Most fictional characters are fictions to each other. Sherlock Holmes in Poul Anderson's Time Patrol series is an exception. We learn something about fictional characters when we find out which fictional characters they read. James Bond said that he liked Nero Wolfe so maybe some Bond fans became Wolfe fans. A continuing character in a British TV drama series was shown reading a book by CS Lewis. Did the script writer specify that particular title in order to tell us something about the character or did he just write "reading a book," in which case any old book was taken from a shelf? (Bad, if the latter.)
On her expedition in 13, 212 BC in Anderson's The Shield Of Time, Wanda Tamberly has taken:
War And Peace
Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald
Dick Francis
Google and learn. MacDonald was prolific. He wrote sf, thrillers and the novel that has twice been filmed as Cape Fear. Dick Francis, a former jockey, wrote many novels about crime in horse-racing. We learn something about Wanda Tamberly even if we are unlikely to follow her reading choices.
8 comments:
Since Wanda has Patrol equipment, why not take e-copies (or the far-future equivalent) of every book in creation?
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: I recently reread Anderson's WAR OF THE GODS, and I'm now rereading THE TIME PATROL, containing all but one of the shorter Time Patrol stories. After that may come either THE SHIELD OF TIME or Tolkien's THE HOBBIT.
Mr. Stirling: Wanda came from the 1980's, she might be one of those persons who, like me, PREFERS hard copy books. No doubt her computer database includes other books she could read that way or even have printed out.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
And besides the examples I listed, I still have the third volume of Solzhenitsyn's MARCH 1917 awaiting my attention.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: all other things being equal, I prefer hardcopy books too. But things aren't eequal, a lot of the time -- I used to carry 40-50lbs of books in my knapsack all the time. Which got to be dangerous; I tripped, fell, and broke my hand in exactly those circumstances.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I'm amazed! You used to carry about 40 to 50 POUNDS in books on journeys? Yes, that could indeed be dangerous, given what you said about your accident. In such cases, I agree computerized books makes sense.
On my own journeys, I don't usually take more than two hard copy books with me. Which I think is manageable.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: when we moved to Santa Fe in 1995, the movers did and then re-did their estimates several times, and then came to us and said: "You have three and a half -tons- of books."
Haven't stopped getting hardcopy books since, either, though I slowed down when ebooks became easily available.
Sean: also, I carried that weight of books to get more exercise out of walking in less time. A strategy which had drawbacks...8-).
(From SM Stirling.)
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Astonishing! You had 3.5 TONS of books in 1995? And, by now, even more!
I learned something from you, it's not always wise to carry around 50 pounds of books!
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment