Poul Anderson's The Earth Book Of Stormgate is a single omnibus collection, although it was split into three volumes in one paperback edition, and is also a future history series within a longer future history series. It collects twelve of the forty three installments of Anderson's Technic History.
Asimov's "Trilogy" recounts the linear narrative of one man's "Plan" to build a Second Galactic Empire after the Fall of the First Empire whereas the Earth Book collects twelve distinct narratives sharing a common historical background but featuring different kinds of characters in appropriate settings: explorers, students, traders, merchants, colonists and members of several non-human species. We gather that, behind the scenes, the Solar Commonwealth goes under and the Terran Empire emerges but these historical events merely happen. They are not manipulated by a secret elite. The Earth Book deserves a lot more attention than Foundation.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And the last time I went to Barnes and Noble, not that long ago, it irritated me to still be seeing too many of Asimov's overrated books on the shelves--and not even one by Anderson!
I still remember how enthralled I had been by the original FOUNDATION "trilogy" as a boy. Considering how I became so dissatisfied by Asimov's works not that many years later, I have to wonder why I once felt that way. Was it because of the interstellar, galactic setting? Or Asimov's use, or attempted use, of big ideas and grand sweeping concepts?
And the Asimovian idea of a secret elite a la the "mental masters" of the Second Foundation manipulating "historical trends" and public events would probably appeal to many conspiracy theorists!
Ad astra! Sean
Hi thankss for sharing this
Kaor, Mr. Voss!
Anytime. Are you or were you once a fan of Asimov's Foundation stories? If so, do you have any thoughts about them?
And have you read any of the works of Anderson? If so, any thoughts about them?
Ad astra! Sean
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