Ten Years Later II

See Ten Years Later.

After the double space between paragraphs, we read:

"This happened shortly after the Satan episode..." (p. 375)

"This..." means the incident that had ended with Falkayn growing tense where he sat. "...the Satan episode..." means the events of the novel, Satan's World. If we have been reading Poul Anderson's Technic History as it was originally published, then ideally we have read:

Mirkheim

The People Of The Wind

nine previous stories in the Earth Book

preferably also "The Star Plunderer" and "Sargasso of Lost Starships"

 

- between Satan's World and "Lodestar." If, instead, we are reading Baen Books' seven-volume The Technic Civilization Saga, compiled by Hank Davis, then we have read just one Earth Book story, "A Little Knowledge," between Satan's World and "Lodestar." Either way, that "Satan episode," climaxing in "...a ship which had run out of beer..." (ibid.) should be in our past as it is in van Rijn's.

 

Next, the omniscient narrator summarizes for our benefit the ensuing decade of van Rijn's life. Van Rijn's favorite granddaughter, Coya Conyon, is mentioned. This is chronologically Coya's first appearance and she features in only one other work, Mirkheim, which we may or may not have read yet. Then, in a new paragraph but without any double space to indicate a change of scene, we read:

"I can't say I like most of those money-machine merchant princes, Coya reflected..." (p. 376)

Thus, the omniscient narrator has segued into Coya who remains our viewpoint character until the poignant concluding sentence when van Rijn:

"...moved to pour from a bottle; and Coya saw that he was indeed old." (p. 408)