"Lodestar" is set after Satan's World but "A Little Knowledge" is set either between them or during Satan's World. Nicholas van Rijn is on-stage in Satan's World and "Lodestar" but off- in "A Little Knowledge," where he is referred to as a public figure:
"Harker grimaced. 'I saw once on a telescreen interview,' he remarked, 'Old Nick van Rijn said he wouldn't shoot that kind of offenders. He'd hang them. A rope is reusable.'"
-Poul Anderson, "A Little Knowledge" IN Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 599-630 AT p. 618.
How many telescreen interviews and other public appearances do prominent characters like van Rijn do that we never read about? Much more happens in Technic society than the author can possibly show us. In Satan's World and "Lodestar," van Rijn and Falkayn address some of the problems of their civilization whereas "A Little Knowledge" shows us those problems affecting others - other people and other planets.
After its Earth Book Introduction, "Wings of Victory" begins:
"Our part in the Grand Survey had taken us out beyond the great suns Alpha and Beta Crucis."
-Poul Anderson, "Wings of Victory" IN Anderson, The Van Rijn Method (Riverdale, NY, 2009), pp. 75-102 AT p. 79 -
- whereas, after its Earth Book Introduction, "A Little Knowledge" begins:
"They found the planet during the first Grand Survey."
-ibid., p. 601 -
- which tells us that there are at least two Grand Surveys. From such small clues, we construct our bigger picture of Technic History.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember something similar in ENSIGN FLANDRY, after Flandry and Persis had escaped from Merseia. Persis mentioned watching a recording of a speech by Emperor Georgios. And there was the scene in THE GAME OF EMPIRE where Olaf Magnusson's wife, in a public recording, denounced and renounced her husband after it was discovered he was actually a deep cover agent working for Merseia.
Ad astra! Sean
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