Fenn stands for a long time watching a storm through the viewport of his and Wanika's cabin on the large, unsinkable, buoyant island, Waihona Lanamokupuni. When they converse, Fenn remembers that He'o's murderer, Pedro Dover, has been identified but not yet apprehended and, if caught, would merely be reformed.
He concludes:
"'Yes, I do have some months at leisure. Time for tracking Pedro Dover down.'" (p. 194)
That is the end of the dialogue and could have been the end of this chapter but Poul Anderson's readers know better than that. When a character has expressed himself thus, the elements must have their say, underlining or commenting on the human speech and, sure enough, immediately after Fenn's last sentence, the chapter itself ends with:
"The storm yelled." (ibid.)
It really never fails.
There will be an Andersonian settling of accounts with a villain before the main plot resumes and, as part of this, we will be shown another part of the future Earth.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I remain skeptical and distrustful about efforts to "rehabilitate" criminals. My belief remains that no criminal will ever "reform" unless he wishes to do that. MAKNG him be reformed is not what I would approve of. And that was Anderson's view as well.
Ad astra! Sean
It's traditional, in English, to attribute 'emotions' to natural phenomenon.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I have no objection to that--albeit I was more interested in the "crime and punishment" bit.
Ad astra! Sean
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