Saturday 11 February 2023

The Top Series

We find illuminating parallels between Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History and his Technic History and also between these two future history series and Anderson's Time Patrol series. However, the Psychotechnic History does not make it into Anderson's top three series. That list has to be:

The King of Ys (with Karen Anderson): historical fiction with a fantasy element set during the decline of the Roman Empire;

the Technic History: a future history series covering the rise and fall of Technic civilization which includes the Terran Empire;

the Time Patrol series: historical sf covering all of history including pivotal events in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.

This list is in a conceptual order, not in order of importance. To me, the Technic History has to be the most important.

Other series that are significant but not on the level of the top three are:

the Old Phoenix multiverse: alternative histories;

the Harvest of Stars Tetralogy: another future history series.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I would rate the HARVEST OF STARS tetralogy higher, fully worthy of being included with your top three series from Anderson's works. Because the HARVEST books shows him as not being content to rest on past achievements, and being willing to try out new themes, to examine new ideas, some of them very strange.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Sean: Yep, Poul never rested on his laurels.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Absolutely! In fact the HARVEST books were so strange and difficult for me that they delayed me from again writing, till it was too late, alas, to Anderson. I had to read them more than once before I could arrive at any coherent conclusions about them.

Ad astra! Sean