Monday 22 November 2021

"Margin of Profit"

Although Dune has been adapted to screen three times, Paul Atreides has not become as household a name as, e.g., Luke Skywalker. If Poul Anderson's Technic History is ever filmed, then we can expect Nicholas van Rijn, "memorable and popular" (see here) among sf readers, to become memorable and popular with the general public.

We are focusing on the seminal role of "Margin of Profit," quoted although not included in the first van Rijn collection, Trader To The Stars. The story required revision before it could be included in any Technic History volume. Thus, until its revision, "Margin of Profit" was paradoxically apocryphal but also authoritative.

"Margin of Profit" is the fourth work collected in The Earth Book Of Stormgate where it is preceded by "Wings of Victory," "The Problem of Pain" and "How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson." It is also the fourth work collected in The Van Rijn Method where it is preceded by "The Saturn Game," "Wings of Victory" and "The Problem of Pain..." and succeeded by "How To Be Ethnic..."

"Margin of Profit," featuring van Rijn, and "How To Be Ethnic...," featuring van Rijn's future employee, Adzel, are set in different places at about the same time so it does not matter in which order they are read. However, I think that it is better if "How to Be Ethnic..." comes first, thus slightly delaying the first appearance of the dominating figure of van Rijn. The first four stories, beginning with "The Saturn Game," provide a firm foundation for a future history series, similarly to the opening four stories in Robert Heinlein's The Man Who Sold The Moon. (In that seminal case, the very first story is set in 1951 and the first four stories precede even spaceflight.)

At the end of "How To Be Ethnic...," Adzel recommends James Ching to an unnamed Master Merchant of the Polesotechnic League. "Margin of Profit" explains the League and displays the wealth of a particular named Master Merchant.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And, yet again, I've thought of how regrettable it was that Poul Anderson never wrote a Young Nick story, showing us something of his origins and his first steps on the road leading to fame/infamy, glory, and stupendous wealth!

I can't help but believe that a WELL DONE series of TV shows and movies featuring Nicholas van Rijn and Dominic Flandry would be vastly superior to STAR TREK, STAR WARS, and now the second DUNE movie. Oh, well, I suppose we can day dream!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

There could be BOTH dramatizations of Anderson's works AND new installments by other authors but the latter would have to be done really well and the main series and spin-off series would have to be clearly differentiated.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I agree, but I'm not holding my breath about either alternative coming to pass any time soon.

I did very much like Stirling's contribution in MULTIVERSE to Anderson's Time Patrol series. I thought "A Slip In Time" faithful to both the characters and background of the stories. And, if Turtledove's "The Man Who Came Late" had not been such an all too "reasonable" downer of a story I might have included his contribution. Last, while Feist's "The Candle" was not up to Stirling's level, the author's Afterword shows he did have a sympathetic understanding of Dominic Flandry.

Stirling did say he would love to do a Flandry pastiche. Maybe as a contribution to a second MULTIVERSE?

Ad astra! Sean