How do these futures begin?
Heinlein: technological innovations on Earth and the first rocket to the Moon.
Anderson, Psychotechnic History: recovery from nuclear war and early application of psychotechnics.
Anderson, Technic History: exploration of Iapetus, Ythri and Avalon.
Niven: exploration of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Pluto.
Pournelle: use of a recently invented faster than light drive to forcibly relocate Welfare recipients to newly discovered extrasolar planets! (A down-to-Earth future, almost.)
The Chronology in Pournelle's The Mercenary (1977) covers the period, 1969-2060. The three parts of the book were originally published in 1971, 1972 and 1973. The "future" begins immediately after the publication date of any given story. Rereading The Mercenary in 2026, we notice that only four years in this Chronology remain in our future:
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
The CoDominium chronology in my copy of Niven and Pournelle's THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE starts in 1969 and ends in 3117 with First Contact with the Moties. The CoDominium was founded in 1990 and came to an end when it was destroyed by the Great Patriotic Wars starting in 2103. I'll have to find my copy of THE MERCENARY to rediscover what happened in 2030 and 2043.
Nivwn/Pournelle lent Heinlein the draft of MOTE, and he loved it, writing a long letter to them suggesting ways the story could be improved, with much of his advice being accepted by the authors. Discussed by Pournelle in his article "Building THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE."
Ad astra! Sean
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