Introducing Three Planets And Two Faiths

Poul Anderson, "The Problem of Pain" IN Anderson, The Earth Book Of Stormgate (New York, 1979), pp. 26-48.

Although the interstitial passage on pp. 23-25 has no heading, the title of the book appears at the top of p. 24 and the title, "The Problem of Pain," is at the top of p. 25. This begins the process, completed in The Technic Civilization Saga, of incorporating the insterstitial passage into the story.

"The Problem of Pain" introduces:

the planet Lucifer, later mentioned briefly when introducing the planet Satan (see Fire And Ice);

the planet later renamed Avalon;

a man from the planet Aeneas;

the Ythrian Old and New Faiths.

Although the preceding story, "Wings of Victory," had introduced the Ythrians, "The Problem of Pain" is the first story where they have speaking parts. In "Wings of Victory," they were observed as large fliers and it had to be deduced that they were intelligent.

There is as yet no hint of any connection between Avalon and someone called David Falkayn. Indeed, Falkayn and his colleagues, Adzel and Chee Lan, have not yet been born although their home planets, Hermes, Woden and Cynthia, were mentioned in "Wings of Victory." As in real history, diverse chains of events will eventually but unpredictably converge with momentous consequences.