-Sandra Miesel, "Chronology of Technic Civilization" IN Poul Anderson, Rise Of The Terran Empire (New York, 2011), pp. 663-672 AT p. 667.
Tabitha Falkayn not only is called Falkayn but also is explicitly stated to be "'...a descendant of David Falkayn.'" (p. 466)
Philippe Rochefort is certainly a predecessor and precursor of Dominic Flandry but how can it be known that he is an ancestor? Like Falkayn, he enjoys life and female company, is in the Terran Navy and:
"...stretched to the limit the tolerance granted officers as regards their dress uniforms - rakishly tilted bonnet..." etc (p. 487).
He becomes inadvertently involved in the gathering and conveyance of intelligence when he is captured and escapes. Unlike Flandry, he is a Jerusalem Catholic who takes his belief seriously. After the war, he does not remain on Avalon with Tabitha but returns to Terra so it is at least possible that he is among Flandry's ancestors but, if this had been Anderson's intention, it could have been made clearer.
2 comments:
Hi, Paul!
Yes, I agree with you and not with Sandra Miesel. We don't KNOW that Philippe Rocheforte was an ancestor of Dominic Flandry. I did not include that unbacked statement in my version of Miesel's Technic Chronology.
And you made a small error in the bit from Miesel you quoted. You meant "...A descendant of Falkayn and an ancestor of FLANDRY cross paths."
Sean
Thank you. Corrected.
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