Sarah Pinsker mixes the venerable Generation Starship trope with the complexities of change that comes to traditional folk music as it evolves and morphs just by being played and interpreted by many different folk through the generations. It is a clever parallel, and likewise mirrors the battle between tradition and change that is part of that story.
That might be doubly so on a Generation Ship which has suffered a catastrophe such as 'The Blackout', whereby sabotage robbed it of the entire database of historical and cultural records. All online history, books, art, film, video games, music and more just gone, permanently deleted, along with all means of communication with Earth. just the culture though, all the 'important' tech stuff was retained. A nice pure beginning then.
So what do they do? They try to recreate what was lost from memory. In doing so they create something that is both new, and a reflection and copy of what was surrendered. And in the process, once more rises the 'Traditionalist' versus 'History is Bunk' arguments which were perhaps the reason some zealot thought a severance from the past was justified.
Pinsker is a musician as well as a writer, and her love of playing and composing shines through the prose, which can get a bit technical at times. The image of groups of spacefarers spending their free time in extended hootenanies and folk music jams (and arguing about the correct way to play the tunes!) is a lovely and believable one. There sure are many hours to spend on the long slow journey to the stars.
The story is available to read on the author's website - http://sarahpinsker.com.hostbaby.com/files/WindWillRove_Pinsker.pdf
That might be doubly so on a Generation Ship which has suffered a catastrophe such as 'The Blackout', whereby sabotage robbed it of the entire database of historical and cultural records. All online history, books, art, film, video games, music and more just gone, permanently deleted, along with all means of communication with Earth. just the culture though, all the 'important' tech stuff was retained. A nice pure beginning then.
So what do they do? They try to recreate what was lost from memory. In doing so they create something that is both new, and a reflection and copy of what was surrendered. And in the process, once more rises the 'Traditionalist' versus 'History is Bunk' arguments which were perhaps the reason some zealot thought a severance from the past was justified.
Pinsker is a musician as well as a writer, and her love of playing and composing shines through the prose, which can get a bit technical at times. The image of groups of spacefarers spending their free time in extended hootenanies and folk music jams (and arguing about the correct way to play the tunes!) is a lovely and believable one. There sure are many hours to spend on the long slow journey to the stars.
The story is available to read on the author's website - http://sarahpinsker.com.hostbaby.com/files/WindWillRove_Pinsker.pdf