Thursday 11 July 2024

Parents And Children

In Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization:

Nicholas van Rijn and Sandra Tamarin are together on Diomedes in The Man Who Counts and their grown son plays a major role in Mirkheim;

David Falkayn and Coya Conyon, van Rijn's protege and granddaughter respectively, are together in space in "Lodestar," their young daughter and newly born son appear in Mirkheim, their young grandson plays a major role in "Wingless" and a direct descendant plays a major role in The People Of The Wind;

Dominic Flandry and Persis d'Io are together on Merseia and in space in Ensign Flandry and their grown son plays a major role in A Knight Of The Ghosts And Shadows.

There are other offspring of characters in the Technic History but these are the only instances of both parents appearing together in an earlier instalment. This observation was prompted by rereading "Territory" in which van Rijn and Joyce Davisson are together on t'Kela. Is there a later story to be told here? There is an Eve Davisson on Joyce's home planet, Esperance, in The People Of The Wind. 

We realize from some of these exchanges that both "Nicholas" and "Dominic" can be abbreviated as "Nicky," different though the two characters are.

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I clearly recall Dominic Flandry sometimes being called "Nicky" in A CIRCUS OF HELLS. But I think we can infer he preferred to be called "Dominic."

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

From Sean M. Brooks:

Kaor, Paul!

I clearly recall Dominic Flandry sometimes being called "Nicky" in A CIRCUS OF HELLS. But I think we can infer he preferred to be called "Dominic."

Ad astra! Sean