Three concluding conversations at the Tamarin estate, Windy Rim, on Hermes:
Eric Tamarin-Asmundsen and David Falkayn;
Sandra Tamarin-Asmundsen and Nicholas van Rijn;
Adzel and Chee Lan.
Four continuing characters; Sandra, who has appeared once before; Eric, introduced only in this novel.
This is what I wanted when I read Dan Dare comic strips in the 1950's and 60's: prose novels with adult characters who routinely travelled between planets but who also discussed adult matters that were at that time beyond my comprehension. Or, rather, I did not consciously want this yet but now realize that it is what I was moving towards. Where else could we go? We could not stay with mere action-adventure fiction although Poul Anderson skillfully incorporates fight scenes, which I then loved, into more serious novels. Dan Dare's antagonists, the Treens, from Venus, were green and bald although not tailed. We had no way of knowing that we would later read novels about Merseians. For that species, Mirkheim is transitional between "Day of Burning" and Ensign Flandry.
2 comments:
It's amusing to note the difference between the scrappy aggressiveness of Cynthians and the calm of Wodenites.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
It's a survival trait for small beings like the Cynthians, to be fiercely aggressive in case of need. Massive, naturally armored beings like the Wodenites can afford being less aggressive.
Hope this uploads.
Ad astra! Sean
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