Post by KevrobPost by Chris BuckleyPost by a***@gmail.comI don't recall ever reading a SF work where the hero or antihero is
an assassin. In a full scale war there are usually civilian casualties.
The assassin usually only takes out the target, avoiding collateral
damage. Usually the targets, at least in fiction, have done something
wrong.
Whether working for criminals or the government, there isn't that much
of a difference. Human life should be protected from killing. But that
isn't the world we are living in.
Abhinav Lal
Major fantasy series: Robin Hobb's Farseer series beginning with
_Assassin's Apprentice_
Often a trope in time travel conflicts, eg. some parts of the science
fiction romance _This is How You Lose the Time War_ (perhaps good
enough to be up for awards, much better than Gladstone's other novel
this year)
Appears very often in Asian SF, possibly because of ninja tradition. Any
number of light novels, manga, anime.
"Assassins in science fiction"
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.arts.sf.written/3iYPGXsPp2c/QLNRyP-3zLgJ
One of the posters poits out assassination is a big plot
point in Herbert's "Dune."
More philosophical fantasy than SF;
Dell Ammo in "The Jehovah Contract" by Victor Koman.
(I wonder if Pullman ever read that?)
Post by Chris BuckleyI remember a story I read ages ago (in Analog?) deciding that the entire
country of Switzerland was just full of assassins, which was why they
were never successfully invaded.
Sound familiar to anyone?
How about it? Does anyone know the answer to this YASID?
Post by KevrobPost by Chris BuckleyRichard L Hamer
Dune. "The art of Kanly lives on".
In my chronoplane novels -- The Fall of the Republic, Rogue
Emperor, and The Empire of Time -- my hero is a assassin-polymath;
his masters are in too much of a hurry to save the world from an
unexplained future catastrophe, so they prefer to kill anyone
who gets in their way. My assassin is psychologically
manipulated to feel very pleased with himself when he's killed
someone, until the cumulative effect almost paralyzes him.
I was thinking consciously and cynically about James Bond and
various other "cool" killers, and made my Jerry Pierce
superficially cool also. But even that was really a facade
created for him by his conditioners.
Fleming's chain-smoking Bond is literally "cool:"
..."The office was very jealous although they didn’t
know what the job was. All they knew was that I was to work
with a Double O. Of course you're our heroes. I was enchanted."
[said sexy Vesper, whom M assigned to work with Bond.]
Bond frowned. "It's not difficult to get a Double O number
if you're prepared to kill people," he said. "That's all the
meaning it has. It's nothing to be particularly proud of. I've
got the corpses of a Japanese cipher expert in New York and a
Norwegian double agent in Stockholm to thank for being a
Double O. Probably quite decent people. They just got caught
up in the gale of the world like that Yugoslav that Tito bumped
off. It's a confusing business but if it's one’s profession,
one does what one's told. How do you like the grated egg with
your caviar?"
"It's a wonderful combination," she said. "I'm loving my
dinner. It seems a shame . . ." She stopped, warned by a cold
look in Bond’s eye.
"If it wasn't for the job, we wouldn't be here," he said.
Suddenly he regretted the intimacy of their dinner and of
their talk. He felt he had said too much and that what was
only a working relationship had become confused.
"Let's consider what has to be done," he said in a
matter-of-fact voice. "I'd better explain what I’m going to
try and do and how you can help. Which isn't very much I'm
afraid," he added.
"Now these are the basic facts." He proceeded to sketch
out the plan and enumerate the various contingencies which
faced them.
The maître d'hôtel supervised the serving of the second
course and then as they ate the delicious food, Bond continued.
She listened to him coldly, but with attentive obedience.
She felt thoroughly deflated by his harshness, while admitting
to herself that she should have paid more heed to the warning
of Head of S.
"He's a dedicated man," her chief had said when he gave
her the assignment. "Don't imagine this is going to be any
fun. He thinks of nothing but the job on hand and, while
it's on, he’s absolute hell to work for. But he's an expert
and there aren't many about, so you won't be wasting your time.
He's a good-looking chap, but don't fall for him. I don't
think he's got much heart. Anyway, good luck and don't get hurt."
...
_Casino Royale_ (Fleming)
☮
Thank you,
--
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telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'