Distant Cousin: Repatriation Klub is now under way!

[Anju No. 469]

Discussion questions for chapters 21-32

1. Nino Cellini was irritable and unhappy. Why?
He did not feel he was in control of what was going on, and also did not know the "whole story"

2. Even so, he found he liked Ana. Why?
She related to him, she liked him and he could tell it.  not just because she said he reminded him of her father, but the whole family thing too.

3. I heard from a reader who passed Distant Cousin (volume 1) to his wife. He said she was chuckling, so he guessed she was enjoying it. I never considered the Distant Cousin books particularly comic. Did anything in this one make you chuckle, that you remember?
Oh yes there were lots of parts that were chuckable, but don't remember them.  No guffaws though.


4. If you're at all familiar with Shakespeare's play King Lear, doesn't it make an uncanny fit with Ana's plight?
Managed somehow to avoid King Lear, in fact manage to avoid Shakespeare.

5. Ana touches briefly on her religious views at the end of chapter 27. Any thoughts on those?
Nope - no comment.

6. Memory only: don't bother to look this up. (Don't bother to look any of this up. We're having fun, not studying.) What turned Clio on to green vegetables?
The peppers!


7. Any final verdict on Scott Zimmer?
Not such a bad guy afterall.

8. What about Nino Cellini?
I liked him from the beginning.

[marianneg]

1. Nino Cellini was irritable and unhappy. Why?

I think he didn't like what he was doing.  It's one thing to kidnap or kill a fellow mob member, but Darcy was an innocent that they were just using and discarding.

2. Even so, he found he liked Ana. Why?

I think he found that they had a lot in common.  Also because of the way that she treated him respectfully, despite their somewhat adversarial relationship.

3. I heard from a reader who passed Distant Cousin (volume 1) to his wife. He said she was chuckling, so he guessed she was enjoying it. I never considered the Distant Cousin books particularly comic. Did anything in this one make you chuckle, that you remember?

I don't remember anything in particular.  There were definitely some funny images, but I don't know if I had any laugh out loud moments.

4. If you're at all familiar with Shakespeare's play King Lear, doesn't it make an uncanny fit with Ana's plight?

Interesting comparison.  I never read it, but I saw it as a play once.  There are definitely some parallels, and Ana herself even identified with Cordelia.

5. Ana touches briefly on her religious views at the end of chapter 27. Any thoughts on those?

Again, interesting.  I wish she had said more about what all of her people believe.  Do the Thomans have the same diversity of belief as earth, or is Darcy typical of them?

6. Memory only: don't bother to look this up. (Don't bother to look any of this up. We're having fun, not studying.) What turned Clio on to green vegetables?

Jalapenos, which cracked me up.

7. Any final verdict on Scott Zimmer?

I think he's sufficiently redeemed himself   He really seems to have turned himself around.  He's another character that I'm hoping to catch up with again later.

8. What about Nino Cellini?

He's another one that I'm hoping we'll hear from again.  I'd like to know what happens to him as a result of not following his instructions.  He's still a bad guy, but he does have his honor and a conscience, so I have hope for him

[BrassMan]

I wish she had said more about what all of her people believe. Do the Thomans have the same diversity of belief as earth, or is Darcy typical of them?

Well, her people were originally tribal nomads. Their religion(s) wouldn't have resembled the three major ones we have today; in fact, they preceded them a good bit. Ana Darcy speaks more about that in the interview she did. By this point, I think it's safe to check it--the spoilers are behind you now. It's at http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,4593.0.html. Ana might not be typical. She's a pretty independent young woman. You remember she said at some point that she didn't fit in all that well back home.
 
I have seen Mexican babies being fed soup which had chunks of jalapenos floating in it. Perhaps that's how one achieves a truly metal-plated palate for such things, by starting young.

For those who haven't read DC: Reincarnation, I can tell you that Scott Zimmer and Nino Cellini do appear again. We also learn more about Ianthe. There are new characters too, of course!

[BrassMan]

Well, I guess we're winding down, huh, guys? I sure have enjoyed this. Thanks to all who participated, and to all who just looked in and followed along.

Here's something that may be relevant (you can decide) that I found in a Roger Ebert review of the movie Solaris: "One of the most frequent charges against science-fiction is that it replaces emotion with intellect. Its characters are people who live by and for the mind, and their personal relationships are likely to be stifled and awkward, That's probably true enough of most s-f novels (although exceptions range from Fredric Brown's "The Lights in the Sky are Stars" to a lot of the work by Theodore Sturgeon), but it's even more true of science-fiction movies."

