I think that every Poul Anderson reader should have copies both of The Technic Civilization Saga and of earlier editions of the Technic History novels and collections, particularly The Earth Book Of Stormgate, even though the Earth Book's entire contents are reproduced in Saga, Volumes I-III. This is a series that can be read two ways and the ways can be compared and contrasted. The Earth Book installments are presented in two different orders.
Earth Book
"Wings of Victory"
"The Problem of Pain"
"How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson"
"Margin of Profit"
"Esau"
"The Season of Forgiveness"
The Man who Counts
"A Little Knowledge"
"Day of Burning"
"Lodestar"
"Wingless"
"Rescue on Avalon"
In Saga, Volume I
"Wings of Victory"
"The Problem of Pain"
"Margin of Profit"
"How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson"
"The Season of Forgiveness"
The Man Who Counts
"Esau"
In Saga, Volume II
"Day of Burning"
"A Little Knowledge"
"Lodestar"
In Saga, Volume III
"Wingless"
"Rescue on Avalon"
The Chronology lists "Margin of Profit" and "How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson," which have no common characters, as occurring in the same year. I prefer the Earth Book order as slightly delaying the introduction of Nicholas van Rijn. Four entire other stories can be read first.
Hloch's Earth Book introductions to the stories are reproduced in Saga without acknowledging that their reading order has been changed. Thus:
the introduction to "Esau" informs us that this story's central character, Emil Dalmady, had children who moved to Avalon with Falkayn and that one of them, Judith, wrote "Esau";
the introduction to "The Season of Forgiveness" informs us that Judith Dalmady/Lundgren also wrote this story;
the introduction to "A Little Knowledge" informs us that Arinnian of Stormgate, whose human name is Christopher Holm, wrote the story;
the introduction to "Day of Burning" merely informs us that Hloch and Arinnian collaborated on the story without, this time, telling us who Arinnian is.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I dunno, while I have Baen Books RISE OF THE TERRAN EMPIRE and FLANDRY'S LEGACY, plus THE EARTH BOOK OF STORMGATE (pub. by Berkley), I've felt no need to get the other volumes of Baen's SAGA. Because I have all the other Technic stories in various other editions. It seems needlessly redundant to get the other five Baen volumes of the SAGA.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
For my purposes, it is very convenient to have the entire Technic History in chronological order in 7 uniform volumes. I also appreciate how THE TROUBLE TWISTERS forms a narrative unity and how the EARTH BOOK has its stories in a different order which explains what would otherwise be oddities in Hloch's Introductions in the SAGA.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Granted! I can see the advantage some would feel in having all seven of the Baen volumes plus THE EARTH BOOK. And I do have the original edition of THE TROUBLE TWISTERS in addition to THE EARTH BOOK.
I do kinda hope that someday my revision (with your assistance) of Miesel's CHRONOLOGY OF TECHNIC CIVILIZATION might someday replace the original version in the published stories. Because I think it is more ACCURATE.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Another thought I had would be to argue that Frank Frazetta's cover painting for THE DANCER FROM ATLANTIS is very likely the single best of any of the covers made for Anderson's stories. Frazetta painted two versions, in fact, one of a younger and one of an older Elissa facing a charging bull. I favor the painting showing the older woman.
Ad astra! Sean
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