Archive-name: books/tom-holt-faq Posting-Frequency: Every 30 days Last-modified: 2000/09/26 Version: 2.3 Maintainer: Nick Boalch <N.G.Boalch@durham.ac.uk>
alt.books.tom-holt
Frequently Asked Questions
CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~
0. What's New & To-do List
1. About Tom Holt
A. Biographical Information
B. Bibliography
C. Contacting Tom Holt
2. About the Newsgroup
A. When was the newsgroup created?
B. Are there any rules for this newsgroup?
C. Does Tom Holt post here?
D. What, /the/ Tom Holt?
3. Frequently-asked-questions
A. Who is Tom Holt's cover artist?
B. Why are some books copyrighted to Kim Holt?
C. How do we address Tom Holt?
D. What are the future/forthcoming books?
E. Why are so many characters called Jane?
F. Are there any Tom Holt websites?
G. What's all this about earwigs?
4. Ha ha, you made a mistake!
A. The Flying Dutchman Error
5. About this FAQ
---ooOO0OOoo---
0 - WHAT'S NEW & TO-DO LIST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. What's new since the last update?
New from version 2.2 to version 2.3:
Things about earwigs. Don't ask. Also considered adding things about
trifles but decided to wait, pending further investigation.
New from version 2.1 to version 2.2:
Updated section 3.D. with details of what Tom is /actually/ working on
currently, as opposed to what he was working on a year ago. Also moved the
"Tom Holt Omnibus 1" from section 3.D. to section 1.B. because it's now
been published. Clarified section 2.B. so you don't have to go looking for
the charter in the control message. I've now also verified all of the ISBNs
in section 1.B. (at long last!).
New from version 2.0 to version 2.1:
Updated section 1.B, moving various books previously listed incorrectly
under "forthcoming" to the Bibliography, and updating their ISBNs. Added
the Tom Holt Omnibus 1 to section 3.D. Changed some URLs. Fixed the
Posting-Frequency auxiliary header so it's actually correct.
New from version 1.5 to version 2.0;
The FAQ has just received a total update, resulting in the new version
number 2.0. All the URLs have been checked and altered, and information
about newly published and forthcoming books has been added to Section 1.B.
The FAQ is now being autoposted from MIT, so should be out every month on
a regular basis, rather than when I remember it.
B. To-do list
I'm sure there must now be more Holt-related websites than just Calle's,
so I think a quick survey and update of section 3.F. is required.
I'm also working on converting the text FAQ into LaTeX to make it easier
for me to maintain the versions in different formats: a single LaTeX source
will allow me to compile the FAQ into just about every format available,
thus saving me a lot of work.
---ooOO0OOoo---
1 - ABOUT TOM HOLT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. Biographical Information
(with thanks to Calle Aasman)
Tom Holt (i.e. Thomas Charles Louis Holt) was born in London on the
13th of September 1961, and studied at Westminster School, Wadham College,
Oxford, and the College of Law. He produced his first book, Poems by Tom
Holt, at the age of thirteen, and was immediately hailed as an infant
prodigy, to his horror.
At Oxford Holt discovered bar billiards.
"When I was at university there was a pool table in the room behind
the bar. We found that if we stuffed newspaper in the pockets, we could
play all day for free. So we did, when we should have been working. The
result of all this indolence was that when we came to take our final exams,
the boys & girls who'd avoided the bar and stayed in the library working
like hell all passed with flying colours; while the rest of us, who'd done
nothing but play pool and have a good time, also passed with flying
colours. So let that be a lesson to you."
At once he changed from poetry to comic fiction, beginning with two
sequels to E. F. Benson's Lucia series, and continuing with his own
distinctive brand of comic fantasy in (so far) nineteen books. Among those
he has written two historical novels set in the fifth century BC, the well-
received Goatsong and The Walled Orchard, and has collaborated with Steven
Nallon on I, Margaret, the (unauthorised) autobiography of Margaret
Thatcher. Among his favourite authors are Damon Runyon, Ernest Bramah,
and P.G. Wodehouse (in that particularly order). Thinner and more cheerful
than in his youth, Tom Holt is now married with Kim, and lives in Somerset
together with their daughter. Since he is an amateur engineer, among
those items that bring joy into his life is two major things: his Myford
ML7 and Bridgeport universal mill, and with these fine lathes he produces
(according to himself) huge piles of iron filings. His interest in music
is filk music, medieval music, and classical jazz. B. de Ventadour,
G. d'Ussel and B. Marti (all french) are his three favourite bards from
the 12th century.
And one last startling revelation: Before getting a real job as an
author Tom used to be...wait for it...a tax lawyer. No comment by me on
this, but see also 3.B :)
B. Bibliography
The books are published by Orbit Books except where another
publisher is listed. "hb"=hardback and "pb"=paperback.
Novels;
"Lucia In Wartime" (1985)
ISBN 0-060-55003-1
ISBN 0-333-40247-2
"Lucia Triumphant" (1986)
ISBN 0-060-96196-1
Sequels to E.F.Benson's "Lucia" series. Both out of print.
"Expecting Someone Taller" (1987)
ISBN 1-857-232181-3
All he did was run over a badger - sad, but hardly catastrophic.
But it wasn't Malcolm Fisher's day, for the badger turned out to be
none other than Ingolf, last of the Giants. With his dying breath, he
reluctantly handed to Malcolm two Gifts of Power, and made him ruler
of the world.
But can Malcolm cope with the responsibilty? Whilst averting wars,
plagues and famines, he also has to protect himself against gods,
dwarves, valkyries and other nefarious manifestations of the Dark
Ages - none of whom think he is right for the job ...
"Who's Afraid of Beowulf?" (1988)
ISBN 1-857-23196-1 (pb)
Well, not Hrolf Earthstar, for a start. The last Norse king of
Caithness, Hrolf and his twelwe champions are woken from a
centuries-long sleep when Hildy Fredriksenn, archaeologist of the
fairer sex, finds their grave. Not only that, Hrolf decides to carry
on his ancient war against the Sorcerer-King.
In a mixture of P.G. Wodehouse, Norse mythology and Laurel and
Hardy, Hildy and her Viking companions face such perils as BBC film
crews, second-rate fish and chips and the Bakerloo Line in their
battle agaainst the powers of darkness.
"I, Margaret" (1989)
ISBN 0-333-49776-7 (pub. Papermac)
The unauthorised autobiography of Margaret Thatcher, as told to
Steve Nallon with Tom Holt.
"Goatsong" (1989)
ISBN 0-312-03838-0
"Goatsong" is out of print in a single edition, however the new
edition of "The Walled Orchard" contains "Goatsong" as well.
"The Walled Orchard" (1990/1997)
ISBN 0-751-52138-8 (pub. Warner)
This new edition of "The Walled Orchard" also contains "Goatsong".
Athens is at the middle of her golden age; Pericles is building
the Parthenon, Sophocles, Euripedes and Socrates are writing words
which will live forever, and Eupolis is hearding goats on Parnes.
Unfortunately, Athens is also embarking on the Peloponnesian War,
which she will eventually lose...
"Flying Dutch" (1991)
ISBN 0-356-20111-2 (pb)
ISBN 1-857-23017-5 (hb) (out of print)
It's amazing the problems drinking can get you into. One little
swig from the wrong bottle and you go from being an ordinary Dutch
sea-captain to an unhappy immortal, drifting around the world with
your similarly immortal crew, suffering from peculiary whiffy side
effects. Worst of all, Richard Wagner writes an opera about you.
Little does Cornelius Vanderdecker, the Flying Dutchman, suspect
that a chance encounter in an English pub might just lead to the end
of his cursed life, one way or another...
"Ye Gods!" (1992)
ISBN 1-857-23016-7 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23080-9 (pb)
Being a hero bothers Jason Derry.
It's easy to get maladjusted when your mum's a suburban housewife
and your dad's the Supreme Being. It can be a real drag of slaying
fabulous monsters and retrieving golden fleeces from fire-spitting
dragons, and then having to tidy your room before your mum'll let you
watch Star Trek.
But it's not the relentless tedium of imperishable glory that
finally brings Jason to the end of his rope; it's something so funny
that it's got to be taken seriously. Deadly seriously ...
"Overtime" (1993)
ISBN 1-857-23039-6 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23126-0 (pb)
Only in a Tom Holt novel can you discover the relationship between
the Inland Revenue, the Second Crusade and God's great plan to build
starter planets for first time life forms...
It all started for Guy Goodlet somewhere over Caen. One moment he
was heading for the relative safety of the coast, aware that fuel was
low and the Mosquito had more than a few bullet holes in it. The
next, his co-pilot was asking to be dropped off. This would have been
odd if Peter had still been alive. Since he was dead, it was
downright worrying.
