Poul Anderson's
The Earth Book Of Stormgate is a future historical volume in two senses. First, it is one volume of Anderson's History of Technic Civilization which, according to Sandra Miesel's Chronology, extends from about 2055 to 7100. Secondly, it is itself a future history because its opening story, "Wings of Victory," is set centuries before Nicholas van Rijn's birth whereas its closing story, "Rescue on Avalon," is set centuries after van Rijn's death. I summarized the contents of the
Earth Book by stating that it completes the story of the Polesotechnic League and almost completes the story of human-Ythrian interactions. The unusually accurate front cover blurb claims that this volume "Spans, illuminates and completes the magnificent
future history of the Polesotechnic League." It does but there are ten further volumes of the Technic History. Thus, there is both a completion and a continuation. We could not have asked for more.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I checked my proposed revisal of Sandra Miesel's Chronology of Technic Civilization, and I don't think "Rescue on Avalon" took place that long after Old Nick's death. I dated MIRKHEIM to AD 2501, and, assuming Avalon was founded about ten years later, "Rescue" could have occurred late in that same century, when van Rijn might have died 50 or 60 years earlier.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
OK. The EARTH BOOK still covers enough time to count as a future history.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree! I was being pedantic! (Smiles)
Nicholas van Rijn was 80 years old in MIRKHEIM. Technic antisenescence could enable human beings to live in good health till about age 110. So van Rijn might have died thirty years later in AD 2531 (using my revisal of Meisel's Chronology). So "Rescue" could have occurred around 2581-91.
Ad astra! Sean
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