Poul Anderson can seamlessly combine speculative fiction, cosmological science fiction and action-and-adventure fiction into a single narrative. I have several times remarked how often an Anderson hero, captured by his enemies, knocks out his guard, grabs the guard's sword or gun and runs. See:
An Escape
An Occupied Planet
Escape!
Escape!
Circularity In The Corridors Of Time
It happens in World Without Stars. When Argens stumbles and his guard nudges, he is enraged enough to grab the guard's knife, slash and run. The guard pursues but collapses from the knife wound. Others pursue but are killed by the watching Pack - Argens' potential allies. A neat escape, one of many.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And we have discussed the plausibility of whether it would be so "simple" for an Anderson character captured by his enemies to escape. My view is that at least sometimes, given boldness, quick wits and quick action, at least some of these escapes were possible. I also wrote, I think, that Anderson wrote so well that he made his characters escapes at least SEEM plausible.
Sean
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