Polity Timeline?

[gdawg304]

Hi all...

If this has been asked before then i apologise!

I've really enjoyed reading all the Polity novels from Gridlinked on - I have yet to pick up any of the earlier ones and still haven't grabbed a copy of Cowl. But I've loved the Cormac and Spatterjay books....Neal certainly has a talent for thinking up bizarre and nasty creatures!

Anyway - to the point - currently reading The Voyage of Sable Keech for a second time (whilst waiting for a friend to return Brass Man, which i loaned him about a year ago and still haven't had a chance to read again!), and I just wondered how the two spatterjay novels fit into the Polity timeline in relation to the Cormac books? Does anyone out there know, from reading earlier short stories perhaps? (Or perhaps Mr Asher himself could shed some light?) . It's a strange thing to be curious about, but I just wondered....in the two spatterjay novels the Prador are a major presence, and in the past almost destroyed the Polity... but in the Cormac books they're not mentioned (unless I missed something or remember incorrectly)....also - in TVOSK the Jain nanotech is hinted at being the origin of the Nanochanger tech used by the reifs - which led me to wonder if the Skinner and TVOSK are in the future of the Cormac books? Clearly i have too much free time on my hands...


thanks for reading all that!

[Hobbit]

From a post by Neal: note: SPOILERS!

2050 � 2250 Expansion into the solar system. Corporate wars and many generation ships, or early U-space drive ships sent on their way. Also the AI takeover of human affairs, in the 'Quiet War'. Colony ship to Cull in this time.
2130 � Hoop and crew arrive on Spatterjay (mutiny � stolen ship)
2150 � Establishing of Golem series and Cybercorp.
2151 � Algin Tenkian born on Mars.
2190 � Skaidon interfaces with AI and invents the technology leading to the runcible and more efficient U-space engines. Humanity expands into the galaxy.

2260 � First runcible goes online.
2260 � 2350 Massive human expansion into the galaxy.
2330 � Beginning of the Prador Third Kingdom
2339 � Ian Cormac born
2310 � 2350 Prador/Human war
2350 � Polity police action on Spatterjay.
2356 � Keech is killed hunting Alphed Rimsc

2407 � Disappearance of Dragon from Aster Colora.
2432 � Destruction of the Samarkand runcible.
2434 � Arrival of Hubris at Samarkand (Gridlinked)
2437 � Destruction of Outlink station Miranda (Line of Polity)
2441 � Pursuit of Skellor (Brass Man)

2450 � Gosk Balem (Ambel) thrown into the sea � 100 years after war.
2500 � David McGrooger born
2550 � Keech finds Corbel Frane on Viridian � 500 years before
2803 � Polity arrives at Spatterjay to establish runcible base
2853 � Frisk hands herself in (apparently). � 200 years before
2878 � Bloc murdered by Aesop and Bones
3056 � Keech Janer and Erlin arrive on Spatterjay (The Skinner)
3078 � Taylor Bloc's ship launches (The Voyage of the Sable Keech)

Hope this helps!

Hobbit

[PigasusPress]

I've always thought fictional timelines present a rather curious literary 'form'...

No disrespect meant to Neal (of course, everything/ all & sundry - from Asimov to Star Trek - are similarly affected), but unless your reading/ viewing habits grant you at least a toehold-of-knowledge on specific notions, terms, and references, most of the words in such un-annotated listings can seem utterly meaningless to the uninitiated.



Fascinating stuff, nonetheless!

[Hobbit]

Perhaps that's part of the fun, though, Pigasus - it's another layer of meaning for 'those who know' whereas those who don't can enjoy the story without being encumbered by it.

It's a puzzle that can be decyphered by those who wish to do so!

Hobbit

[nealasher]

I started that timeline just so I could keep track of it all, and it keeps on growing. For example, though this one includes the Prador/Human war, it doesn't include the specific events of Prador Moon, or events in a short story I've just completed, or events in Polity Agent or Hilldiggers. Ah well, must do some updating.