Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds

Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was one of the seminal figures of 20th century science fiction. Named a Grand Master by the SFWA in 1997, he produced an enormous body of standalone novels (Brain Wave, Tau Zero) and series fiction (Time Patrol, the Dominic Flandry books) and was equally at home in the fields of heroic fantasy and hard SF. He was a meticulous craftsman and a gifted storyteller, and the impact of his finest work continues, undiminished, to this day.

Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds is a rousing, all-original anthology that stands both as a significant achievement in its own right and a heartfelt tribute to a remarkable writer—and equally remarkable man. A nicely balanced mixture of fiction and reminiscence, Multiverse contains thirteen stories and novellas by some of today’s finest writers, along with moving reflections by, among others, Anderson’s wife, Karen, his daughter, Astrid Anderson Bear, and his son-in-law, novelist and co-editor Greg Bear. (Bear’s introduction, “My Friend Poul,” is particularly illuminating and insightful.).

The fictional contributions comprise a kaleidoscopic array of imaginative responses to Anderson’s many and varied fictional worlds. A few of the highlights include Nancy Kress’s “Outmoded Things” and Terry Brooks’s “The Fey of Cloudmoor,” stories inspired by the Hugo Award-winning “The Queen of Air and Darkness;” a pair of truly wonderful Time Patrol stories (“A Slip in Time” by S. M. Stirling and “Christmas in Gondwanaland” by Robert Silverberg); Raymond A. Feist’s Dominic Flandry adventure, “A Candle;” and a pair of very different homages to the classic fantasy novel, Three Hearts and Three Lions: “The Man Who Came Late” by Harry Turtledove and “Three Lilies and Three Leopards (And A Participation Ribbon in Science)” by Tad Williams. These stories, together with singular contributions by such significant figures as Larry Niven, Gregory Benford, and Eric Flint, add up to a memorable, highly personal anthology that lives up to the standards set by the late—and indisputably great—Poul Anderson.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: My Friend Poul by Greg Bear
Outmoded Things by Nancy Kress
The Man Who Came Late by Harry Turtledove
A Slip in Time by S. M. Stirling
Living and Working with Poul Anderson by Karen Anderson
Dancing on The Edge of The Dark by C. J. Cherryh
The Lingering Joy by Stephen Baxter
Operation Xibalba by Eric Flint
Tales Told by Astrid Anderson Bear
The Fey of Cloudmoor by Terry Brooks
Christmas in Gondwanaland by Robert Silverberg
Latecomers by David Brin
An Appreciation of Poul Anderson by Jerry Pournelle
A Candle by Raymond E. Feist
The Far End by Larry Niven
Bloodpride by Gregory Benford
Three Lilies and Three Leopards (And a Participation Ribbon in Science) by Tad Williams