A novel or series of novels can end with the central character anticipating how he will end his career and spend his retirement, e.g., Dominic Flandry says:
"'I'm afraid I'll end my days as a kind of gray eminence.'" (XIV, p. 186)
Since no sequel contradicts this expectation, we accept that Flandry's future will indeed be that of a "gray eminence" and not "into the unknown" (see here). However, we also remain free to imagine what would have happened if he had left the Empire. After all, none of this really happens in any case and characters with multiple continuities do have alternative endings - and new beginnings. We would like to see Dominic Flandry begin anew as the central character in a series of films - and preferably in faithful adaptations of the original stories and novels.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
While it is true we can speculate that Flandry decided to leave the Empire and go exploring a la Nicholas van Rijn, I think it was more likely he became a "gray eminence" behind the Throne. A trusted adviser of Emperor Gerhart and perhaps his son Karl.
And we have both written and commented on how we would like to see faithful cinematic adaptations of the Nicholas
van Rijn and Dominic Flandry stories. Considering how intellectually barren and lackluster most current new films are, I think movies accurately based on the van Rijn and Flandry stories would be a hit!
I recently finished rereading A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS and started rereading Stiring's A MEETING AT CORVALLIS. I might also again read Anderson's THERMONUCLEAR WARFARE.
Sean
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