In Robert Heinlein's Future History, important characters appear, for the most part, once only, e.g., Rhysling, the Blind Singer of the Spaceways, and Dahlquist, hero of the Space Patrol: two potential series characters but only potential. DD Harriman, the "Man Who Sold The Moon," dies on the Moon in "Requiem" (published, 1940-'41) but then is granted a prequel, "The Man Who Sold The Moon" (published, 1950), in which we are shown how Harriman did put mankind on the Moon. Nehemiah Scudder, the First Prophet, a theocratic dictator, was so disliked by Heinlein that he remained off-stage! Zero appearances for Scudder. (Except when the revolutionary Cabal fakes his appearance on TV to foment the Second American Revolution.)
Poul Anderson's Technic History is like Heinlein's Future History writ large. It is long enough to contain sub-series, several series characters and plenty of prequels which also differ enormously. The prequel to the Captain Flandry sub-series is the Young Flandry Trilogy, three whole novels, whereas Adzel, a member of the trader team, receives for his prequel a single juvenile short story about his student days on Earth. But we appreciate such diversity and variety.
Imagine a Future History as long and detailed as the Technic History. That would have been better than a lot of the later stuff that Heinlein did write.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Derived from or based on Heinlein's dislike for evangelical Protestants, I never thought either Nehemiah Scudder or the theocratic dictatorship seen in REVOLT IN 2100 to be plausible. Christianity, including evangelical Protestantism, is poor, thin, stony ground for theocracy.
I do recall an RAH story showing readers Nehemiah Scudder before he began his rise to power as the First Prophet.
Ad astra! Sean
IIRC Nehemiah Scudder gets mentioned in "Logic of Empire" by a minor character who is a follower of his preaching. I don't recall Scudder showing up elsewhere except as the First Prophet who set up the theocracy that gets overthrown in "If This Goes On--".
I recall reading that Heinlein said he wrote about a Scudder like figure as much as he cared to with the "Church of the New Revelation" in "Stranger in a Strange Land"
Jim,
Correct about "Logic of Empire." A good piece of future historical writing, foreshadowing "If This Goes On -."
Paul.
Kaor, Jim and Paul!
Jim: Then I should get off my duff and look for what is said about Nehemiah Scudder in "Logic of Empire" and "If This Goes On---". I read an RAH story in which Scudder was, I think, a traveling Bible salesman--before he became a politician.
I was disappointed by both the shorter and longer versions of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, it was the beginning of Heinlein's tragic decline as a writer.
Paul: Anderson gave a homage to RAH in A MIDSUMMER TEMPEST, one of Sir Malachi Shelgrave's armed retainers was named Nehemiah Scudder.
Ad astra! Sean
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