When Adzel is jailed on Luna, the warden wails:
"'Allahu akbar! We must house this cross between a centaur and a crocodile? And every elephant-size unit already filled because of that cursed science fiction convention -'" (p. 414)
We notice, of course, that Poul Anderson locates an sf con on the Moon in the future but do we notice another nuance, the apparent assumption that a con is such a rowdy affair that it fills the local jail cells? That would be news to most con-goers. I think.
Adzel wonders why van Rijn lets him be jailed. All will be revealed. Like P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves, van Rijn has the knack of doing what looks like the wrong thing.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteI remember that bit as well, and I loved that mention of an SF convention on the Moon! Amd, even if I'm not a convention goer, I can imagine some convention goers, both human and non-human,* being rowdy enough they got arrested for brawling.
And the Warden's "Allahu akhbar" exclamation is one of Anderson's rare allusions to Islam in the Technic stories. I have discussed before, however courteous Anderson was to Muslims as persons, it was plain he did not like their religion.
Ad astra! Sean
*The warden's mention of how every other "elephant-sized unit" was already filled up made me wonder if some of those non-human convention goers were as big as Adzel.
Technic civilization is going through a rowdy phase at that time...
ReplyDeleteKaor, Mr. Stirling!
ReplyDeleteIt was! "The high and spacious days of the trader princes..." as we see it described in A CIRCUS OF HELLS.
Ad astras! Sean