Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | War of the Wing-Men / The Man Who Counts | 1958 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
| 2 | Trader to the Stars | 1964 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
| 3 | The Trouble Twisters | 1966 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
| 4 | Satan’s World | 1968 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
| 5 | The People of the Wind | 1973 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
| 6 | Mirkheim | 1977 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
| 7 | The Earth Book of Stormgate | 1978 | Polesotechnic League | Buy |
Poul Anderson’s Polesotechnic League series is set in the early centuries of humanity’s expansion into interstellar space. The League itself is a commercial federation of trading companies that profit from contact with alien worlds, and the stories follow traders who negotiate deals, explore unknown planets, and occasionally fight their way out of trouble. War of the Wing-Men (1958), the first book, sets the tone by dropping the portly merchant Nicholas van Rijn on a planet where he must survive using his wits and business instincts.
Later books like Trader to the Stars and Satan’s World expand the scope, introducing David Falkayn as a younger trader who takes on missions for van Rijn. The series also includes The Earth Book of Stormgate (1978), a fix-up collection that ties many of the shorter works together into a coherent timeline. Readers interested in classic science fiction that treats economics and alien cultures with equal seriousness will find these books worth their time.