"As for what became of those who were still alive at the end of the book, and the sword, and Faerie itself - which obviously no longer exists on Earth - that is another tale which may someday be told."
-Poul Anderson, The Broken Sword (London, 1977), Foreword, p. 12.
That is another three tales:
the surviving characters
the sword
Faerie
The Merman's Children is the third of these tales as the blurb on the attached cover image proclaims.
"'Yet in those days Faerie will be a last thin glimmer ere it fades oot fore'er.'" (p. 88)
Will Faerie fade out or withdraw to another plane as in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman? In Anderson's Operation Luna, the Nine Worlds in the Tree exist in another universe but, IIRC, that universe and the viewpoint goetic universe used to be closer and have more recently withdrawn.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
But, of course we both know Anderson was talking here about POSSIBLY writing a direct sequel to THE BROKEN SWORD, which did not happen, alas. All that THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN really shows us is the fading away from Earth of the last remnants of Faerie. I don't think I ever thought of that book being any kind of sequel to THE BROKEN SWORD while reading it.
And Faerie is much more MENACINGLY present on the Carolingian Earth of THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS.
Ad astra! Sean
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