The Quest And Beyond

I have previously commented on Poul Anderson's three novels set in the fourteenth century:

The Merman's Children is historical fantasy because it assumes the truth of medieval Catholic beliefs;

Rogue Sword is historical fiction, assuming nothing either supernatural or extraterrestrial;

The High Crusade is science fiction because it assumes faster than light interstellar travel by extra-solar aliens.

In "Quest," the short sequel to The High Crusade, it is unlikely that the Grail had been transported to another planetary system because that would make this short story a fantasy sequel to an sf novel. However, the knight leading the Quest must become a detective when he and his companions enter a chapel containing a large silver chalice protected by a Fisher King and two white-clad maidens.

There are several discrepancies but the largest single clue is the size and composition of the chalice. Surely it should be a small wooden cup? When the hoax has been exposed, the base of the chalice is found to contain a nuclear device intended to assassinate either the King Emperor or the Pope of the interstellar English Empire. That brings us back down to Earth - almost. But, before that, we have enjoyed Anderson's colorful account of a medieval Quest, including the exotic location of the supposed Grail.

In Going For Infinity (New York, 2002), the introduction to the next story after "Quest" begins: "There were other series." (p. 219) If a series means at least two, then we can classify The High Crusade and its sequel as a series. The next series to be considered is the Maurai History, here represented by "Windmill." Anderson comprehensively explains the premises of the Maurai series which begins with "The Sky People" and ends with Orion Shall Rise: rebuilding civilization with reduced resources.

Thus, looking backwards and forwards in the volume, the number of series represented here has considerably increased:

the Technic Civilization History, including van Rijn and the Ythrians;
the Psychotechnic History;
the Time Patrol;
the Kith;
the interstellar Crusade;
the Maurai;
extracts from two fantasy novels that are connected although that is not evident here;
Trygve Yamamura;
the Rustum History is represented by "The Queen of Air and Darkness," which is set in that timeline.

Flandry, of the Technic History, does not make it into this collection although he is mentioned in an introduction. Anderson remarks that the Yamamura story "...skirts fantasy." (p. 296) I think that it is fantasy.

Quest

In the introduction to "Quest" in Going For Infinity (New York, 2002), Poul Anderson uses the phrase "...a wilderness of stars" (p. 204) for a fourth time. In the story itself, there is a variation: "...a wilderness of uncharted suns." (p. 205) These are powerful phrases so I intend no adverse criticism when I draw attention to their repeated use.

Anderson draws a solid picture of a Grand Council including many nonhuman great folk on Planet Winchester. Some nonhumans have risen high in the English Empire by accepting the True Faith, indeed Archbishop William himself is a Wersgor, but, of the former space captain Insalith, we are told that:

"He was an obstinate pagan who attributed all events to the operations of quantum mechanics." (p. 207)

Here we see our own world view observed completely from the outside.

Having read this story twice before, I remember an intriguing Grail Quest that is somehow disappointed although I do not remember precisely how.

Before the English invaded the Wersgor empire, Insalith saw:

a planet unoccupied except by what could have been a Christian monastery;
a monster or dragon that gave him and his companions no trouble as they approached;
a few beings that might have been human;
through an open door, what might have been a silver chalice on an altar -

- "...and heard ineffably sweet music." (p. 208)

This is intriguing enough. I cannot remember whether Insalith was lying for some reason or, if not, what other explanation was given as to why the Real Grail was not to be found when the planet was revisited but I will shortly find out.

I have thought that an sf novel might be written along these lines. A spaceship from Earth with a small crew reaches an inhabited extra-solar planet and establishes communication. At an early stage, an inhabitant mentions that someone else came from Earth a long time ago and is living in seclusion on the other side of the planet. Dismissing this as a mistake or misunderstanding, the Earth crew continues its dialogue with the natives and its exploration of their environment but, before they return to Earth, one of them flies around the planet to investigate this claim since it has been made again. He reports back by radio in hysterics and seems to be repeatedly swearing. When two of his colleagues have flown to the rescue, he insists that the previous visitor from Earth was Jesus Christ who had come to this planet after the Ascension. Since human exploration has now reached this far, he has departed, going straight up under his own power, saying, "I go to continue my Father's work at the end of the galaxy..."

- or something as elusive and allusive as the concluding passages of the Gospels.