Not A Word Wasted: Shantung

Operation Luna, 4.

Steve Matuchek describes Virginia's brother:

"Above the Southwest's ubiquitous jeans, his shirt of yellow silk shantung and Longevity pendant bespoke a sort of defiance. China and its culture were among his many interests. He knew the history and the Mandarin language, had visited the country several times both as guest astronomer and tourist in spite of its current turmoil, and maintained connections with friends and colleagues over there." (p. 32)

Although we unreflectingly accept these apparently inconsequential data about Steve's newly introduced brother-in-law, Poul Anderson would not have composed this detailed paragraph about Chinese connections if China were not about to figure prominently later in the novel. When we know how a novelist works, we can probably anticipate some of his moves although we can never predict the course of the novel.

The Matucheks have fought the Adversary and now face Coyote but someone else is helping that merely mischevous Being:

"'How? Who? Why?'" (p. 31)