Thursday 18 September 2014

Back To Starkad

Poul Anderson's Ensign Flandry is dedicated to Frank and Beverly Herbert. Thus, it invites a certain comparison. Anderson's Technic History set on many planets is better written, better realized and more imaginative than Herbert's Dune series focused on a single planet, even though the latter has been adapted to both the large and the small screen. Anderson's planets and politics are more diverse and complicated.

Young Flandry refers to "'...food, fun and females.'"
-Poul Anderson, Young Flandry (New York, 2010), p. 69.

Twenty seven years later, his son refers to:

"'Feasting, fighting and -'"
-Poul Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight Of Terra (New York, 2012), p. 343.

As ever, the younger generation are coarser than their parents.

Even that part of the History of Technic Civilization that is also the Dominic Flandry series does not focus exclusively on its title character. In one passage, Hauksberg and d'Io discuss Abrams and Ridenour. They also mention some "[h]andsome young officers...'" (Young Flandry, p. 67) but do not refer explicitly to the future savior of civilization.

I am rereading Ensign Flandry to find more information on Starkad. See here.

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

You did notice, I'm sure, the quote from the 53rd edition of the PILOT'S MANUAL AND EPHEMERIS, CIS-BETELGUESEAN ORIONIS SECTOR at the very beginning of ENSIGN FLANDRY. It gives some basic facts about Starkad. And note how mention was made of the 54th edition having a very different entry for that star!

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

Sean
Indeed!
Paul.