In Poul and Karen Anderson's The King Of Ys, Gods definitely interact with Gratillonius, a military officer and political representative of that Roman Empire that is the precursor of Anderson's future Terran Empire. One of the Nine Witch-Queens of Ys mystically senses interstellar distances.
Thus, historical fictions and future histories interconnect. However, I think that Blish more effectively integrates historical fiction with fantasy and sf. The fabulous crossover between his After Such Knowledge Trilogy and his Haertel Scholium is summarized here.
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Kaor, Paul!
I have no wish to denigrate the works of James Blish, most esp. his AFTER SUCH KNOWLEDGE books. However, by and large, I would rate the Anderson's four volume THE KING OF YS as more SUBSTANTIAL than the ASK books.
I would have called the Roman Empire a distant precursor of the Terran Empire founded by Manuel Argos--even if the Founder himself cited Rome as an inspiration for the state he created. Because so much time and many events had to pass between the fall of the Western Empire to Manuel's own time, including many other beliefs and regimes whose every existence helped to eventually shape the Terran Empire. To name a few: Christianity, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the rise of the West, the invention of science, the Commonwealth, the Polesotechnic League, etc.
Sean
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