Wednesday, 30 June 2021

The First Part Of The Technic History

Consider yet again:

The Polesotechnic League Tetralogy
Trader To The Stars
The Trouble Twisters
Satan's World
Mirkheim
 
The Ythrian Volumes
The People Of The Wind
The Earth Book Of Stormgate
 
Apart from three stories that could be collected as an additional volume to be read between the Tetralogy and The People Of The Wind, these six volumes comprise the first of the two main parts of Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization. As recently stated, the Earth Book completes the story of the Polesotechnic League and almost completes the story of human-Ythrian interactions.
 
David Falkayn first appears as a teenage apprentice in the first of the three installments collected as The Trouble Twisters and is last mentioned as an off-stage grandfather in the eleventh of the twelve installments collected as the Earth Book. However, The People Of The Wind, set centuries later, refers back to Falkayn as the historical Founder of the human-Ythrian colony on Avalon and as a remote ancestor of the heroine, Tabitha Falkayn. Thus, even more so than his employer, Nicholas van Rijn, the title character of Trader To The Stars, Falkayn dominates this first part of the Technic History just as Dominic Flandry, defender of the Terran Empire successfully resisted by Avalon, dominates the second. Falkayn saves the Merseians from supernova radiation and Flandry saves the Empire from the Merseians.

Another important figure, Christopher Holm:

is a viewpoint character in The People Of The Wind;
marries Tabitha Falkayn;
translates Ythrian works from Planha into Anglic;
fictitiously writes three of the twelve Earth Book installments.

It is appropriate that we remember our roots and the Technic History is where it's at.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Chronologically speaking, THE EARTH BOOK OF STORMGATE should be placed before THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND. The events in the latter occurred centuries after the Empire arose, after all.

While I agree on the importance of David Falkayn, most readers prefer the colorful and extroverted Nicholas van Rijn! And Old Nick did play an important role in the history of Technic Civilization, both directly and indirectly.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

The EARTH BOOK is designed to be read at the end. It tells us what we did not previously know, e.g., about Merseia and Mirkheim.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I can see the utility of such a framework for a collection like THE EARTH BOOK, but the events in these stories still occurred long before THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND.

If a reader wants the complete collection of the Technic stories in strictly internal chronological order, go with Baen Books SAGA OF TECHNIC CIVILIZATION. If he wants to focus on the early League and the Ythrian stories, go with the listing you made.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

It is a future history series with two equally valid reading orders.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I agree!

Ad astra! Sean