Chapter 17 “The Lost Entradas” (p. 181)
“

They were arrant newcomers, driven by the nouveau enthusiasms of a cowboy economy. They had no idea what they had come for, or how to get it: they only knew they would. They had no idea how to comport themselves. They sensed there was money to be made. They dived right in. They started wars. They stunned into passivity five of the alien races they found in possession of the galaxy and fought the sixth—which they called “the Nastic” out of a mistranslation of the Nastic’s word for “space”—to a wary truce. After that they fought one another.

— M. John Harrison

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "They were arrant newcomers, driven by the nouveau enthusiasms of a cowboy economy. They had no idea what they had come for, or how to get it: they only knew they would. They had no idea how to comport themselves. They sensed there was money to be made. They dived right in. They started wars. They stunned into passivity five of the alien races they found in possession of the galaxy and fought the sixth—which they called “the Nastic” out of a mistranslation of the Nastic’s word for “space”—to a wary truce. After that they fought one another." in the context of "Chapter 17 “The Lost Entradas” (p. 181)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "M. John Harrison" (Sourced, Light (2002): All page numbers from the mass market paperback edition published by Bantam Spectra ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
M. John Harrison

About M. John Harrison

Michael John Harrison (born 26 July 1945), known primarily by his pen name M. John Harrison, is an English author and critic. He is widely considered one of the leading stylists in modern fantasy and science fiction.