Therefore, we can differentiate four stages of post-Technic civilization:
civilized planets;
Allied Planets;
civilizations in several spiral arms;
maybe a later Galactic civilization.
So maybe we should say that:
the History of Technic Civilization ends with "The Game of Empire";
the last four installments of this future history series constitute a History of Post-Technic Civilizations?
I have started to read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown where I am finding themes familiar to readers of Poul Anderson and SM Stirling, i.e., American history and magical objects. I will post again if anything seems relevant.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
You listed four kinds or "stages" of planets in the post Technic, post Imperial age. I would have added a fifth, planets which had collapsed all the way down to savagery during the Long Night. The clearest example of that being Lokon, in "The Sharing Of Flesh." And I think that story also mentions that on some planets mankind became extinct because the technology needed to make them habitable was lost. Might that have happened to Unan Besar, if the ability to make the antitoxin pills needed for survival was unavailable (despite Imperial medical technology being better than the obsolete methods being used by Biocontrol)?
Sean
Sean,
You are right. I was trying to list stages of civilization but it cannot be denied that many planetary populations would have become uncivilized or extinct. Anderson raises so many questions that it is impossible to answer them all.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, Anderson raises a PLETHORA of questions and issues in his works! Also, recall what Roan Tom saying at the beginning of "A Tragedy Of Errors" that civilization had rise so HIGH that when the Empire fell it had a LONG to go falling before hitting bottom and CRASHING really badly. Later, I also recall Tom hoping that he would be find somebody who had the knowledge and means needed for cloning a new eye for him.
And what happened to Unan Besar? Was it one of the planets where humanity became extinct due to losing the technology needed for antitoxin pills? We last see Unan Besar mentioned in A STONE IN HEAVEN where Chives recommended that Flandry and Miriam Abrams have for dinner sea food exported from that world.
Sean
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