Wednesday, 9 December 2020

Systematic Infrastructures

(Problem with downloading an image. It has happened before. Later: OK now.)

For a series that was not pre-planned but that grew organically, Poul Anderson's Technic History is remarkably systematic in its structure and infrastructures:

the overarching history of Chaos, Commonwealth, Troubles, Empire, Long Night and subsequent civilizations;

the history of human-Ythrian interactions;

the stages of David Falkayn's career and of his interactions with van Rijn and the trader team;

the stages of Dominic Flandry's career and of his conflict with Aycharaych -

a trilogy of novels introduces Flandry defending the Terran Empire;

a single novel introduces Aycharaych of Chereion subverting the Empire;

one short story and one short novel present the conflict between Flandry and Aycharaych;

a further novel completes that conflict;

however, two novels later, it is hinted that Aycharaych might return and meanwhile Fr. Axor studies the remnants of Chereionite civilization.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Some might have liked to have seen mores stories of Flandry clashing with Aycharaych. But it also made sense to see him facing different problems and different enemies on various planets. Such as "Tiger By The Tail" or THE PLAGUE OF MASTERS.

Ad astra! Sean