A time travel novel, The End Of Eternity, leads into the Galactic Empire future history.
Robots and Galactic Empire were combined into a single future history.
The Foundations follow the Empire.
The Foundation Trilogy synthesizes history with sf.
Poul Anderson
A time travel novel, There Will Be Time, connects with the Maurai future history.
Polesotechnic League and Terran Empire were combined into a single future history.
Various civilizations follow the Empire.
The Time Patrol series and the Technic History synthesize history with sf.
Later future histories are cosmic in scope.
And, at each stage, Anderson does it better.
Addendum: There are also five volumes of straight historical fiction by Anderson.
3 comments:
Kao, Paul!
Anderson did it better than Asimov at each stage? Absolute agreement! I am almost sure I read Asimov's THE END OF ETERNITY, but only once and it left no mark or influence that I know of on my mind. Considered as a whole, the QUALITY of most of Asimov's science fiction is regrettably poor.
Of Anderson's contemporaries, only Robert Heinlein's pre-STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND works rivals the former's stories.
Sean
Yes, Poul did do it better -- but that's partially because he did it later than Asimov and Heinlein.
He's also a technically better writer than Asimov (Issac was an idea man, though he had his moments), and at least as good as Heinlein.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I have to agree, Poul Anderson built on, and learned from, the examples of Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.
When I was a boy I was very much a fan of Asimov and his original FOUNDATION books. Alas, by the time of THE GODS THEMSELVES, I was tiring of him. I more and more became dissatisfied with Asimov's works. I came to find them, esp. his novels, flat, colorless, monochromatic, with one dimensional, unmemorable characters. It was "villains" like Bel Riose, Cleon II, and the Mule who stand out in the FOUNDATION books.
Truthfully, I think the pre-STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND works of Heinlein be better than those of Asimov. I still remember books of RAH like DOUBLE STAR, SIXTH COLUMN, THE PUPPET MASTERS, WALDO & MAGIC, INC., etc., fondly.
Sean
Post a Comment