--- "Miller, Bert" <Bert.Miller@unisys.com> wrote:

Another installment of this very interesting
and compelling series.

Thank you.

     At 6:47:06, Lara Kulenkov's eyes slide open as 
consciousness returns to her.

For some reason, this name said "Jupiter" to me, rather
than "Mercury".  I'm not sure why.

Lara=Lita? <shrug> I got the name Lara from _Doctor Zhivago_; I'm honestly not
sure if "Kulenkov" is a real Russian family name, but it has "cool" in it.

Nice way to characterize Lara, that she thinks of these
other women in slang terms for their hair-colors.  Also,
the "joined at the hip" implies that Lara is either making
some assumptions about Sam and Mary, or doesn't mind the
casting of groundless aspersions (or both).

Actually, it's just observation. They usually are together -- and in a more ...
formalized society, like this one, that doesn't always have sexual
connotations. Lara only becomes aware of Sam's "reputation" later.

I read this, too, differently the second time through.  The
first time, I took the "available" at face value, and thought
Dieter really was asking for a date.  Now it seems like
he was thinking "easy" when he paused to change it to "available",
which, coupled with the "second string" and his nervousness,
could be taken to indicate she's already been with the
entire first string and half of the second.

Yep.

     She yawns discreetly while listening to Abrabanel's 
algebra lecture.

An interesting name... a quick web search says it belonged
to several Jewish savants of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries.  This would appear to mean that this America is
not terribly prejudiced against Jews, whatever the prevalent
mood might be against certain other minorities.

I stole it from Eric Flint's excellent alternate history, _1632_. :)

Heh.  You do know how to get to your readers, don't you?

Oh yes.

her grandfather got rich reconstructing after the Burn,

But this?  One generation later... Oh.  "Burn".  More
than two bombs were built, then.  And they were used.
Ugh.

Nope.

After all, I didn't know that Darren was ... that he
was just using me as ..."
     "His beard?"
     "Right." Her teeth were clenched on that one, folks. 

Interesting way to introduce new slang; "beard" presumably
meaning "badge of manliness".

Actually, it means the same thing on this timeline as it does on theirs:
someone used by by a homosexual to present an appearance of heterosexuality.

 

and "Darren"?  Red herring or real clue?

Red herring. Would I lie to you?

     The girl in the Heinlein uniform, who just asked for an 
obscene native publication,

Heh.  Use of "native" for, presumably, "Japanese".

Yep.

it. Why would people think he had that stuff on sale?
     He passes, doesn't he?

Nice touch.  THAT level of prejudice against Japanese, on
Japan.  But, OTOH, a level of openness in the society so
that he CAN pass; he's not registered or forced to carry
an ID whereever he goes.  Reminiscient of the way very
light-skinned blacks used to be able to 'pass' in America;
not that similar to, say, South Africa under apartheid.

Right. I don't have any interest in writing a version of the Draka.

 

This term for "police" pushes at least some of the
historical deviations back quite a ways, I would think:
maybe 200 years or more.

Yep.

Yeesh!  Turn that screw.

I find I care more about what happens to Lara than I do
about what happens to Sam at this point, which strikes me
as odd in some ways.  Lara, after all, hasn't really done
anything to make me sympathize with her; so why do I care?
Because I see her as a victim.  Well, she is, of course,
but you are also correct in that it is her OWN actions
(or, rather, lack thereof) which have placed her in this
hell.  For three years she has been free to assign different
meanings to her life and relationships; she has chosen,
consciously or not, to assign the horrible ones she has.

I hope you see fit to have her change her mind before this
series ends.

There will be change. Not as much as you might hope, but change all the same.

Thank you for your comments.

Chris Davies.

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