Titans have a mysterious dignity that is accentuated rather than diminished by their odd little legs and they really have the look of people going about their business. The buildings remind me of art deco skyscrapers that have been strangely rounded without losing any of their essential character, though the smoke indicates that their chimneys could use a clean.

I remember the article that accompanied this painting saying that the Titans worshiped Saturn as their god, which explains their solemn looks of devotion and the constant cricks in their necks.

This is one of those scenes where once you get past the drama you start asking what the Hell happened.

Who was the space cadet who managed to auger this baby smack into a swamp? And how inattentive can you be to go wandering out of the airlock without glancing out the window to see if a three hundred foot carnivorous  reptile might be in the neighbourhood? The monster doesn't look too swift either, considering that it's just standing there staring while the Earth people empty their clips into his hide.

I really wish Paul had skipped the monster scene and talked more about the Titans. They were one of the few creatures of his that actually intrigued me.

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