Traders To The Stars

Trader To The Stars, three stories about Nicholas van Rijn, was the first Technic History volume. In my proposed re-presentation of the Technic History, Volume III would be an expanded Trader To The Stars, possibly to be entitled Traders To The Stars, although that might be confusing.

Like Trader..., Traders... would contain "Hiding Place," "Territory" and "The Master Key" and would end with "The Master Key." However, Traders... would begin with another van Rijn story, "Esau," and would include two trader team stories, "The Trouble Twisters" and "Day of Burning," between "Territory" and "The Master Key." Van Rijn cameos in "The Trouble Twisters," explaining his new trade pioneer crew idea to David Falkayn. Thus, "The Master Key" now tells us what van Rijn was doing - lounging back on Earth, solving a mystery - while his trader team/trade pioneer crew was operating on planets like Ikrananka and Merseia.

This volume paves the way for the three pivotal works that feature van Rijn and the team in equal measure. The series goes somewhere and takes as long as it needs to get there.