The three novels that feature Nicholas van Rijn are distributed through Volumes I, II and III whereas the first three novels about Flandry are gathered together in Volume IV. Volume I kicks off with a vast cast, then three individuals, Adzel, van Rijn and David Falkayn, emerge and converge as continuing characters whereas Volumes IV-VII focus mainly, although not entirely, on a single character.
In "Sargasso of Lost Starships," in Volume III, the Arzunians have captured a Comet-class scoutboat. In The People of the Wind, the next instalment in Volume III, the Planet-class cruisers, Thor and Ansa, each mother Comet- and Meteor-class boats. The Meteor, Hooting Star, has a crew of three. In A Circus of Hells, the second novel in Volume IV, Flandry scouts for weeks in a Comet and says that he would have to rig up an extra bunk if a second person were to be crowded into such a small ship.
We can track such details between instalments.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And the Young Flandry novels were skillfully written to fit into the back ground of the older stories collected in AGENT OF THE TERRAN EMPIRE and FLANDRY OF TERRA, when Captain Flandry was in his thirties.
Ad astra! Sean
But does it look like a Comet is smaller than a Meteor?
Kaor, Paul!
You are right, I overlooked that point. The Meteor we see in THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND is larger and more powerful than the Comet scout boat piloted by Flandry in A CIRCUS OF HELLS.
Scout boats were not meant to be true fighting war craft. Their jobs were to patrol and search for/be on the alert for possible dangers.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Dave!
Wile I have no hesitation agreeing with what you said as it applies to the USN, I think we have to expect changes in futuristic naval nomenclature, esp. when it comes to space navies. So I think Anderson's naval usage in the Flandry stories makes sense: superdreadnought, dreadnought, pocket battleship, heavy and light cruisers, destroyers, subdestroyers, three being Meteors, and one man/being Comet scout boats, makes sense. To say nothing of support ships of various kinds.
Ad astra! Sean
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