Certain science fiction stories, read far too long ago, still stick in my mind. Two examples follow; deep gratitude to anyone who can help identify and locate tales of:

• a surreal planet where, as one moves toward the poles, time flows faster, words get shorter, language becomes crisper — and at the northernmost zones a war rages forever, apparently in a mirror-reflection across a singularity (seen in an anthology of "classic" sf, perhaps from Astounding in the 40's or 50's?)
• a world of religious/meditative people, about to be attacked by archetypal evil alien invaders, refuses to permit any defense by orbiting human armed forces — so the kids on the planet unleash their psychic powers, summon huge storms, destroy the alien fleet ... and their parents then criticize them for lack of enlightenment and making a big mess (probably in Analog in the late 60's or early 70's?)

Not high art, but interesting twists on the usual clichés ....

TopicLiterature - TopicPersonalHistory - 2002-02-18

(correlates: HelloSailor, InverseAphorisms, CorpsOfMockers, ...)