Friday 18 September 2015

Manse Everard And Wanda Tamberly II

We first encounter Wanda Tamberly as the first person narrator of the opening section of Poul Anderson's "The Year Of The Ransom." The section is headed 10 September 1987 and set in "...the Galapagos, the Enchanted Islands" (Time Patrol, p. 641) (see image). Carl Farness and Wanda Tamberly are the only first person narrators in the Time Patrol series and neither narrates their entire story.

Wanda meets Manse Everard on 30 October 1986 when he interviews her while investigating the disappearance of her uncle, Stephen Tamberly. Wanda does not yet know that there is a Time Patrol let alone that Mr. Everard and Uncle Stephen belong to such an organization although Everard's seriousness and warning of danger make her suspect the CIA. In earlier eras, mysterious comings and goings suggest "the gods."

Their second conversation is in her apartment on 23 May 1987. Everard appeared in the apartment on 22 May 1987 to rescue Wanda from a time traveling Conquistador but she passed out and slept for fourteen hours. 22 May 1987 is Wanda's narration whereas 23 May 1987 is third person narration from Everard's point of view. Complicated. Even more complicated: on p. 717, the narrative skips over part of their conversation but we read some of the missing dialogue under the heading 1987 A.D. on pp. 26-33 of The Shield Of Time.

When Everard returns on 24 May 1987, still with third person narration from his point of view, Wanda tells him where/when to apprehend the Conquistador. Finally in "The Year Of The Ransom," and back with Wanda's narration, on 25 May 1987, they go out to dinner and he recruits her to the Patrol.

That is "The Year Of The Ransom" but I will post separately about the remaining conversations in The Shield Of Time and "Death And The Knight."

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