David Falkayn: Star Trader: The Technic Civilization Saga #2 [Hardcover]

Poul Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Technic Civilization | Publication Date: January 6, 2009

The Polesotechnic League of star traders was prospering, and Nicholas Van Rijn, its most flamboyant member, was prospering most of all as commerce flowed between the stars. But not all League members played fair when trading, nor did some of the non-human races of the galaxy object to dirty tricks. Van Rijn could not be everywhere, and relied on his representatives, foremost among them his young protégé, David Falkayn, and the members of David’s trader team: Adzel, a large dragon-like being who practiced Buddhism, and Chee-Lan, a brilliant but hot-tempered felinesque extraterrestrial.

 

This is the second volume in the first complete edition of Poul Anderson’s Technic Civilization saga. And, after the three volumes chronicling the Polesotechnic League’s rise and fall will come more volumes, telling of the rise of the Terran Empire and the adventures of Poul Anderson’s other legendary character, Captain Sir Dominic Flandry.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Poul Anderson was one of the most prolific and popular writers in science fiction. He won the Hugo Award seven times and the Nebula Award three times, as well as many other awards, notably including the Grand Master Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America for a lifetime of distinguished achievement. With a degree in physics, and a wide knowledge of other fields of science, he was noted for building stories on a solid foundation of real science, as well as for being one of the most skilled creators of fast-paced adventure stories. He was author of over a hundred novels and story collections, and several hundred short stories, as well as several mysteries and nonfiction books. He died in 2001.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Baen (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141655520X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416555209
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Business and space exploration--good mix!, February 11, 2009

By 

Joy V. Smith "Pagadan" (Lakeland, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: David Falkayn: Star Trader (Technic Civilization) (Paperback)

I finished David Falkayn: Star Trader: The Technic Civilization Saga #2 recently. I enjoyed reading the adventures of David Falkayn, Chee Lan, Adzel, and Nicholas Van Rijn again, and it's interesting reading them in chronological order and seeing how the times and people change... Poul Anderson wrote a long history of life and adventure among the stars, including other characters who came later. There's a chronology of Technic Civilization at the end, btw, that helps the reader see the big picture. David's ambition and drive and loyalty to his companions, Chee Lan's temper, and Adzel's gentleness--though not everyone sees beyond his size--and Nicholas Van Rijn's shrewdness are a fun mixture. And Poul Anderson's science background adds intriguing planets--and cultures.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rethinking Poul Anderson: better than Heinlein?, June 17, 2009

By 

W. Frederick Zimmerman "W. Frederick Zimmerman" (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: David Falkayn: Star Trader (Technic Civilization) (Paperback)

I have been re-reading the three volumes (so far) in Baen's reissue of the Van Rijn, Falkayn, and Flandry stories, and the headline has been rediscovering just how good a science fiction writer Poul Anderson was. One of the back cover blurbs says something to the effect that "Poul Anderson ... probably does more different things well than anyone else in the field", and I think that is a very fair assessment. The science is great, the politics is very good, the characterization is very good, and the maturity level of the author is far higher than, say, Heinlein. Anderson's very best is not as good as Heinlein's very best, but almost everything of Anderson's is far better than Heinlein's weak stuff--and none of it is marred by the self-indulgence and wish fulfillment that marked later Heinlein.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great writing, terrible cover art, July 30, 2011

By 

Brecko - See all my reviews

This review is from: David Falkayn: Star Trader: The Technic Civilization Saga (Mass Market Paperback)

It's great to be reminded what a wonderful writer Anderson was! I started reading his work in the early 60's, and read just about everything he ever published.

In this collection, "Satan's World" alone is worth the entire price of the book- lots of speculative writing and faced-paced action, mixed with just enough hard science to support it all. (I include economics in the "hard science" column; Anderson's characters take on the Big Government true believers and leave them gasping for air. He may be the first of the great Libertarian SF writers.)

My only beef is with the cover art in this series. I'm assuming this is supposed to be a portrayal of the aristocratic David Falkayn, but it looks more like a Mob hit man. The first book in this series suffered from the same ham-handed art work, making van Rijn look like a jolly, chubby Topol.

A suggestion for the publisher: give the editor a bonus, and fire the cover artist. As Nick van Rijn would say, "I got no time for fumblydiddles!"