In a single conversation with his granddaughter while she nurses her newly born son, Nicholas:
"'I got some consolium...'" (p. 248)
(A bottle of brandy, referred to in a stage whisper.)
"'...he was threatened with bankrupture.'" (ibid.)
(A business contact, not the great-grandson.)
"'Ach, my apologetics...'" (p. 249)
"'We got many paradoxes and no paradoctors.'" (p. 250)
"'But nothingtheless -'" (ibid.)
Poul Anderson must maintain this dialogue non-stop to keep the character consistent.
(Van Rijn's executive secretary contacts him on the phone in Coya's room, not on a mobile carried by van Rijn.)
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Given Old Nick's tastes, I'll bet that was Napoleon brandy.
The sparse use of mobile phones in the Technic stories is a regrettable but totally understandable bit of "datedness."
Ad astra! Sean
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