Author: Ralf Elvsén
Date: 06:45:27 04/30/00
Go up one level in this thread
On April 30, 2000 at 06:36:02, Walter Koroljow wrote: >On April 30, 2000 at 01:22:50, Ralf Elvsén wrote: > >> >>The following is an excerpt from the novel "The Book of Dreams" >>by Jack Vance. The story takes place in a distant future. The hero >>Keith Gersen is trying to locate some criminals to avenge events from >>the past. While waiting for his plots to start to work he strolls the >>streets of the city Avente on the planet Alphanor, which orbits the star Rigel. >> >>"With time to spare before his appointment with Addels, Gersen sauntered >>along Corrib Place, looking into shops, which here affected a special >>éclat and offered only goods of distinction and elegance: fancy pastries >>and imported sweetmeats; rare gems, pearls from the local rorqual, >>crystals won from dead stars; gloves, cravats, gaiters, kerchiefs, perfumes, >>philtres, magic Duhamel oil; bibelots, curios, portfolios of antique >>art: Giotto and Gostwane: William Snyder and William Blake; Mucha, Dulac, >>Lindsay; Rackham, Nielsen; Dürer, Doré, David Russell. >> >>Gersen paused ten minutes to watch a pair of puppets at a game of chess. >>The puppets were Maholibus and Cascadine, characters from the Comic >>Masque. Each had captured several pieces; each in turn, after deliberation, >>made his move. When one captured a piece, the other made gestures of >>rage and agitation. Maholibus made a move and spoke in a creaking voice: >>'Checkmate!' Cascadine cried out in anguish. He struck himself on the >>forehead and toppled backward off his chair. A moment later he picked >>himself up; the two arranged the pieces and started a new game… >> >>Gersen entered the shop, bought the chess-player puppets, and ordered them >>delivered to Penwipers: one of the rare occasions of his life when he had >>encumbered himself with a trivial article." >> >>I want a set of puppets of the above described type shipped to me immediately. >>The price is irrelevant! >> >>Ralf > >I have read (your post made me count them) 38 books by Jack Vance, but haven't >seen a new Jack Vance novel in years. Do you know if he is still alive? > >Cheers, > >Walter I think so, but if he died last week it wouldn't exactly make the headlines. In recently printed books (1999) they only give a date of birth. I have only read about 25 or :) Ralf
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.