Weber is a Trader. Sandra Miesel's introduction has prepared us to see him as a brigand. He is a trader or a brigand in an era when people in such lines of work need to know some science. Weber is about to land on (yet another) Earthlike planet with green plants, probably animals and possibly intelligence. However, he will be stranded there and knows that everything might be poisonous to him. Also, even if there are natives, on such a clouded planet, they are unlikely to have developed astronomy:
"...the father of the sciences.'" (p. 116)
So he does not expect any technological help. But he is also a pragmatist and a chancer as expressed by the phrase:
"Still, you never knew." (ibid.)
Weber does not know nearly enough. Some readers can see the end coming from a very early stage in this story.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Weber was not a very pleasant person, but his grisly fate made me feel some sympathy for him.
Ad astra! Sean
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