When Valgard sees the witch not as a beautiful woman but as the hag that she really is, he burns her hovel. Then:
"...there were only the leaping flames and the piping wind and the snow hissing as it blew into the fire." (p. 55)
The wind, with its appropriate sound effects, punctuates the main action scenes and plot turning points.
When Valgard announces that his fleet will raid Finnmark, one of his captains suggests instead:
"'...England, Scotland, Ireland, Orkney, or Valland south of the channel...'" (p. 56)
- but Valgard's axe settles the matter.
(Hugh Valland is a character in an sf novel by Poul Anderson.)
For a winter voyage to Finnmark, Valgard can:
"'...snuff a good wind coming.'" (p. 57)
But first he will plunder Orm's garth where he had grown up as Orm's son. The changeling's:
"'...league with the lands of darkness...'" (p. 55)
- seems to be complete.
Every chapter advances the action.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Some of the most pathetic parts of THE BROKEN SWORD are Valgard's moments of bleakly brooding self-reflection.
Ad astra!! Sean
Sean: well, Valgard is doomed from the beginning.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, unless Valgard had had the strength of will-to break out of the disastrous path he was on.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: Oh, he had strength of will -- but he was consumed by hatred. And he had reason; he was going to age and die, but had no soul, so he'd have no afterlife.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Certainly, Valgard had plenty of iron determination--and he was consumed by his hatred. And I was struck by his bleakly despairing moments of self-reflection. This bit from Chapter 27 of THE BROKEN SWORD came to mind, after Valgard rallied the trolls for a last desperate stand at Elfheugh: "His somber gaze slanted down to meet Illreade's glassy stare. "And I," he muttered to himself, "will succeed to your throne--but what use is that? What use is anything?"
Catholic theologians and philosophers might doubt that Valgard (and the elves and trolls) had no souls. IIRC the view seems to be that any rational, reasoning, self-aware being capable of moral agency would have to have souls. Yes, it suited Anderson's purpose in THE BROKEN SWORD for elves and trolls to be soulless.
Ad astra! Sean
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