I hope everyone had fun. Thanks again.

[marianneg]

I enjoyed being able to keep up and participate this time   I liked this one better than the first one, so I'm looking forward to the next book even more

[Andra]

I'm gonna chime in again about Zimmer.  I still don't like him very much.  He is turning out to be a better person than I expected, but I'd still like to know more details about the beginning of his "Starchild" fixation.  It's hard for me to believe a 360 in behavior without some explanation.

[BrassMan]

I'm gonna chime in again about Zimmer.  I still don't like him very much.  He is turning out to be a better person than I expected, but I'd still like to know more details about the beginning of his "Starchild" fixation.  It's hard for me to believe a 360 in behavior without some explanation.

Well, I might have an explanation, not that I'm any expert. Zimmer started the story at a low point in his life: his family in tatters, in doubt about his abilities, and rattled by several addictions. He needed a purpose and he needed a success in order to discover his true calling and recover his confidence. Maybe we see the real emerging person at the end. Maybe not! You never know about people. Do you?

[Andra]

Ah, that helps.  Thanks Al.

[BrassMan]

It was my pleasure. You'll see more of Zimmer in Reincarnation, if you care to go that far. We learn more about him, and he's a fairly important character.

[marianneg]

I'm gonna chime in again about Zimmer.  I still don't like him very much.  He is turning out to be a better person than I expected, but I'd still like to know more details about the beginning of his "Starchild" fixation.  It's hard for me to believe a 360 in behavior without some explanation.

My philosophy is that hard, honest work usually helps

[Neekeebee]

Playing catch up here...haven't had too much reading time lately! 

I really liked that Ana and Nino became friends.  I think Ana was really lonely for company and reading/learning and Nino just never expected a hostage to be nice and connect with him.  I'm kind of worried that since Ana made a TV appearance, now Nino will be killed by his bosses for letting Ana go unharmed.  I was actually really thinking Ana would go back to Thoman with Matt and the twins!  I imagined Book 3 would be about their new life on Thoman!    What a great opportunity for Michelle, though!

Now I wish we had read King Lear in high school.  I guess it is never too late, but Shakespeare has always seemed a little daunting to navigate on my own.   

N

[BrassMan]

The honest truth is that I didn't expect Ana and Nino to become friends either. They pretty much did that on their own. I brought them back together in Reincarnation, and...well, they took up where they left off...sort of. Nino's fate is made clear, at least.

You're not the first to want more about Thomo, Neekeebee. There's more about Thomo in the spoiler thread, but not enough to really spoil anything. It's ok to check out. If I did devote a large part of a subsequent story to Thomo, that really would be science fiction. Right now, I consider the books a series about a family, a fairly unusual family, to be sure.

King Lear is considered by many to be Shakespeare's greatest play. It's tough to act, supposedly, but easy to read, I think. The whole plot is laid out on the first page. It really is about an old man and his relation with his daughters--the notion of family and familial duty is key. There's a sub-plot or two, but nothing complicated. Anyone who has a copy with glosses will find it no problem. (Remember? Nino didn't know what glosses were. They're the notes at the bottom of the page that explain words and phrases, as needed, for the modern reader.) Just like sampling with a Kindle, you could try a page or two or three and see how it went.

There are probably good movie versions at Blockbuster or Netflix. Lawrence Olivier did one of the better ones. So did that guy who replaced Captain Kirk on several Star Trek movies. Can't remember his name, but he was bald and good--a great actor. Great voice, too. Who was that?

[marianneg]

There are probably good movie versions at Blockbuster or Netflix. Lawrence Olivier did one of the better ones. So did that guy who replaced Captain Kirk on several Star Trek movies. Can't remember his name, but he was bald and good--a great actor. Great voice, too. Who was that?

Do you mean Patrick Stewart?  He played Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.  He is a renowned stage actor.  He also played Ebeneezer Scrooge in a movie version of A Christmas Carol several years ago, and that was also wonderful.

[BrassMan]

That's the guy! Patrick Stewart!

Thanks, marianner!

Yes, indeed, he's a terrific actor. I think his Lear is better than Olivier's, truly. He was excellent as Capt. Picard too, don't you think? And that voice!

[Neekeebee]

I never got into Star Trek, but one of my best friends is a huge fan of Stewart.  We waited hours to see him in Shakespeare in the Park in New York one year.  I'll have to check him out in King Lear.  Thanks for the recommendation!

N

[moonlight_hp_91]

 uhm, you say true, I think so, wish you good luck,