There are fictional places where characters from different works of fiction meet. Poul Anderson's Old Phoenix is a venue for temporary encounters whereas Chandler's Hall of Fame is the permanent abode of enduring characters. Sherlock Holmes visits the first and endures in the second whereas John Grimes is in imminent danger of fading away. Grimes points out to Chandler that all he needs to do is write best-sellers...
Characters and their authors interact in different ways. The conversation between Grimes and Chandler is informative, contrasting their two kinds of ships. All that Chandler has to do to return Grimes to his proper time and place is to finish writing the story when his other job allows. In Anderson's There Will Be Time, the time traveller, Jack Havig, converses with Robert Anderson who relays information to the "other Anderson." Robert Anderson comments that the stories of the Maurai did not remain in print for long... Having travels to the far future but might not make it into the Hall of Fame.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Your comments here reminded me of Stephen King's short story "Umney's Last Case, pub. in NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES (1993). A grimly interesting story about a mystery writer meeting a character he created and forcibly exchanging places with him. Because the fictional world was so much more pleasant to live in than the real world. King wrote a really ending to this story, but I don't want to reveal too much!
I've read a fair amount of King's works, and liked some of his novels, such as SALEM'S LOT. Others I did not much care for, thinking his short stories better than some of his longer works.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment