Sunderland Haverner has gathered seven people who will compete for one million dollars, tax free. At the end of one paragraph:
"Outside, a mockingbird fluted."
-INTERVAL ONE, p. 29.
Nature mocks human ambitions.
Anderson must telegramically convey the several characters' diverse responses at various stages in the narrative. For example, when Cruz challenges Haverner (see the above link):
"Gayle's breath hissed. Larry barely smiled. Byron took some wine, looking embarrassed. Ellis and Julia flickered glances back and forth from host to guest. Matt managed to say, 'I know your kind, Cruz -...'" (p. 28)
Five responses:
shock/tension;
amusement;
embarrassment;
interest/curiosity;
aggression.
When Julia reveals that she needs the money for her young daughter's medical bills:
"Byron registered distress. Larry gnawed his lip. Matt flushed with a somehow offended expression. Ellis frowned. The scowl on Orestes might have been aimed at a personal enemy." (p. 31)
Gayle offers to help if she wins whereas Ellis is hostile to what he sees as Julia's "'Sympathy pitch...'" (p. 26).
Will Anderson be able to keep juggling so many responses throughout the novel? His job as a writer will become easier if some of the characters are killed during the competition...
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
In my opinion, despite not having read THE DEVIL'S GAME in years, Anderson did manage to keep the complex plot of the story from being hopelessly chaotic and tangled up. And, way back in 1980 I read DEVIL'S with special interest because of how it was set in then contemporary times, rather than either the distant past or the remote future.
Ad astra! Sean
And that was when a million dollars was still a great deal of money...
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I thought of that as well. Heck, even now, a million dollars is still a respectable amount of money.
Ad astra! Sean
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