Five References To Poul Anderson

Heinlein In Dimension.

(i) Anderson's After Doomsday asks something about humanity by placing a spaceship crew in an apocalyptic context. (I., p. 2)

(ii) Anderson was one of Heinlein's successors as a future historian. (V., p. 122) (The principle successor, in my opinion.)

(iii) Anderson's "The Man Who Came Early" is a good problem story. (V., p. 131) A time-transferred modern man cannot survive in the unfamiliar context of Viking Iceland. For "context," "people" and "problem" as story elements, see Elements Of Stories.

(iv) Anderson writes multi-sensory descriptions, e.g., in the opening scene of "No Truce With Kings." (VI., pp. 141-142)

(v) Too science-based a definition of sf would eliminate Anderson's The High Crusade. (VIII., p. 180)

We do not read a book about Heinlein to learn about Anderson. Nevertheless, it is instructive to note which aspects of Anderson's works become relevant when discussing Heinlein.

Not mentioned here: Heinlein perfected the circular causality paradox story whereas Anderson perfected that and every other aspect of time travel fiction.