Friday, 24 September 2021

Future Biographies

(That cover looks like a Star Trek film poster.)

David Falkayn's career from apprentice and womanizer to Founder of Avalon and monogamously married man in recounted in The Trouble Twisters, Satan's World, Mirkheim and The Earth Book Of Stormgate although, in the second last story in the Earth Book, David is merely mentioned as the grandfather of the young Avalonian, Nathaniel Falkayn.

Dominic Flandry's career from ensign to Fleet Admiral and informal Imperial advisor is recounted in eight volumes from Ensign Flandry to The Game Of Empire and, in that last novel, he is the father of Diana Crowfeather.

The Technic History is also full of young characters beginning careers that we cannot see: James Ching, Eric Wace, Emil Dalmady, Juan Hernandez, Nat Falkayn, Diana Crowfeather etc.

Hloch, compiler of the Earth Book, comments:

"That [two final tales] are told from youthful hoverpoints is, in his mind, very right."
-Poul Anderson, "Wingless" IN Anderson, Rise Of The Terran Empire (Riverdale, NY, 2011), pp. 293-306 AT p. 294.

By an appropriate contrast, Judith Dalmady/Lundgren wrote "Wingless" for the Avalonian periodical, Morgana, "...in her high old age..." (ibid.)

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And Judith Lundgren probably reached the age of at least 100 Terran years. Technic antisenescence could enable people to live in good health till about age 100-110. I think the Duke of Mars we see in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS was nearing the end of what antisenescence could do for him.

And now I wonder what exactly was "antisenescence"?

Ad astra! Sean

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I should have quoted this bit from Chapter III of A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS, because of what it tells us about antisenescence: "Niccolini [the Duke of Mars] sighed. He had never been more than a well meaning fop; but in these last years, when antisenescence and biosculp could no longer hold wrinkles, baldness, and feebleness at bay, he had developed a certain wry perspective." So my guess is the Duke was 100 or more years old. Antisenescence was becoming less effective for him.

Ad astra! Sean