This story was originally published in Boy's Life, July, 1973. Imagine it read by someone with no knowledge of Poul Anderson's Technic History. To such a reader, it means nothing that Nat Falkayn's grandfather is called David. Nothing is known about the interstellar context - the decline, or even the existence, of the Solar Commonwealth and the Polesotechnic League - or about the earlier careers of Nicholas van Rijn, David Falkayn and the trader team. The story is simply about Nat's interactions with certain young Ythrians of the Weathermaker Choth on the jointly colonized planet, Avalon. Ythrians were first contacted in "Wings of Victory" and Gray/Avalon was explored by Ythrians employing some human beings in "The Problem of Pain" but, again, all that concerns the Boy's Life reader is Nat and his friends in their here and now. We appreciate the story both as a self-contained narrative and for its small contribution as one of the forty three installments of the Technic History. Two stories later, we are plunged into yet another completely dissimilar scenario in "The Star Plunderer." (1952)
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
One thing to remember about "Wingless on Avalon" is that it was a juvenile, meant for younger readers. That does not mean juveniles have to be dreck! Anderson was an excellent writer and his juveniles can be read and appreciated by adults. But the mood, and atmosphere of "Wingless" would necessarily be very different from fiercer and darker stories like "The Star Plunderer" (its alternative title, "Collar of Iron," was better).
Ad astra! Sean
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