Poul Anderson's Technic History begins with a sense of excitement about the move into space. The introduction to the first Nicholas van Rijn collection begins:
"'The world's great age begins anew...'"
-Poul Anderson, Trader To The Stars (St. Albans, Herts, 1975), p. 7.
The introduction to a later story in the collection begins:
"A loftier Argo cleaves the main,
"Fraught with a later prize..." (p. 105)
The opening story of the Earth Book begins:
"Our part in the Grand Survey took us out beyond the great suns Alpha and Beta Crucis."
-Poul Anderson, "Wings of Victory" IN Anderson, The Van Rijn Method (Riverdale, NY, 2009), pp. 75-102 AT p. 79.
Great age, loftier Argo, later prize, Grand Survey, great suns:
"...we are on our way."
-Trader To The Stars, p. 7.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Strictly speaking, in Anderson's Technic series, we see earlier beginning of that Space Age for mankind in "The Saturn Game," with that STL expedition to the moons of Saturn.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Indeed. A later written story. But where does the Technic History begin? "Hiding Place" is the first story in what originally was The Polesotechnic League series, Volume I. "Margin of Profit" was the first van Rijn story. "Wings of Victory" is the first story in the EARTH BOOK. Multiple starting points.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, but as we now have it, the beginning of the Technic History has to start with "The Saturn Game."
Again, strictly speaking, altho it could probably be said to be existing in an embryonic way, Technic CIVILIZATION did not yet exist. The events of "The Saturn Game" occurred around AD 2050. And I would date Technic Civilization from when the FTL hyperdrive was invented, probably around 2100.
Ad astra! Sean
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