Posted by Robert Hill on July 25, 2009 at 23:14:13 user eclrh.
In Reply to: Re: Thoughts on posted by Peter Ceresole on July 24, 2009 at 21:49:04:
D'you think so?
I remember reading WD when I was pretty small, and it was absolutely full of adventure, and much more grimly realistic than almost any of the other books. Commander Walker brought to it a calm resolution. I remember, after the howling winds and mountainous seas, the Flushing day out and the voyage home were like a holiday, the terrible tensions worked out... The description of Daddy seen by John though the cockpit hatch at night was rich and original, and powerfully evocative. Clearly related to his account in 'Racundra'. Some of AR's finest writing.
Yes, but surely ACB's point was that it wouldn't have been much of an adventure if "Daddy" had been present throughout.
Just as in The Hobbit, Tolkien, having introduced the supremely competent Gandalf, had to find excuses to get rid of him for a while, in order that Bilbo and the dwarves could have adventures with the trolls and in Mirkwood. Sauron, the principal villain in The Lord of the Rings, originated as "The Necromancer", who was one of those excuses in The Hobbit.
[Apologies to Tolkien experts for slight oversimplification]