brings together David Falkayn, the trader team, Nicholas van Rijn and Ythrians;
introduces van Rijn's granddaughter, Coya Conyon, who will become Falkayn's wife in Mirkheim, thus an ancestress of Nat Falkayn in "Wingless" and of Tabitha Falkayn in The People Of The Wind;
identifies the central conflict in the Polesotechnic League, which makes Falkayn break his oath of fealty to van Rijn and defy him to his face;
ends by confirming that van Rijn is "...indeed old." (p. 680)
Falkayn says:
"'Sir, you don't need the money. You stopped needing more money a long while back.'"
-Poul Anderson, "Lodestar" IN Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (Riverdale, NY, March 2010), pp. 631-680, p. 679.
The perfect convergence of Technic History themes comes when the Ythrian, Hirharouk, sees the shadow of God the Hunter across van Rijn's way of life and advises avoidance of conflict.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I have some sympathy for Old Nick. Yes, he did not need Mirkheim--what really drove van Rijn was the pleasure he took in wheeling and dealing, bargaining, and outwitting rivals, human and non-human.
And I don't Old Nick ever abused too far the influence his colossal wealth gave him. Indeed, he used both for benevolent ends in many ways.
Ad astra! Sean
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