Poul Anderson's "Goat Song" is a science fictional retelling of the Orpheus myth. I have just started to read Virgil on Orpheus in Latin - not easy, tightly constructed verse as opposed to straightforward prose. An easier text is the Vulgate Bible, where "...Paulum hunc..." (this Paul) says, "non sunt dei, qui manibus fiunt" (they are not gods, which are made by hand).
To paraphrase another Latin author, Julius Caesar, humorously (I hope): all of Gaul is quartered into three halves. Similarly, all of Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization is divided into three main parts:
an extended Earth Book Of Stormgate;
the Flandry period;
the Post-Imperial Age.
(That third "Age" subdivides into three shorter sections but we are dealing in broad strokes here.)
Although The Earth Book Of Stormgate concludes at the midpoint of Baen Books' The Technic Civilization Saga, Volume III, the Earth Book was compiled in the aftermath of the Terran War on Avalon and therefore refers to events, and also to one character, in The People Of The Wind, which concludes Vol III. For this reason, I think of Vols I-III as an extended Earth Book, although I would re-entitle Vols I and II, thus:
I The Rise Of The Polesotechnic League
II The Decline Of The Polesotechnic League
III The Rise Of The Terran Empire
That would leave five Volumes, in my way of reorganizing it, for the remaining two main parts:
IV Young Flandry And The Terran Empire
V Outposts Of The Terran Empire
VI Captain Flandry Of The Terran Empire
VII Children Of The Terran Empire or The Molitor Dynasty
VIII After The Terran Empire or The Post-Imperial Age
3 comments:
Hi, Paul!
I read with interest your frequent discussions of the best way to organize the Technic History stories. But the titles you suggest could be improved on, hence my own list below:
I like your first three proposed titles, so I don't need to comment on them.
IV. YOUNG FLANDRY
V. OUTPOSTS OF EMPIRE
VI. CAPTAIN FLANDRY
VII CHILDREN OF EMPIRE, or THE MOLITOR DYNASTY
VIII. THE POST-IMPERIAL AGE
As I'm sure you saw, I tend to prefer shorter, "crisper" titles for these collections.
Sean
Sean,
Yes. My longer titles are designed to display a sequence but also have the advantage that they can be shortened as you suggest.
Paul.
Hi, Paul!
Understood, your wish to show a linear or temporal sequence in the titles you proposed. I still argue that shorter titles are best for many books or collections.
Btw, Irumclaw, one of the two planets we see in A CIRCUS OF HELLS is itself an outpost of the Empire, but it belongs most properly with the YOUNG FLANDRY trio of books.
I forgot to add in my earlier note my belief that THE POST IMPERIAL AGE sould have an appendix collecting the original texts of the five Technic History stories Poul Anderson revised/expanded ("Margin of Profit," "The White King's War," etc.). With annotations explaining why they were replaced by revisions and how the two forms of these stories differ from each other.
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