As Sandra Miesel's summary proceeds, we realize how much of the history happens between stories. Miesel's comparison of the merchants of the Polesotechnic League to their counterparts during the European Age of Exploration owes something to the "Le Matelot" Introduction to Trader To The Stars. Her account of the Council of Hiawatha is based on a passage in Mirkheim which itself was a summary of earlier history.
Miesel demonstrates how it is possible to refer to an historical event while avoiding any mention of its underlying conflicts:
"With van Rijn's consent [my emphasis], Falkayn helped underdeveloped planets acquire essential capital which proved to be their margin of survival later on." (p. 239)
That is one way of putting it.
When Falkayn withdraws from Technic civilization to found Avalon, another two beads appear on the string of the history: "Wingless on Avalon" and "Rescue on Avalon."
We still have not reached the point of Miesel's title but she rightly claims that a thousand years of history must be summarized first.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
We do see mention of Nicholas van Rijn giving a helping hand to Falkayn's efforts after "Lodestar." Old Nick did forgive Falkayn's somewhat underhanded treatment of him, after all.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
He did but Miesel neatly sidesteps the agony that the characters went through.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
True, and, as we know from MIRKHEIM, Falkayn did feel guilty for how he had treated his grandfather-in-law to be.
Ad astra! Sean
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