The Uniqueness Of The Technic History

Regular readers of this blog might have noticed that I regard Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization as unique among science fiction future history series. It is the ultimate fulfilment of the idea initiated by Robert Heinlein in his Future History: historical processes transcend individual characters - although Anderson, unlike Heinlein, incorporates three series characters into this future history which is just one of several that he wrote.

The Technic History has two equally valid reading orders. Three historical narratives (League, Ythrians and Empire) converge into the Earth Book of Stormgate. The Empire, with one further Ythrian input, emerges from it.

Anyone who reads only the opening story, "The Saturn Game," followed immediately by the concluding story, "Starfog," will discern no direct connection between these two works. However:

one character in "The Saturn Game" was raised in the Jerusalem Catholic Church;

in the much later Terran Empire, Philippe Rochefort, and Fr. Axor, are Jerusalem Catholics;

"Starfog" refers to the historical Terran Empire.

Thus, the connection is indirect and the totality of the series is vastly more than the sum of its parts.