"Sunset rays turned the hilltop fiery. Farther down, the land was already blue with a dusk through which river, bay, and distant sea glimmered argent. Cloud banks towered in the east, blood-colored, dwarfing the Sawtooth Mountains that marked Hanno's frontier."
-Poul Anderson, "A Tragedy of Errors" IN Anderson, Flandry's Legacy (Riverdale, NY, 2012), pp. 455-540 AT p. 518.
Mountains, sea and an immense sky. Colors: red, blue and silver. At least two other senses? In the following paragraph:
"...the air was savagely cold... Above the drone of the combustion power-plant, [Tom] heard Yano Aran's teeth clatter." (ibid.)
Intense cold, droning and clattering. The cold air sears Tom's nostrils and numbs his fingers. Thus, we are treated to the usual multi-sensory description before the next phase of the action. "A Tragedy of Errors," like "Eutopia," might seem a mere chase and fight sequence but, of course, Poul Anderson gives more than this or we would not read and reread.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteI hope you noticed how "A Tragedy of Errors" has names like HANNO, the same as that of a major character in THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS. And I noticed how the farm wife met by Dagny and Yasmin was named "Elanor," the name of both a flower and Samgee's first daughter in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Because of you I'm trying to notice such details! (Smiles)
Sean
Drat, I meant writ "Sam Gamgee" in my first comment. Somehow I botched it!
ReplyDeleteSean
Sean,
ReplyDelete"Samgee" sounds like an OK type of guy!
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteAnd I see now how "Samgee" was an unintentionally comic mistake!
Sean