The phrase, "before, during and after," might suggest that only three periods are covered whereas the Chronology of Technic Civilization compiled by Sandra Miesel, not that it is authoritative, informs us that:
the Polesotechnic League was founded in the 23rd century and dissolved in 2550;
what I call the three pre-League stories are set in the 21st, 22nd and 24th centuries, respectively (I see no evidence that the League exists at the time of "The Problem of Pain");
what I call the five post-League stories are set in the 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th centuries, respectively.
(No doubt, the League still exists at the time of "Wingless" but the story is set elsewhere and does not refer to the League.)
Since the sixteen League stories are all set during the lifetimes of van Rijn and his contemporaries, we can now state that the pre-Flandry volumes of Poul Anderson's Technic History cover a total of eight periods of fictional history, some in more detail than others.
For an alternative take on the Chronology, see here.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I think it would be possible for the Polesotechnic League to already be existing at the time of "The Problem of Pain." For the purposes of that story, it was not necessary for anyone to mention the League.
Ad astra and Happy New Year! Sean
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