Tag Archives: Kiladi’s antecedents

Dragon Ship – Prelude

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In Surebleak Transit Orbit, Outgoing

In which Win Ton yo’Vala has one last chance.

More evidence, if I needed it by this point, that I was wrong-headed when, in the early days of this re-read, I considered reading prologues like this chronologically (which would be near the end of Ghost Ship in this case) instead of with the rest of the novel. A prologue like this exists to remind the reader what’s been going on when they come back to the story after being a while away, which is precisely the function this one is performing now.

Mention is made by the Uncle of “my chief technologist”. The context doesn’t attach the description to a particular person, but if I had to guess I’d say that was probably Dulsey.

Ghost Ship – Chapter 33

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History of Education Department
Oriel College of Humanities
University of Delgado

In which Kamele explains her reasoning.

…and, just to keep the tension going, the progress of the party is interrupted with a chapter set somewhere completely different.

There’s a thing the authors of this series do that I’ve been noticing and appreciating on this re-read, where the reappearance of a character is preceded, a chapter or two earlier, by somebody mentioning that character, to remind the reader of the character’s existence. In this case, we have the return of Ella ben Suzan, whom Theo happened to mention last chapter.

(That mention might have been confusing for a first time reader, since Theo referred to her as “Aunt Ella”, after having told Kareen in a yet earlier chapter that she had no aunts on Delgado… except that she also, in that same chapter, remarked on the fact that sometimes people get called things like “Aunt” or “Grandfather” by people they’re not technically any such relation to. That’s craftsmanship, that is.)

Saltation – Chapter 38

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Conference Room Able
Pilots Guildhall
Volmer

In which the bad news keeps on coming.

Caratunk is a planet we’ve heard of before: it’s where Jethri’s father met Iza Gobelyn.

And we heard about that in the same chapter which first informed us that “there are secrets in all families”, a phrase that’s associated with a particular family, and a particular person who is likely to be the same person Win Ton is on his way to meet. It amuses me that he’s implicitly included in Win Ton’s reference last chapter to unspecified people “even less reputable” than Scouts or Juntavas.

The fact that Win Ton was at Nev’lorn when the fighting broke out is interesting, and offers an additional reason for the Department to have decided the time was right for overt action. (And prompts one to wonder what might have happened if he and Daav had encountered each other there.)

And now the bad news from home has caught up with Theo, having been somewhat delayed by Kamele’s lack of familiarity with the options for sending an urgent message long-distance to a person in motion. There’s an irony here: Theo does know where to find her father – or would, if she had the means to link together several things she’s learned recently – but, lacking those means, she doesn’t know that she knows.

Fledgling – Chapter 24

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Vashtara
Gallaria Level
Passenger Lounge

In which Cho has words with Win Ton.

I have occasionally wondered, since I first read this, whether Cho sig’Radia knew in this chapter who Jen Sar Kiladi is, especially since Mouse and Dragon told us that there’s one person we haven’t met, unidentified but probably a Scout, who knows his secret. But no, she says plainly that she doesn’t think she’s met him — so I think that instead her interest is because she knows where he borrowed the name of Kiladi from, and thus knows who he isn’t. She says that the name caught her ear, and that it’s “quite an old name”, which Theo takes to mean that it’s a name with a long history, but which I suspect means that it’s a name whose history has come to an end, and that there is nobody now who can rightly lay claim to it. That she goes on to mention that some Liadens find the regard of their Clan a burden might indicate that she suspects Jen Sar of having attempted to put aside that burden and his right name along with it. (If so, it’s an attempt that one might expect a Scout to have some sympathy with, and I notice she chooses not to pursue the matter.)