He made his formal bows,
to Arienrhod, to the boy. “I’ve
come. Name your weapon.” It was the
first time that the naming had not been his to say. Arienrhod’s eyes touched him as he spoke the
ritual words; but there was no reassurance in her glance, only a reaffirmation
of the coldness that had grown in her since the boy’s arrival. Then was she really still infatuated with
that Summer bastard? Did she really
believe he had a chance?
Starbuck kneaded one
fist inside the other, suddenly thrown off-balance. Damn her, she wasn’t going to get away with
it! He was going to kill that kid and
then she’d have him back in her bed again whether she wanted him or not. He struggled to force his rising, murderous
anger into a straitjacket of concentration.
“Well, what’s your choice?”
“The wind.”
Pg
103 - The Snow Queen
by
Joan D. Vinge
As
far as fights are concerned, this one was pretty great. Almost done with The Snow Queen now and will hopefully soon finish The Uplift War.
Then it’s just one long book after another in the 90’s…
That was truly awesome and I love that battle. Death by wind!
ReplyDeleteOverall "The Snow Queen" was a delight! I have the follow up "The Summer Queen" on my shelf but first want to finish the 4 remaining Hugo winners before completing or following on with the sequels from the winners.
The last time I was at the library, I saw a copy of The Summer Queen in the "for sale" section for like one dollar. Alas, I had no cash but maybe it will still be there next time.
DeleteThe battle was one of my favorites. It reminded me a little of the fight with Agni in "Lord of Light". Maybe it wasn't similar, but I thought of it for some reason.
Yeh, come to think of it, that does ring true. Perhaps a subconscious influence, as it often transpires with writers :)
Delete