Sunday 21 July 2024

Between Two Novels

In the original reading order of the Technic History, we went directly from Mirkheim to The People Of The Wind, a big historical jump. In fact, four stories are set between these two novels. Two, "Wingless" and "Rescue on Avalon," are in The Earth Book Of Stormgate which follows The People Of The Wind. One, "The Star Plunderer," was inappropriately collected in a volume entitled The Long Night. The remaining story, "Sargasso of Lost Starships," had never been collected.

Therefore, The Technic Civilization Saga, Volume III, Rise Of The Terran Empire, collects in their correct order:

Mirkheim
"Wingless"
"Rescue on Avalon"
"The Star Plunderer"
"Sargasso of Lost Starships"
The People Of The Wind

This is the pivotal Saga volume, beginning with the decline of the Polesotechnic League and ending with the early Terran Empire. The League begins in Volume I, the Empire ends in Volume VII and there is history both before the League and after the Empire. 

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I've gotten the impression that Anderson hesitated for a long time over including "Sargasso" in the Technic series, because it was so different from the other stories in that History. But we both agreed that if we think of "Sargasso" as a fiction written centuries later, during the Empire, it could be fitted in as a fiction within the fiction.

We do have the precedent of ENSIGN FLANDRY mentioning two pop novels of Flandry's youth: OUTLAW BLASTMAN and PLANET OF SIN.

Ad astra! Sean