In the above linked post, I did not do full justice to the works of Poul Anderson. First, I should have pointed out that the three works cited are installments of a single future history. Secondly, I should also have cited a longer list of installments. The theme is novels about living in troubled times -
Mirkheim: social change on Hermes and civil war in the Polesotechnic League;
The People Of The Wind: mobilization of a planetary population for war;
The Rebel Worlds: the McCormac Rebellion on Aeneas;
The Day Of Their Return: anti-Imperial Messianism on Aeneas;
A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows: near insurrection on Dennitza;
The Game Of Empire: popular support for an Admiral who defeats a Merseian attack, then declares himself Emperor.
Two works set in different periods before Flandry's life-time;
two centrally involving Flandry;
one not directly involving Flandry but set during his life-time;
one centrally involving Flandry's daughter, with appearances by him.
A comprehensive future history.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
You beat me to mentioning THE DAY OF THEIR RETURN and how defeat in a strictly secular effort turned many Aneaeans hopes away from such things to using a "messianic" pseudo-religion as a mew focus for their hopes. All without knowing that Aycharaych and Merseia were manipulating them in an effort to start a civil war that would leave, at best, the Empire "convulsed and shattered," as the Ythrian working for the Domain and the Empire described it.
And, of course, for most THE GAME OF EMPIRE, no pro Imperial loyalist yet knew that Magnusson was actually a Merseian sleeper agent whom Merseia was trying to place on the throne as a puppet Emperor.
Sean
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