Tag Archives: Claudy

Saltation – Chapter 28

Armorer’s Forge
Anlingdin Piloting Academy

In which Theo doesn’t believe in local politics, but local politics believes in Theo.

So, of course, as soon as I remarked on the large time skips between chapters they stopped happening, and every chapter since then has flowed directly into the next. But there are a few reminders in this chapter of how much time has been skipped.

One is that Theo and Asu have long since moved out of their first-year berth in Erkes Dormitory and into a two-person suite elsewhere on campus, which explains why there wasn’t anything in Chapters 22 and 23 about the new student who was going to move into Suite 302 to replace Chelly: apparently that part of Theo’s school career got skipped entirely. I had wondered about that.

But, you know, the odd thing is that the dateline at the top of Chapters 22 and 23 still says Erkes Dormitory, Suite 302. And, because there really haven’t been any time skips since, that may have been many chapters ago but in story terms it was literally only yesterday.

Saltation – Chapter 23

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Erkes Dormitory, Suite 302
Anlingdin Piloting Academy

In which Theo receives the key to her future.

This is one of those chapters that’s difficult to talk about because I’m not sure how much of what I think of it right now comes from what I know about future chapters from the first time I read the novel. I think it is at least safe, given what’s already come up on this re-read, to suggest that when it comes to old tech it might not be just Theo’s imagination that the pendant Win Ton sent her is responsive to her emotions, nor even that it actually has a personality.

The closing remark of Win Ton’s letter, about hoping to share a breakfast with Theo, follows naturally from what he’d been saying earlier in his letter about the breakfasts he’s been having lately, but it does make me wonder if she ever told him about her first conversation at the Culture Club.

Saltation – Chapter 22

Erkes Dormitory, Suite 302
Anlingdin Piloting Academy

In which Theo receives a letter from Win Ton.

The pace is picking up; the novel is concerning itself less with the day-to-day of Theo’s life and more with the scattered highlights. Weeks passed between chapters 20 and 21; months have passed between chapters 21 and 22. If Win Ton’s contract ran for the usual duration, it’s already a year since the end of chapter 19, and more time has passed between the last few chapters than in all the chapters before.

It’s interesting, knowing where Theo’s story is going, that her course of study is described here as resembling a tradeship course.

I don’t know if Win Ton’s report on the reputation of Brine Batzer means that we haven’t heard the last of him, but I’m gratified that it matches my impression of him.