Is it possible to get as deeply into any other future history series in the way that this blog does with Poul Anderson's Technic History? Maybe Larry Niven's Known Space series is as long and complex as the Technic History but I cannot get into it in the same way.
Which do you prefer:
Lucas Garner, Gil Hamilton, Beowulf Shaeffer and Louis Wu or Nicholas van Rijn, David Falkayn and Dominic Flandry?
Kzinti or Merseians?
The later Thousand Worlds period or the later Commonalty period?
The former Slaver civilization or the former Chereionite civilization?
Niven's or Anderson's version of hyperspace?
Niven presents several more imaginative ideas:
protectors;
the Ringworld;
the Fleet of Worlds;
the good luck gene;
the nanotech autodoc.
By one criterion, this makes Known Space better sf. Some fans have argued that a work that presents original and imaginative ideas succeeds as sf even if it fails by any other literary criteria but I disagree.
Anderson would have been able to transmute ERB's or EE Smith's scenarios.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I think I would be more likely to "get into" Jerry Pournelle's Co-Dominium series than I would Larry Niven's Known Space stories. And there might be fans who get passionate about Frank Herbert's DUNE tales.
I would prefer Nicholas van Rijn, David Falkayn and Dominic Flandry to the characters selected from the Known Space timeline.
Oy vey! I should favor one set of enemies of the human race, Kzinti or Merseians, over the other? That's a bit like asking which you would like better, vampires or werewolves! (Smiles) Bit I admit to rather liking the Kzin!
The Thousand Worlds or the Commonalty? Hard to say, if only because we only have one story set in Commonalty times.
Definitely the extinct Chereionite civilization, not the Slavers!
Anderson's version of hyperspace.
I like Niven's speculations about a ringworld and a nanotech autodoc. His good luck gene was a mistake, however. It made it almost impossible for him to write more Known Space stories.
Ditto, what you said about it was not enough for an SF story to have ingenious ideas if the author can't make them INTERESTING to read about.
And Mr. Stirling suggested Anderson's THE DAY OF THEIR RETURN was inspired by ERB's Barsoom.
Ad astra! Sean
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