On p. xiii of Volume I of this Saga, Davis writes that, although we meet David Falkayn and Adzel in Volume I, we have to wait until Volume II to meet the third member of the trader team, Chee Lan. This is correct. However, Chee Lan's home planet of Cynthia is mentioned three times in Volume I. In a Heinlein-model future history, earlier installments are the foundation on which later events are built.
Secondly, Davis writes that Falkayn's influence on history is arguably greater than van Rijn's. I agree and would add: "also arguably greater than Flandry's." Davis adds "(more on that in future volumes)" so maybe I should check later Introductions.
Thirdly, Davis writes that Anderson was possibly the most prolific fantasy and sf author, with maybe seventy novels and hundreds of short stories. Does anyone know the exact number of novels? Davis adds that Anderson also wrote historical fiction, mysteries, horror, non-fiction and poetry and that, in his main fields of fsf, he uniquely combined quantity with consistent quality.
Finally, quoting this single p. xiii, Anderson had a degree in physics and an interest in the sciences and got the science in science fiction right, as evidenced by the freak planet, Diomedes, in The Man Who Counts.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm willing to concede that Falkayn's influence on history was greater than that of Nicholas van Rijn. But I would put that down largely to Old Nick living most of his life in a happier time when the problems he faced were not as IMPORTANT as the issues that came to most concern Falkayn.
I am more resistant to the idea that Falkayn's influence on history was greater than that of Dominic Flandry's. I only need to point out how Flandry's exposure of what really laid behind Merseian designs at Starkad saved the Empire from destruction. That alone was a massive "changing" of history. Other examples of how Flandry changed history are easy to think of: such as engineering the McCormac exodus in THE REBEL WORLDS.
Sean
I think that David F.(through saving Merseia and helping Gorzun) did far more to change Technic history (in a negative way, unfortunately) than Old Nick and Dom did.
-kh
Kaor, Keith!
I agree, esp. with you said about Merseia. But I don't think a jerry-built wannabe empire like that of Gorzun could have LASTED. Once Terra got back on her feet and was united by a strong leader, such as Manuel Argos, the vast, latent, and LONG TERM strength of Earth would start making itself felt. Barbarians, like the Gorzuni, can seldom build anything LASTING.
Sean
I am rather sorry I did not think of saying "jelly-built" empire, in my comment above, to make a play on one of Old Nick's malapropisms, till after I uploaded it!
Sean
Thank you, Sean. The Visigoths didn't create a large, long-lasting empire (lasted until 711/712 in Spain) after they sacked Rome in 410, but that didn't really benefit the Romans. Also, peoples change. A millennium after the Vikings terrified much of Europe (though my father said the ladies liked 'em somewhat because they occasionally bathed), their descendants created models of peaceful, prosperous, and democratic societies... Perhaps during the Allied Planets Era, sophonts speak glowingly of "The Gorzuni Model": "We're Gorzuni- we'll lend you a hand (or four)....."
-kh
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