Turning Points And Narrative Layers

In Poul Anderson's Technic History, the last Polesotechnic League novel, Mirkheim, and the last Terran Empire novel, The Game Of Empire, are each followed by extra layers of narrative.

After Mirkheim:

Hloch of Stormgate Choth introduces an Avalonian short story, "Wingless";

in the first two paragraphs of "Wingless," an unidentified but not omniscient narrator, beginning:

"As far as we know..."

-Poul Anderson, "Wingless" IN Anderson, Rise Of The Terran Empire (Riverdale, NY, March 2011), pp. 293-306 AT p. 295 -

- discusses the joint human-Ythrian colonization of Avalon;

only in the third paragraph do we enter the point of view of the central character of this short story, Nat Falkayn.

After The Game Of Empire:

the Long Night story, "A Tragedy of Errors," presents three introductory passages before embarking on its third person account of an exploit of the star rover, Roan Tom;

first, a short italicized paragraph quotes what a King of England said to Sir Christopher Wren;

secondly, a narrator who knows about:

"Later ages..."

-Poul Anderson. "A Tragedy of Errors" IN Anderson, Flandry's Legacy (Riverdale, NY, June 2012), pp. 455-540 AT p. 457 -

- discusses the myth of Roan Tom and imagines Tom's ghost commenting on it;

thirdly, Tom continues to address us from an imaginary Valhalla.