Sunday 10 December 2023

Human Actions And Historical Processes

Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History begins with recovery from World War III and culminates with a Galactic civilization where psychotechnicians mentally control cosmic forces.

Anderson's Technic History begins with recovery from the Chaos and culminates with human civilizations spread through several spiral arms of the galaxy.

Anderson's Time Patrol timeline begins with the Beginning and culminates with human beings evolving into Danellians.

Poul and Karen Anderson's The King of Ys Tetralogy begins with Roman legions at Hadrian's Wall and culminates with the beginning of medieval feudalism - and we know what comes after that.

All four series are united by human actions and historical processes. The introduction to the Technic History, Volume I, Trader To The Stars, begins:

"'The world's great age begins anew...'
"As it has before, and will again. The comings and goings of man have their seasons."
-Poul Anderson, Trader To The Stars (New York, 1966), p. 5.

- and ends:

"We cannot foretell what will come of it. We do not know where we are going. Nor do most of us care. For us it is enough that we are on our way.
"-Le Matelot."
-ibid.

(The Technic History as originally published plunged into the midst of things and therefore began not with the Chaos, the Breakup or the Grand Surveys but at the mid-point of the Polesotechnic League.)

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Ahem! Your first paragraph, we have argued about whether "The Chapter Ends" truly belongs with the undisputed Psychotechnic stories.

Ad astra! Sean