Customer Reviews

The Rise of the Terran Empire: Technic Civilization Saga

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Poul Anderson was one of the undisputed Grand Masters of Science Fiction, and these are some of his better stories. Poul Anderson created a dazzling "future history" scenario in which mankind has perfected cheap and reliable interstellar space travel, and expanded into the Galaxy. In doing so, mankind meets many alien races, and author Anderson is a master at imagining biologically and psychologically credible alien races. The author also postulates that when humans travel to the stars, they will bring with them all of our flaws--avarice and greed. Capitalism and freedom (the author believes that the two go hand-in-hand) require elbow room, says the author in one of these stories, and the Galaxy is the ultimate elbow room in which capitalism, for a time, flourishes.

These stories range from the beginning to the end of what the author calls Technic Civilization, more specifically the Polesotechnic League ("League of Selling Skills") -- a sprawling, brawling combine of merchantilist corporations spread throughout the Galaxy. Their interactions with alien cultures and races is the overarching theme of the book. In short, here Mr. Anderson seeks to answer the questions of what humans will find when they achieve interstellar travel and what this will do to mankind.

These stories are more or less arranged chronologically within the future history series. "Mirkheim" is placed at the beginning, which is appropriate as that novel heralds the end of the Polesotechnic League and the beginning of the Empire stage of Technic Civilization. In my opinion Mirkheim is one of the best Technic Civilization novels. Each of these stories stands very well alone, and these are all wonderful speculative reads. Highly recommended. RJB.

I have always enjoyed Poul Anderson and have missed having his stories. Now with this series I can indulge myself. The groupings and selections have most of my favorites.

Poul Anderson's RISE OF THE TERRAN EMPIRE: THE TECHNIC CIVILIZATION SAGA is a fine story of a flamboyant member of a league of star traders who is involved with a strong military fleet on earth - and in the founding of an empire. This is the third volume in the complete edition of his Technic Civilization saga, recommended for owners of the prior editions.