Bit of Ivory

Went shopping today. Am siriusly exhausted as a result.

I’m up to Ceteganda in the Vorkosigan Saga. Am enjoying them v. much. I don’t usually go for Sci-Fi, either (at least not in book form, I enjoy Star Trek and Star Wars very much), so this is a good thing. The character of Miles is very intriguing. This is going to sound like an odd connection, but in a way he reminds me of Perry Mason. Now, I’m talking about the book Mason more than the TV show Mason, although TV Mason does have some of what I’m talking about. In the books, Perry Mason is a brilliant lawyer, who wants nothing more than justice. To obtain that goal, he does things that are often unethical and sometimes downright illegal. He plants evidence and switches doorbells and hides clients and mails murder weapons and other evidence to himself to keep the police from getting their hands on them. His overactive curiosity leads him into big trouble. In order to protect his client (whos’s usually lying to him) he sometimes backs himself (and his employees and detectives) into a corner that is seemingly inescapable. Most of the time he succeeds in getting himself (and his employees and detectives) out of these sticky situations by the seat of his pants, often with a whole lot of luck. He can think up brilliant plans on the spot. He’s a master of quick thinking, and he’s not afraid to cut corners. He earns himself either outright hatred (as with Sargeant Holcomb) or grudging respect (as with Lieutenant Tragg) from his opponents. Some, like Hamilton Burger, would love nothing better than to bring him down. He gives people around him heartburn or ulcers or both (poor Paul Drake and his bicarbonate of soda and hamburger sandwiches, while Perry and Della are dining on steak, french fried onions and potatoes lionnaise). Tragg knows that where Perry is, trouble is soon to follow, usually in the form of a dead body. But he always wins, and somehow, he not only wins but wins spectacularly. He ends up with more than he starts out with. He helps people that are down on their luck–working on $1 retainers at times–but isn’t afraid to stick it to someone who can afford to and deserves to pay big.

Ahem. Sorry. I love Perry Mason novels. Anyway, Miles shares a lot of these characteristics with Perry. Add to that the fact that Miles is handicapped, and you’ve got yourself a very interesting character. Can’t wait for his next adventure.