"Torrance sought past the Milky Way until he identified Polaris." (pp. 557-558)
From Polaris, he is able to identify the direction of the star Valhalla with the planet Freya and a League base even though his damaged ship, the Hebe G.B., will not be able to reach that base.
The ship is in an "...almost uncharted section of our galactic arm." (p. 558)
That single word, "our," informs us that we are currently being addressed not by the omniscient narrator of prose fiction but by a fellow mortal living in the period of the Solar Commonwealth.
Like Torres in "Margin of Profit," Torrance wears the full, colorful uniform but also a turban because he is from Ramanujan. He walks down a passageway to the owner's suite where he is greeted by none other than Nicholas van Rijn hoisting a two-liter tankard. This is our fourth encounter with van Rijn and we might wonder whether he is going to take over the Technic History but we are only at the end of Volume I of VII and the History will outlast civilizations.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Given my very modest level of drinking, trying to consume a two liter tankard of beer would put ME under the table! (Smiles)
No, Nicholas van Rijn did not take over the Technic History, but he did become a folk hero (and possibly a folk villain?) in the legends of many worlds, as we see centuries later in THE PLAGUE OF MASTERS. Borthu and the Adderkops comes to mind as peoples who might not remember Old Nick fondly!
Sean
Like O N being a 6' 6" Catholic Indo with very few (if any) Asian features, Bahaudur Torres's description is possible, but unusual.
1) "Bahadur" is typically a title and not a given name (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahadur)
a historical Turco-Mongol honorific title,[in origin a term for "hero" or "valiant warrior". The Papal envoy Plano Carpini compared the title with the equivalent of European Knighthood.
2) Torres is a common Portuguese and Spanish surname, and Portuguese names are common in Indians, particularly South India. I believe most of those with such names are Christian (probably R C).
3) I believe that currently, most turban-wearing Indians are Sikhs.
I can imagine O N drinking a 6 pack at one setting, but even at his size, I hope he isn't piloting- he'd be over the limit.... Wonder if it were Germanian "Sternebrau Dunkel" or something else like his native Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V. La Trappe Quadrupel (Oak Aged)? Wish SSL had a website show listing their offerings....
Cheers,
-kh
Kaor, Keith!
I don't share your incredulity at the idea of Nicholas van Rijn being a Catholic of partly Dutch and partly Malay/Indonesian ancestry. As for his looks and height, that could just easily have come from his Dutch heritage.
Anderson might have been on weaker ground as regards "Bahadur Torres." But I would argue that four centuries and more from now, there could well have been a drastic mingling or "homogenizing" of the peoples of Earth. And that could well includes changes in the names given to people by their parents. Again, not incredible to me.
And I recall Old Nick saying in "Lodestar" that he was HARDENED to his vices, including that consuming of massive quantities of beer. So, I accept he could indeed handle two liter tankards of beer!
Sean
Indeed. I stand partially corrected- evidently many Indos don't look Eurasian...
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-Indos-in-the-Netherlands-not-look-like-they-are-Eurasians-Some-of-them-even-look-fully-white
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-Dutch-people-so-tall
https://www.quora.com/Are-dark-hair-and-dark-eyes-quite-common-among-native-Dutchmen
More about O N's people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indos_in_colonial_history
As for 2 liter beer steins: NOT unusual, but rather pricey
https://www.google.com/search?q=%222+liter+beer+steins%22&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAi5-47vrhAhXE1lkKHSVVCh8Q_AUI_wEoAQ&biw=1920&bih=1086
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