Stan, you might want to brace yourself for Separation Two. This time it's oil men in Alberta who want out. I'm only one chapter in, and I can already foresee some pretty lengthy discursions on the well price of OPEC vs domestic crude and federal vs. provincial obligations for maintenance on Highway 1. I'm also thinking that the premier of Alberta -- while calling the referendum -- may decide not to reveal his personal position on it until the last page.
I don't want to spoil it, but in Chapter One we learn that the death count from the plane crash in ExodusUK has gone back up to two. Everything else that happened in the last two books is recounted, in Rain Man-detail, right down to the exchange rate for the pound after the embargo ($1.06) except, bizarrely, the Secretary of State is now remembered as a man.
Did Jessica Swift want too much money?
What do I know? Precious little. But, isn't that Rain Man recounting the beginning of Separation, reprinted word for word except with the body count error corrected?
ReplyDelete(I didn't catch handsome Jessica Swift's sex change.)
Again, what do I know I've only thumbed through the thing, which is how I came upon the recycled material.
A word to the wise: Do not do as I did - and for God's sake don't look at that final page!
Here's how you tell them apart: In Separation II Rohmer has discovered cursing. By the way, the cover of my very cool paperback (from Paperjacks) says Crisis in Canada! Alberta and Quebec! The Ultimate Separation! Reminded me of something Boys Brigade once said:
ReplyDeleteThere was a time
And there was a place
And there are memories.
And there was a girl
(Such a beautiful girl)
Her name was Melody.
She had a smile
(Such a shining smile)
Could light the city skies at night.
And all the late night clubbers say they can still remember the way she used to dance.
Melody danced her way right into my heart.
Melody stole my heart and danced away.
And she used to have a man.
And that man's name was SAM!
And he was the ultimate antihero.
Also, the cover carries a stamp-sized sticker that says "wintario HALF BACK." What does that mean? If it's some sort of consolation prize in the lottery it's not the ultimate consolation prize.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoaBdVzF0J0&feature=kp
ReplyDeleteWintario Halfback was a voucher program in which losing lottery tickets could be redeemed for half their value when buying Canadian-authored books. Weird, yet hugely successful - probably because it encouraged people like me to play the lottery.
ReplyDeleteHold on to that Paperjack paperback, Chris. I'm pretty sure it's a first (and only) edition.
From my vantage point of - can it be 31 years later?(!) - I now wonder what they thought the distinction was between a regular antihero and the ultimate antihero.
ReplyDeleteBrian - I am soooo close to the end of Separation you can safely change the counter tomorrow. I should add you were both right - it does pick up and isn't bad from the middle forward.
On to S2...