In Anderson's The Earth Book Of Stormgate, the opening story, which is the second in the Technic History, "Wings of Victory," about first contact with Yhtri, is like the start of a Grand Survey series. The interstellar explorers' proud motto is "We come as friends" and the survivors will compare experiences after five years!
The second Earth Book story, "The Problem of Pain," makes us think that the series is not about the Grand Survey but about human-Ythrian interactions.
The third Earth Book story, "How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson," introduces the Polesotechnic League and only briefly mentions Ythri.
Finally, the fourth Earth Book story, "Margin of Profit," initiates the Nicholas van Rijn, Master Merchant of the Polesotechnic League, series.
A good writer gives us not what we think we want but what he knows we need (to quote Alan Moore).
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Esp. since the Technic series was something of a surprise to Poul Anderson himself! As we both remember, it originally began as two DIFFERENT series: one about Nicholas van Rijn and the other featuring Dominic Flandry. Anderson's impulsive decision to link the two was serendipitous and had totally unexpected consequences, as he soon realized. So, we should have a special affection for THE PLAGUE OF MASTERS, which is where that impulsive linking occurred.
Ad astra! Sean
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