Koskinen's shipmate, Dave Abrams, lives in "'...Centralia Condominium on Long Island...'" (p.6) where his mother serves "'...cheese blintzes.'" (ibid.)
Koskinen wonders whether to "...depple..." his beard. (p. 7)
The ship's captain had been called Twain. (ibid.) One of the two Military Security men who visit Koskinen is called Sawyer. (p. 8)
Koskinen is a free American citizen but American MS throws its weight about. Much sf, e.g.:
1984 by George Orwell;
"If This Goes On..." by Robert Heinlein;
They Shall Have Stars by James Blish;
this novel by Anderson -
- is a warning.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
This will not be the first time we would see the name "Abrams." A Commander Max Abrams is a major character in ENSIGN FLANDRY.
And by using names like "Twain" and "Sawyer" we see Anderson indulging in some literary allusions which I hoped I had been alert enough to see the last time I read SHIELD.
Anderson himself told me in one of his letters that while he tried to make a point in many of his stories, he strove to do so in ways that would not overwhelm the story AS a story. But, yes, SHIELD warns us of the dangers to be feared from over mighty government. And I recall how Anderson did not make Military Security a cliched villainous agency. Rather, what began as simple, actual NECESSITY was becoming an instrument of tyranny.
Sean
Post a Comment