Which series did I leave out? Not many. The Star Fox and its sequel, Fire Time, are a two-volume sequence. The eight instalments of the Rustum History, and also "The Queen of Air and Darkness" which belongs in the same timeline, are spread across two collections. I think that all nine works could more appropriately be incorporated into a single, more substantial, volume. However, for present purposes, they do constitute yet another two-volume sequence. We have previously referred to perhaps three short mini-series or story sequences that might, between them, fill a single volume but let's leave them aside for now.
Since, by "a series" in this context, we mean a narrative sequence of two or more volumes, we now reach the conclusion that Poul Anderson's several series, in this sense, amount to a total of fifty-five volumes. I have had to exclude the three B.C. and the three in the fourteenth century which are not, after all, series although I think they could appropriately be read as "triads."
The Boat Of A Million Years is like a historical series in one long volume and Genesis is like a future historical series in one shorter volume but covering geological epochs.
OK. Poul Anderson's works are voluminous and cover a lot of time and space. We knew that already but it is illuminating to see it laid out like that.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I know you don't much care for them, but there's also the Hoka stories, co-authored by Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson. There were two collections of Hoka short stories: EARTHMAN'S BURDEN, HOKA!, and one novel--STAR PRINCE CHARLIE. They were all eventually collected into one volume: THE SOUND AND THE FURRY.*
I know humorous SF like the Hoka stories and others like THE MAKESHIFT ROCKET doesn't appeal to everybody, but I enjoyed them. And I've come to think the funniest of the Flandry stories is "A Message in Secret," where Anderson indulges in some gentle ribbing of Flandry. Science fiction does not have to always be grimly serious!
Ad astra! Sean
*The title of the omnibus Hoka collection was a parody of the title of William Faulkner's novel THE SOUND AND THE FURY.
Sean,
I completely forgot about Hoka. That is another three volumes.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And the Hoka short story collections came with amusing illustrations!
Ad astra! Sean
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