"The Totentanz went on."
-"Honorable Enemies," p. 297.
On the approach to Talwin:
"And the ship was back under the hidden sun..."
-Poul Anderson, A Circus Of Hells IN Anderson, Young Flandry (Riverdale, NY, pp. 193-365 AT CHAPTER ELEVEN, p. 273.
Four senses on Talwin:
"He was instantly covered, permeated, not with honest sweat but with the sliminess that comes when humidity reaches an ultimate. Breathing was like drowning.
"Noises came loud to his ears through that dense air: wind, voices, clatter of machines. Odors borne from the jungle were pungent and musky, with traces of sulfurous reek. He saw a building blocky against the clouds, and on its roof a gong to call for prayers to the God of a world two and and half light-centuries hence. The shadowless illumination made distances hard to guage; was that air-conditioned interior as remote as he dreaded?"
- A Circus Of Hells, p. 275.
A shifting pov:
In the opening paragraph of A Circus Of Hells, CHAPTER TWELVE, Djana senses anger whereas, in the second paragraph, Flandry, listening to an exchange between two Merseians, does not know what the Eriau title, datholch, signifies. Thus, the point of view has shifted.
Pathetic fallacy:
When the base commandant, Morioch Sun-in-eye, tells the datholch, Ydwyr the Seeker:
"'Let the datholch know this is Junior Lieutenant Dominic Flandry.'
"Silence fell, except for the wind whose rising skirl began to pierce the heavily insulated walls. Ydwyr's gaze probed and probed. Djana whispered frantic, repeated prayers. Flandry felt the sweat slide down his ribs. He needed all his will to hold steady.
"'Yes,' Ydwyr said at last, 'I have heard somewhat about him.'" (p. 278)
So far, Flandry has only the Starkad affair on his record but that is major.
Djana's whispered prayers are audible to Flandry so this time the pov remains his.
As often elsewhere in Anderson's works, the wind seems to comment. Rising wind piercing heavy walls threatens.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
If the humidity and heat I experienced in my visit to Florida last year in June had been twice what it was, then it might have been similar to the choking heat and humidity felt by Flandry as he landed on Talwin.
I can see why Djana was so alarmed by the menacing Ydwyr the Seeker and Morioch Sun-In-Eye! They would very soon have a TESTY dispute about how to handle the prisoners. Morioch wanted a more directly aggressive approach, while Ydwyr preferred to be more subtle.
Ad astra and Happy New Year! Sean
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