(Found) Mankind expands through the galaxy & meets the other branch expanding the other direction

[pwiecek]

Mankind has been expanding through the galaxy for millennia. FTL exists but it is only moderately fast so only a small portion of the galaxy is reachable form any position. Every time man has found another civilization, it turns out to be the remains of an earlier expansion. A starship crew that correctly believes itself to be on the very leading edge of expansion, finds another spacecraft of a different culture. It turns out tat the new culture is the leading edge of mankind expanding the other way around the core of the galaxy.

Don't remember details like name or date I read it but it was definitely a short story.

 

[Yozh]

The pattern of settlement sounds like the world of Ursula K LeGuin’s ”Hainish” stories, but I don’t recall a story with that specific premise.

 

[pwiecek]

Thanks, but I think this was a one-off unrelated to an author's other work. Certainly didn't have the level of background detail that I'd expect from her.

 

[sueelleker]

I've read this. It was in a collection entitled "Starfog", which included the story of the same name by Poul Anderson. I'm not sure whether all the stories were by him, or if they were by a selection of authors.

 

[Orcadian]

Sounds good; hope someone manages to find it.

 

[Dave]

I can't find a collection by Poul Anderson called Starfog. Starfog was a short fiction novella by him nominated for a Prometheus award and in a number of different collections. The story itself could have been in any of them.

Title: Starfog

isfdb.org

Title: Starfog
Title Record # 45556
Author: Poul Anderson
Date: 1967-08-00
Type: SHORTFICTION
Length: novella
Series: Technic History

• Starfog (1967) [SF] by Poul Anderson also appeared as:
  • Translation: Stjernetåker [Norwegian (Bokmal)] (unknown)
  • Translation: Sternennebel [German] (1972)
  • Translation: Nevoeiro estelar [Portuguese] (1992)

 

[otistdog]

This sounds like "Final Encounter" (1964) by Harry Harrison.

It's available to read in the context of its original publication courtesy of the Internet Archive.

 

[pwiecek]

Thanks, that was the one I was looking for.