"As Far As We Know..."

Poul Anderson, "Wingless" IN Anderson, The Earth Book Of Stormgate (New York, 1979), pp. 409-420.

The text of this story begins:

"As far as we know..." (p. 411)

Thus, the narrative viewpoint is that of an author addressing her contemporaries in Technic civilization. Hloch's introduction to the story (pp. 409-410) identifies the author as a daughter of Emil Dalmady ("Esau").  Writing in "...her high old age...," (p. 411) Judith Dalmady/Lundgren recounts an experience of David and Coya Falkayn's young grandson, Nat. Never has a future history series been so strongly bound together across its fictional timeline.

Astounding Science Fiction was renamed Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact. In both versions, it is abbreviates as ASF. Thus, of the twelve works collected in the Earth Book:

six were originally published in ASF;

one in an Astounding Memorial Anthology;

one in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction -

 

- and four are juvenile short stories originally published elsewhere:

"How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson" in Future Quest, ed. Roger Elwood;

"Wingless" in Children of Infinity, ed. Roger Elwood;

"The Season of Forgiveness" and "Rescue on Avalon" in Boys' Life.

We are grateful to Roger Elwood and to Boys' Life for giving Poul Anderson these opportunities to extend his Technic History in unexpected directions:

"How To Be Ethnic..." features Adzel, David Falkayn's future team member;

"Wingless" features Falkayn's grandson;

"The Season of Forgiveness" is set on a planet previously visited by Falkayn;

"Rescue on Avalon" cameos an ancestor of Daniel and Christopher Holm.