Heinlein's Future History begins in 1951 with just one technological innovation which is suppressed at the end of the opening story! A false start: the future has not really begun yet. Next, new sources of energy and forms of transport are introduced. The narrative gradually moves away from "the present."
Anderson's Psychotechnic History begins in the aftermath of World War III which looks like the aftermath of World War II except that a new science of society is being applied...
There are three ways to begin reading Anderson's Technic History. (To any confused new readers: "Technic" is not a mere abbreviation of "Psychotechnic." These are two very different future history series.)
The three ways are:
Trader To The Stars, beginning with the "springtime" of Technic civilization and the Polesotechnic League already in existence (see here);
The Earth Book Of Stormgate, beginning at an earlier stage of interstellar travel with the Grand Survey;
The Technic Civilization Saga, beginning before interstellar travel with the exploration of the outer Solar System in the mid-twenty first century.
Thus, at last, the Saga begins at the very beginning although the Chaos intervenes between the late twentieth century and the period of the opening story, "The Saturn Game."
Onward and upward, we hope.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I have been seriously neglecting the works of Robert Heinlein, esp. the stories written before STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, the book marking RAH's decline as a writer. I mean, I should reread his Future History.
And, as we know, Anderson became dissatisfied with the Psychotechnic series and abandoned it. VIRGIN PLANET is probably the best of the longer stories in that timeline.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I prefer THE PEREGRINE.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
While I agree THE PEREGRINE is a good story, my view is that VIRGIN PLANET is more deeply and thoroughly thought out as a story. With more strongly depicted characters.
Ad astra! Sean
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