"Would you be a good Martin Padway?" Topic

I am of course referring to the hero of L Sprague de Camp's masterpiece "Lest Darkness Fall".
Our Hero gets zapped back in time to the reign of Justinian, during Belisarius attempt to reconquer Italy.
Before you can say Jackus Spratus, he is distilling Brandy and publishing a newspaper, and surviving on his knowledge of Procopius.

How well would YOU do?
What period would you survive the best in?
Do you have any non-gunpowder weapons skills?
Can you get by in Latin, Greek, Norse or Sumerian?
Let's assume that you will not croak from the Awful Green Wasting Disease one week after getting there.

I am in the middle of reading Tim Powers' "The Anubis Gates", and our Hero seems to have not lucked out with the last point. Don't spoil it for me, I'm having too good a time reading it.

I could probably make penicillin so I would probably do better than some.

That said I don't know how to make concrete or even how to tie a tie really. Still I do have some pretty good web-fu so even if I was stuck in the medieval period I could probably find what I needed on the internet.

"Here, Belisarius. I just printed this page on how to make gunpowder. Now, go and dig up a bunch of dung piles."

1950s America.

I forgot to answer that question. If I could be born in any time period I guess it would be the mid 1970s.

John, I envy you! The Anubis Gates was my first Powers book, and it's a doozy! I still like The Stress of Her Regard better, though.

Have you read any Blaylock, by any chance? He writes incredibly good modern day fantasy very much in the vein of his good friend Tim Powers. The Last Coin is a classic, as is The Paper Grail.

Tim Powers, author of "The Drawing of the Dark", wonderful story; one of the few I have read more than once.

I read "Lest Darkness Fall" eons ago. I still remembered it well enough to know what this thread was about by its title.

The period I would do best in would be the 11th century, in England, warning Harold not to do this or that, and thus avoid the Norman conquest altogether. The lingo would be a problem, but with nothing better to do than pick it up, I think I would do so quickly enough. I would avoid fighting like the plague. (Padway's use of the sword pegged my BS meter severely, I do recall.)

I'd probably be killed by some superstitious tribal lout in almost any period that preceded the development of modern English, plus a few that came afterwards.

Language skills: Could get by talking to Chaucer, barely. All other languages, I'm toast.

Chemistry fu: Know that gunpowder is charcoal, sulfur and potassium nitrate. Don't know the ratio. Likelihood of self-immolation trying to figure it out: High. All other chemistry is a blank. Nobody will be mistaking me for a wizard.

Engineering fu: Lever, fulcrum, block and tackle… that's about it. Not even a Saxon peasant is likely to be impressed.

Metallurgy: Uhm, I think you add chromium to carbon steel to make it stainless…

Printing press: Hey, I could conceivably "invent" that a few years early. Metal type, not so much.

Distillery: Well, I understand the basics.

Medicine: Okay, I understand the principles of hygiene and disinfecting better than any doctor up until about 1900 or so. Assuming I could get people to listen, I could revolutionize medicine. Likelihood of being burned at the stake while trying: High.

Sword fighting: I know how to fence. I know how to use a saber. I'd probably be slaughtered by anyone with any battle experience, though.

Yeah, 1950, that's about right for me, too. :-P

Unfortunately, even if you could avoid fighting, you might not be able to avoid the plague. Or any of the other various things that were wallowing around back then. Even a simple burn or cut might do you in. Hardy people back in the day. I had pneumonia as a kid. I'm still alive today.

Better living through chemistry? How about just living at all through chemistry.

"Err, now it's like this, your highness, I'm from the future and I can do … no, wait, I can … where're you taking me… what's that? Nooooooooooo!"
Imagine a person trying to get to see Bush with that line!

The various Stargate crews seem to have no problems.
"Hi, I am from another galaxy, and am here to help."
"Oh, great! Now help us overthrow these tyrants."

And they all have American accents, except the more exotic lasses.