each implies a sequel that remains unwritten;
however, their main characters do appear briefly in later volumes, Skafloc and Mananaan in The Demon Of Scattery and Holger Danske in A Midsummer Tempest.
Three Hearts... concludes:
"...meanwhile new storms are rising. It may be that we shall need Holger Danske again."
-Poul Anderson, Three Hearts And Three Lions (London, 1977), NOTE, p. 156.
A fantasy novel can comment on the real world by highlighting the absence of a hero when one is needed. John Brunner was quoted as saying that Grendel is loose and there is no Beowulf.
Fantasy or sf - CS Lewis' Ransom Trilogy is both - can hint that its fantastic content relates to real life:
"What neither of us foresaw was the rapid march of events which was to render the book out of date before it was published. These events have already made it rather a prologue to our story than the story itself. But we must let it go as it stands. For the later stages of the adventure - well, it was Aristotle, long before Kipling, who taught us the formula, 'That is another story.'"
-CS Lewis, Out Of The Silent Planet (London, 1963), XXII, p. 180.
What rapid march of events? Out Of The Silent Planet was published in 1938.
Holger had lived through World War II, and also through the parallel conflict in the Carolingian universe, but new storms were rising.
2 comments:
Although I think Denmark was peaceful and content all through the Cold War.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: Similar things can be said about THE HIGH CRUSADE, we never got a detailed account of what happened to Baron Roger and the other English shanghaied into space. But Anderson did write a short story sequel, "Quest," set about 30 years later.
Anyone who read Churchill's THE GATHERING STORM should agree with Lewis that events were rapidly marching in the 1930's.
Mr. Stirling: That was possible only because Denmark was under the protecting power and shield of the US. And the world has continued to be plenty stormy.
Ad astra! Sean
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