The Psychotechnic History has at most twenty two instalments. I write "at most" because, for different reasons, there are questions about whether the last three titles in the Chronology really belong there. However, provisionally accepting this figure of twenty two, the complete Psychotechnic History could be collected in two omnibus volumes of eleven instalments each: Vol I, pre-FTL; Vol II, FTL. (FTL = faster than light interstellar travel.) That contrasts with seven Technic History omnibus volumes, collecting forty three instalments with a much higher proportion of novels.
The Earth Book of Stormgate collects twelve Technic History instalments presenting a wealth of interconnected narratives contrasting with the less well integrated Psychotechnic stories. However, both series are part of the complete works of Poul Anderson and do not even exhaust his future historical writing.
3 comments:
Kaor. Paul!
Of all the Psychtechnic stories I like best the longer version of VIRGIN PLANET, pub. in 1959. By then Anderson had mastered writing to such an extent that the flaws found in some of his earlier stories were almost never seen again after 1958.
I date the early phase of Anderson's writing career from 1947-58. His middle phase from 1959 to 1989; and his late phase from 1959 to 2001. I tend to think of THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS (1989) as transitioning from his middle to late phases. Some of the themes seen in BOAT seem characteristic of his middle phase while others are more like what we see in Anderson's HARVEST OF STARS books.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: as you say, the Psychotechnic series was Poul's first try at a future history. It shares some features with Heinlein's that he wisely avoided with the Technic stories -- for example, he mostly avoids details about the -immediate- future.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, and I think Anderson would as well. He even said RAH's Future History was a direct inspiration for the Psychotechnic stories.
True, "The Saturn Game," set sometime in the 2040's, is still in our future! By which time readers will have to think of the Technic History as being set in an alternate world.
Ad astra! Sean
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