Whether a narrative fiction is a novel is a matter of length which means word-count, not page-count. Since I do not know how to make word-counts, my very imprecise rule of thumb is that a novel is 100+ pages. "Star of the Sea" is 106 pages in the hardback
The Time Patrol and 174 pages in the paperback
Time Patrol so I count it as a short novel although it has never been published as a single volume or even as the title story of a shorter collection which is unfortunate because it would have generated some colourful cover illustrations:
"'I will come to you on the rainbow,' Niaerdh plighted."
-Poul Anderson, "Star of the Sea" IN Anderson, Time Patrol (Riverside, NY, December 2010), pp. 467-640 AT I, p. 469.
Time travel narratives differ considerably:
explorations of the future, of history or of time travellers' lives;
either elaboration or avoidance of time travel paradoxes.
"Star of the Sea" is history and a paradox.
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I esp. enjoyed how the leader of the Batavian rebels and that Roman general agreed on how they would meet for negotiations: at a bridge where the middle section had been removed. So there would be no fear of treachery by either side.
Ad astra! Sean
Note how the Time Patrol has elaborate protocols to preserve causal chains.
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