Monday 25 January 2016

An SF Villain

SM Stirling, Drakon (New York, 2000).

Gwendolyn Ingolfsson, a lone Draka based in the Bahamas in the late twentieth century, plans to enslave humanity or, failing that, exterminate it. So far, this makes her a standard sf villain.

However, Gwen's motivation and abilities are plausible because we have already read three novels about how the Draka grew from a colony of defeated exiles into a
world dictatorship. It is horrible to watch Gwen moving in on the innocent investment banker, Jennifer, who can have little or no resistance to the Draka's powers of personal persuasion and control.

Before the seduction starts, they eat, and we vicariously enjoy, yet another tasty meal:

Jamaican jerk-pork soup;
buffalo hump steak in a brown peppercorn sauce;
a pyramid of tiny pastries of tropical fruits - kiwi, mango, mangosteen and soursop;
Blue Mountain coffee.

We notice the food but know what is coming.

See also the Food Thread.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Unlike Nicholas van Rijn, who did not mind being fat, I'm mournfully aware of how these temptingly delicious meals would make me blimp out like a balloon! (Smiles)

But I wouldn't mind trying some of these dishes!

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

Sean,
Yes, van Rijn did not mind being fat whereas Flandry worked hard to stay slim. But then van Rijn could afford to buy as many concubines as he wanted.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

But Old Nick's mistresses were not slaves, but free women. And I'm reminded of that amusing scene in SATAN'S WORLD showing the old rascal with his harem.

And Dominic Flandry did have good sound reasons for staying lithe and trim. It was useful to be in good shape as a field agent of the Imperial Naval Intelligence Corps.

Sean