Saturday 25 September 2021

The Second And Third Technic Historians, Hloch And Maeve Downey

The second story in The Technic Civilization Saga,Volume I, The Van Rijn Method, is "Wings of Victory," which is the first story in The Earth Book Of Stormgate. Therefore, the second historian in The Van Rijn Method is Hloch of Stormgate Choth, compiler of the Earth Book. Hloch introduces seven of the eleven installments of the Technic History in the Saga, Volume I, three of the seven installments in the Saga, Volume II, and two of the six installments in Volume III, signing off with an Afterword at the midpoint of Volume III.

Paradoxically, Hloch's Introduction to "Wings of Victory" refers to the Terran War as to a recent past event although the consecutive reader of the Saga will not learn of this war until the concluding installment in Volume III. "Wings of Victory" is a chapter in Maeve Downey's autobiography, Far Adventure, so she is our third historian.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

That does seem a bit awkward and inapt, Hank Davis deciding to keep Hloch's introduction to
"Wings of Victory" in THE VAN RIJN METHOD, centuries before the war between the Empire and the Domain. It would seem very much out of place!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

But I like it. It gives readers a preview. All that they need to do is to keep reading and all will be revealed.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And since it was written by Poul Anderson, I can see why Davis kept it, a reason I find acceptable, despite the awkwardness.

Ad astra! Sean