David Hobby wrote: >But as for Kault, the Thennanin ambassador, it was his phlegmatic >character that kept him from noticing many of the (planted) signs >of the Garthlings. If he hadn't been so thick, he might have >succeeded sooner.
That's probably a fair point. It might not have been the best example, but it was the first one that came to mind. I don't agree, though, that he would have succeeded sooner. Had he followed the false trails, he might never have reached the conclusions that he did, and probably wouldn't have been in the position to meet the "Garthlings." One of my favorite things about that book is the concept of enjoying a joke that winds up turning against the teller in unexpected ways. I don't know too many people who can handle it when their own jokes wind up having the last laugh on them, let alone an entire culture that *enjoys* it. It's nifty to think of the possibility of an alien race being so familiar but so alien. I suppose, though, that's a pretty common SF theme. Jim Nothing interesting to say here Maru _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
