Rise And Decline Of The Polesotechnic League

Poul Anderson wants us to know two things about the Polesotechnic League: first, that it began with great dynamism and promise; secondly, that it declined because of cartels. He conveys both these points very well.

The introductory passage of Trader To The Stars (St Albans, Herts, 1975) begins:

"'The world's great age begins anew...'" (p. 7)

and ends:

"We do not know where we are going. Nor do most of us care. For us it is enough that we are on our way." (p. 7)

The beginning of the decline is indicated in the Earthbook Of Stormgate introduction to "Esau":

"The following tale is here because it shows a little more of the philosophy and practice which once animated the Polesotechnic League. Grip well: already these were becoming somewhat archaic, if not obsolete." (The Van Rijn Method, New York, 2009, p. 517)

According to Sandra Miesel's Chronology of Technic Civilization, the actions of five stories overlap in the 2420's. The stories, listed in this order, are:

"A Sun Invisible";
"The Season of Forgiveness";
The Man Who Counts;
"Esau";
"Hiding Place," the opening story of Trader To The Stars. (ibid., p. 613).

Thus, reading the stories in this order, we are informed that early League practice is becoming obsolete just before we are informed that, "The world's great age begins anew..." The second point, the League's decline, is superimposed over the first point, its early promise. This is not a great obstacle. The introduction to Trader To The Stars is a quotation from "Le Matelot." We may assume that this was written at the beginning of the age and some time before the events described in the stories. According to the Chronology, the League was founded in the twenty third century.