One-Off Characters, Continued

 Of course, the situation is more complicated than I suggested in the previous post.

"How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson" is set during, indeed introduces, the Polesotechnic League period but does not even mention either van Rijn or Falkayn. It does feature and revolve around Falkayn's later colleague, Adzel, but that being is not this story's viewpoint character, first person narrator or problem-solver. Those roles are played by the one-off character, James Ching.

In "Esau," van Rijn converses with the one-off character, Emil Dalmady, but it is the latter who solves the problem and is the story's hero.

In "The Master Key," a one-off character narrates, others have adventures on the planet Cain and, yes, van Rijn does later solve the problem without moving from his lounger on Earth but this is not just his story by any means.

Anyone who thinks, as I once did, that the Technic History is just a van Rijn series and a Flandry series strung together is mistaken.