Benoni Strang, who is from Hermes and visits sub-Jovian Babur:
"He was of medium height and slim, graceful of movement, his face rectangular in outline and evenly shaped, his hair and mustache sleek brown, his eyes gray-blue. In his leisure time he wore an elegantly tailored slacksuit."
-Prologue, Y minus 5, p. 29.
Bayard Story:
"He was a rather handsome man, medium-sized, slender, his features regular in a tanned rectangular face, eyes blue-gray, hair and mustache smooth brown with a sprinkling of white. An elastic gait indicated that he used his muscles a good deal, perhaps under intermittently severe conditions. His soft speech held a trace of non-Terrestrial accent, though it was far too eroded by time to be identifiable. An expensive slacksuit in subdued greens fitted him as if grown from his body."
-III, p. 66.
They are the same guy. Comparing their descriptions would let the cat out of the bag but, as we read the novel, we neither compare the descriptions nor notice the initials. See also Clues. That Strang is Story is a big revelation later in the novel. Although they are both described in the text, showing them both in a film would spoil the surprise. See How To Film Mirkheim?
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
You are right, I have to admit that I never thought of comparing these two descriptions the previous times I read MIRKHEIM. Dang! Here we see Anderson, who had sometimes written mysteries, including some elements of that genre into the story.
And, yes, any filmed version of MIRKHEIM would have to be very careful not to give away too soon the fact that Benoni Strang and Bayard Story were one and the same person!
Happy New Year! Sean
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