Wells described space travel, time travel and a Martian invasion of Earth and recounted two hundred years of future history in four discrete volumes whereas Stapledon recounted the entire future history of mankind, including space travel, time travel and Martian invasions of Earth, in a single volume. His fictional future historian discusses Martian invasions the way past historians discuss the Norman Conquest. Stapledon ups Wells as Anderson ups Heinlein.
A Heinlein-model future history presupposes a Wells-type history somewhere in its background. Heinlein had his Time Chart and stated in his Preface to Future History, Volume I, The Man Who Sold The Moon, that this fictional future history was at least as real to him as Plymouth Rock.
Poul Anderson wrote in SFWA Bulletin, Fall 1979, that, for his Technic History, he "...wrote out the entire historical scheme explicitly..." (p. 10) Five pages of the turning point novel, Mirkheim, summarize the history of the Council of Hiawatha. In the single biggest turning point of the Technic History, at the mid-point of The Technic Civilization Saga, Volume III, Rise Of The Terran Empire, Hloch concludes The Earth Book Of Stormgate and is immediately followed by Donvar Ayeghen, President of the Galactic Archaeological Society, who introduces the chapter of the Memoirs of Rear Admiral John Henry Reeves, Imperial Solar Navy, that deals with Reeves' encounter with Manuel Argos, Founder of the Terran Empire.
We are well served with future historians.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree with your comments here, my only caveat being I would have included some others whose works fits into the Heinlein-Anderson model of fictional future histories. Some being Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, H. Beam Piper, Cordwainer Smith, and Isaac Asimov. In varying degrees of strength and ability.
Ad astra! Sean
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