This story, as revised by its author, fits neatly between We Claim These Stars/"Hunters of the Sky Cave" and A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows.
Fenross says:
"'After we cleared up that last business...'" (p. 308)
- obviously referring to "Hunters...," and Flandry refers to the current Terran Emperor as:
"...his newly and forcibly acceded Majesty..." (p. 312)
- Hans of his dynasty the first whom we will meet for the first and last time in A Knight...
For the"Captain Flandry" section of Anderson's Technic History, there is a continuous narrative thread from the beginning of "Tiger by the Tail" through "Honorable Enemies," "The Game of Glory," "Hunters..." and "The Warriors from Nowhere" to A Knight... The diptych of "A Message in Secret" and "The Plague of Masters" has to be incorporated at some early point in this Captain Flandry sub-sub-series.
Thus:
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
In my struggles to most accurately make sense of the chronology of the Technic stories, I followed the textual indications you pointed out to me to place "A Message in Secret" and THE PLAGUE OF MASTERS between "Honorable Enemies" and "The Game of Glory." That was the listing I accepted for my revised version of "Sandra Miesel's Chronology of Technic Civilization." And I still think that is the best we can do.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I think you are right. I am responding to the stories as I am rereading some of them. Remember that "Honorable Enemies" happens between events described on the opening page of "The Game of Glory." This would mean that the diptych also has to happen between events on that opening page even though that page makes no reference to the events of the diptych.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly, "The Game of Glory" mentions how Aa'u laid low for two years after escaping Flandry. "Honorable Enemies," "A Message in Secret," and PLAGUE occurred during that interval. A very busy two years for Flandry!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
The only way to chronologize them but it takes some thought and is not necessarily clear in the reader's mind when returning to the stories.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, readers would need to pay careful attention to the indications in the texts telling us how to most accurately list the stories. Or at least to read my article about Sandra Miesel's Chronology!
I really think any COMPLETE COLLECTED WORKS OF POUL ANDERSON should include an appendix volume containing some of our essays.
Ad astra! Sean
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