After describing the appearance of a group of horsemen, Anderson adds:
"A breeze brought the sweet odor of their beasts, the ring of hoofs shifting about on pavements." (p. 63)
That one sentence adds three more senses. Josserek feels the breeze and smells and hears the horses. Again:
"Echoes flapped among shadows. The chilling air quenched most stenches." (p. 64)
Heard echoes, seen shadows, felt chill, smelled stenches.
This sensory feast is followed by another Anderson speciality, a fight and escape. Josserek is seized but yanks free, lashes with his knee, dodges a sword, crunches bone, chops at a neck and runs down the street. The chapter ends with him on the run. Action-adventure fiction is never far away.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Action and adventure is never far away in the works of Poul Anderson, I agree! And that's because strife and conflict is perennially a part of human life. People like to read about such things in fiction--and, when done well, it can lead to serious examination of important ideas and causes. Which I believe is exactly what can be found in the works of Anderson, Pournelle, Stirling, and other writers.
Sean
Post a Comment