In Dominic Flandry's service and while on the planet Ramnu, the Shalmuan, Chives, is:
"...alone among aliens..."
-A Stone In Heaven, IX, p. 128.
the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn
-copied from here.
However, Chives either is not sad or conceals it well.
For previous quotations from "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats, see here.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I never got the impression Chives was ever sad while in Flandry's service, except at the time he had to tell Sir Dominic that his son Dominic Hazeltine, might well be a traitor serving Merseia in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS. And we know from even as late as A STONE IN HEAVEN how much it mattered to Chives that he was with Flandry.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I also don't think that Chives was sad but we also know that, if he were sad, he would be able to hide it.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, but I also think someone as astute as Flandry would have soon caught on that Chives was sad, in that case. And Flandry would have insisted on trying to resolve any problems making him sad.
What really bothers me is that we see no mention at all of Chives in THE GAME OF EMPIRE. Several possibilities comes to mind: Anderson forgot to mention or show Chives. Or Chives could have died in the years between A STONE IN HEAVEN and THE GAME OF EMPIRE. Or Chives might even have retired and returned to Shalmu. It's one of those points I wish Anderson had thought of settling.
Ad astra! Sean
S
Sean,
We may hope. In A STONE..., Flandry reflects that he might have Chives for another decade and THE GAME... is set only three years later.
Again, dangling ends give a sense of real history.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, loose ends like these about Chives is a very realistic touch. But I believe GAME was set five or six years after A STONE IN HEAVEN. In the latter book Flandry was still only 61 years of age while THE GAME OF EMPIRE described him as approaching seventy, which I interpreted to mean age 67. So that gives times for all the possibilities mentioned about Chives to occur.
Ad astra! Sean
Chives has also gone through terribly traumatic and alienating experiences before Flandry rescued him. Not only does this cut him off from his past psychologically, it also means that there really isn't much for him to return to -- his home and the individuals important to him are dead/destroyed.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
You made good points I wish I had thought of! Yes, Chives had no really strong reasons any longer to go back to Shalmu. His life and work with Flandry was deeply satisfactory, and made him happy.
Ad astra! Sean
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