The Maurai series is a series of short stories and a novel by
Poul Anderson set in a
resource depleted,
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...
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
Polynesians are an ethnolinguistic group comprising closely related ethnic groups native to Polynesia, which encompasses the islands within the Polynesian Triangle in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Sout ...
, 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
The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
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
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
, and the
Low Countries
The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
dominated by an ancient pre-war
dirigible sky-city.
* Other European nations include
Angleylann, divided into small statelets including
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
;
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
a, the confederation of the
Alemanns in central Europe; and the
Zheneralship of
Espanya in the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
.
* In North America, various "Free
Merican" states exist, including
Corodo and the piratical "Sky People", who raid
Meyco to the south with primitive
airship
An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the ...
s.
* 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)
*''Maurai & Kith'' (collection of above, along with two unrelated ("Kith") stories; 1982)
*''
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'' (1972)
See also
*
Journey Beyond Tomorrow/
Journey of Joenes, a novel by
Robert Sheckley also depicting a post-apocalyptic world dominated by Polynesians
References
{{Poul Anderson
Works by Poul Anderson
Polynesian culture
Post-apocalyptic literature
20th-century science fiction works
Fictional future countries
Works set in the future
Fiction about airships