The Ungoverned

"The Ungoverned" (1985) is a novella by Vernor Vinge, set between his novels The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime.

Related Topics:
1985 - Vernor Vinge - The Peace War - Marooned in Realtime

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The framework is the story of the "Republic" of New Mexico (NMR) invading the peaceful anarcho-capitalist utopia in Kansas. The NMR creates a military fiasco by completely failing to understand the cultural differences — including the amount of self protection a lone Kansas farmer may have.

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The main protagonist is Wil W. Brierson, a detective/insurance agent, who attempts to disrupt the invasion while trying to minimize the property damage (and thus claims his company might have to pay out) and bridge the cultural gap.

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The story has been published together with the two related novels as Across Realtime.

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