Sunday 15 March 2015

Stapledon To Stirling

The alert reader will have noticed that the previous post did not refer to Poul Anderson. However, it did highlight two major stages of a literary process in which Anderson's role is pivotal.

Olaf Stapledon - a major post-Wells future history;
a cosmic history.

Poul Anderson - every kind of science fiction, including:

Tau Zero, its time scale modeled on Stapledon's future and cosmic histories;

a major post-Heinlein future history;

several works set in alternative timelines.

SM Stirling - a specialist in long series set in alternative timelines.

Although Stirling is not the only alternative historian, he is the one who has so far caught my attention with his The Peshawar Lancers, dedicated to (and worthy of) Poul Anderson.

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