Thursday 28 November 2019

Implausible But Substantial

(Another quick post over an early breakfast before other activities.)

Although I have argued that the premises of Poul Anderson's Technic History are implausible, the series remains a substantial fictional history in terms of its character interactions over many generations:

there is a single story about Emil Dalmady and a sub-series about David Falkayn;

both are employed by Nicholas van Rijn, the central character of a longer sub-series;

Dalmady's daughter in her high old age writes about Falkayn's grandson, who is also van Rijn's great-great-grandson, in his youth;

Hloch, who informs us about Dalmady's daughter, collaborates with Arinnian, who marries a direct descendant of Falkayn;

much later, the major series character, Dominic Flandry, visits Dalmady's home planet, Altai, and Flandry's future wife, Miriam Abrams, visits Falkayn's home planet, Hermes, where a son of van Rijn had become Duke;

a later Duke of Hermes would like to be remembered as long as the universe lasts whereas Flandry's actions have consequences that last for millennia although his name is not remembered.

The Technic History comprises single stories, sub-series and multiple historical layers.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Falkayn's actions had consequences that spread and ramified over millennia, long after he himself had been forgotten? I agree, but so did those of Dominic flandry!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
I meant Flandry and have corrected it. It is so easy to mix those two up.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Because both their names begin with the letter F? Aside from that, I think they are both very, very different men!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
D.F.
Paul.
















Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I can see how some might get mixed up due to the accident of both Falkayn and Flandry having the same initials, "D.F."

Ad astra! Sean