Poul Anderson's Technic History beats Robert Heinlein's Future History and Anderson's own earlier Psychotechnic History as a fictional history purely in terms of its length. The longer a future history series is, the more historical periods it can have and the more details each of
them can have. There is far more to be said about Anderson's Polesotechnic League period than about Heinlein's early interplanetary period and also far more to be said about Anderson's Terran Empire period than about Heinlein's Prophetic and post-Prophetic periods. The Future History concludes with two stories about the first generation ship whereas the Technic History concludes with four stories about successive post-Imperial periods.
Anderson's three Maurai stories just make it into future history status because they are set in different generations of a fictional linear history. Then they are followed by the long novel, Orion Shal Rise, and the time travel novel, There Will Be Time, which covers several past, present and future periods. Anderson fulfills, then transcends, every sf category.
8 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, it was disappointing how RAH never filled out the Prophetic/post-Prophetic periods of his Future History. I esp. recall how he never wrote "The Stone Pillow," his story about Nehemiah Scudder, the first Prophet.
Heinlein, unfortunately, disliked American evangelical Protestants, apparently dismissing them all as "Elmer Gantrys." That seems to be how thought of Scudder.
Ad astra! Sean
I'm going to post a comment very loosely related to this post addressed to S.M. Stirling:
Since characters in 'To Turn the Tide" mention the possibility of building canals with mitre locks in the newly expanded Roman Empire, I thought you might be interested in some photos I took of some early 19th century high tech in use.
The Rideau Canal was built about 1830 has been maintained in its original working form ever since. With human muscle power operating the locks. I took some pictures of boats going through the locks in Ottawa.
If you are interested in seeing these email me at jimbaerg@gmail.com to I can reply with the photos attached.
I also have some photos of about 1900 high tech, the Peterborough Lift Lock, in action. While the Rideau Canal locks would be Type A innovations the Peterborough locks would have large elements of Type B innovation. You still might be interested in those.
You might also be interested in this
Building The World's First Computer - Greeks, Clocks and Rockets - Antikythera Mechanism Episode #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML4tw_UzqZE
In that or a later episode a similarly complex geared mechanism the "Byzantine Sundial" is mentioned, which suggests that a fairly accurate pendulum clock *could* have been built at any time after the Hellenistic period if they had just had the idea.
Kaor, Jim!
Very interesting comments, and I have read of how, from to time in Greco-Roman times, very ingenious devices similar to these were made. The problem being that they never "took off," becoming widely known and used.
Stirling is such a busy writer! He's publishing at least three new books this year.
Ad astra! Sean
Jim: I used to skate on the Rideau Canal when I was a student at Ottawa U...
Skate in winter, of course.
Stirling:
Given the birth date you mentioned in the afterword to "To Turn the Tide", your time at Ottawa U probably overlapped with my older sisters studying music there in the 1970s.
I also would expect you had to chance in warmer seasons to observe the workings of the canal locks, since that set of locks is a modest walk north of Ottawa U.
I grew up in Ottawa and observed the canal many times while young. The pictures I have I took in 2011 while visiting family who still live in the area.
I did skate on the canal a few times but I have done a lot more X-C skiing than skating.
Jim: yes, 1972-76.
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