Sunday, 26 March 2023

What Hloch Tells Us

Although James Ching and Emil Dalmady each appear in only a single instalment of Poul Anderson's Technic History, the Earth Book Editor, Hloch, tells us more about their later lives and their descendants. It is also Hloch who informs us that:

Tales of the Great Frontier by A.A. Craig is the source for "Margin of Profit," introducing Nicholas van Rijn, and for "Rescue on Avalon" about the settlement of Avalon;

records moved from Terra to Hermes are the source for "Day of Burning," about Falkayn on Merseia, and for "Lodestar," about van Rijn at Mirkheim;

The Man Who Counts, about van Rijn on Diomedes, was published as a historical novel on either Terra or Hermes;

the narrator of "Wings of Victory," about first contact with Ythri, was a planetologist named Maeve Downey;

a private correspondence recorded on Terra and transcribed into the archives of the University of Fleurville on Esperance is the source for "The Problem of Pain" about the Ythrian New Faith;

Arinnian of Stormgate Choth, whose human name is Christopher Holm (and who married Tabitha Falkayn), is a co-author of the Earth Book;

the same Grand Survey expedition discovered both Ythri and Avalon.

Think how much poorer the Technic History would be without Hloch's contributions.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Vast and extensive tho the Technic History is, it still has gaps and lacunae, including long periods with no stories set in them. Such as the three centuries after the first Grand Survey to the birth of Nicholas van Rijn. Or the two centuries and more from THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND to ENSIGN FLANDRY. Even just one or two more stories set in those periods would have been nice!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

"The Problem of Pain" falls between the Grand Survey and van Rijn.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Dang! I forgot about that! Alternatively, a story set around 2200 showing the beginnings of the Polesotechnic League would have been good.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

One of the things Poul changed in later editions was the bit where the League tried to avoid competition between members. In point of fact, this was more realistic -- the Hanseatic League (partly a model for the Andersonian League) certainly did.

Businessmen don't -like- competition; they put up with it when they have to.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Business men are like everybody else: they want things to be as easy as possible! That's why cartels, monopolies, and deals with unions and politicians are so tempting. Even tho competition is what they NEED to stay efficient.

Ad astra! Sean