But not quite as worrying as when Guy found himself somewhere in
the High Middle Ages - rather than in 1943 - in the company of one
John de Nesle. Unsurprisingly, Guy's first thought was to get out and
home sharpish. But then he saw John's sister, Isoud, and somehow
found himself agreeing to help John, also known as Blondel, in his
quest to find Richard Coeur de Lion...
"Here Comes The Sun" (1993)
ISBN 1857231252 (hb)
ISBN 1857231872 (pb)
The sun rises late, dirty and so badly in need of a service it's a
wonder it gets up at all. The moon's going to be scrapped soon and a
new one commisioned - but then, they've been saying that for years...
All is not well with the universe, and though there's a hell of a
tidying up job to be organised after some carelessness with earthquakes
and tidal waves, surely it's crazy to get mortals to run the show?
Things may be bad, but isn't that going to extremes?
The irrepressible Tom Holt hits the mark yet again wuth a dazzling
foray into fantasy ... of the hilarious kind.
"Grailblazers" (1994)
ISBN 1-857-23192-9 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23191-0 (pb)
'The Holy Grail and the Wholly Inept'
Fifteen hundred years have passed and the Grail is still missing,
presumed ineffable; the Knights have dumped the Quest and now deliver
pizzas; the sinister financial services industry of the lost kingdom
of Atlantis threatens the universe with fiscal Armageddon; while in
the background lurks the dark, brooding, red-caped presence of Father
Christmas.
In other words, Grailmate. Has Prince Boamund of Northgales
(Snotty to friends) woken from his enchanted sleep in time to snatch
back the Apron of Invincibility, overthrow the dark power of the
Lord of the Reindeer and find out exactly what a Grail is? And just
who did do the washing-up after the Last Supper?
Take a thrilling Grailhound bus ride into the wildly improbable
with Tom Holt.
"Faust Among Equals" (1994)
ISBN 1-857-23265-8 (pb)
'Well I'll be dammed...'
The managment buy-out of Hell, wasn't going quite as well as
planned. For a start, there had been that hasty business with the
perjurors, and then came the news that the Most Wanted Man in
History had escaped, and all just as the plans for the new theme
park, Eurobosch, were under way.
But Kurt 'Mad Dog' Lundqvist, the foremost bounty hunter of all
time, is on the case, and he can usually be relied upon to get his
man - even when that man is Lucky George Faustus...
Exuberant, Hell-raising comedy from Holt at his inventive best.
"Odds & Gods" (1995)
ISBN 1-857-23266-6 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23299-2 (pb)
ISBN 0-001-04889-9 (audio casette)
'Odds and Gods - a simply divine comedy'
It's a god's life... ...at the Sunnyvoyde Residential Home for
retired deities. Everlasting life can be a real drag when all you've
got to look forward to is cauliflower cheese on Wednesdays.
For a start, there's a major techincal problem with the
thousand-year-old traction engine which has been lovingly restored
by those almighty duffers Thor, Odin and Frey...the damn thing
actually goes.
And then there's Osiris, pushed one tapioca too far by a
power-crazy godson with friends in very smelly places, and forced to
set out on a quest which will test his wheelchair to the very limits.
Only one thing might save the world from an eternity of chaos ...
dentures. It's true. Honest to god.
"Djinn Rummy" (1995)
ISBN 1-857-23329-8 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23363-8 (pb)
'In an aspirin bottle, nobody can hear you scream.'
Outside an aspirin bottle, however, things are somewhat different.
And when Kayaguchiya Integrated Circuits III (Kiss, to his friends),
a Force Twelve genie with an attitude, is released after fourteen
years of living with two dozen white tablets, there's bound to be
trouble.
Take, for example, Jane. All she wanted was to end her miserable
life in peace, with a minimum of fuss, in the privacy of a British
Rail waiting room, but now she's got herself a genie for company.
Lucky old Jane. Lucky, that is, until the apocalypse rears its ugly
head.
"My Hero" (1996)
ISBN 1-857-23365-4 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23387-5 (pb)
'Sharp, sparkling and seriously funny'
Writing novels? Piece of cake, surely ... or so Jane thinks. Until
hers start writing back. At which point, she really should stop.
Better still, change her name and flee the country. The one thing she
should not do is go into the book herself. After all, that's what
heroes are for. Unfortunatly, the world of fiction is a far more
complicated place than she ever imagined. And she's about to land her
hero right in it.
"Paint Your Dragon" (1997)
ISBN 1-857-23433-2 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23456-1 (pb)
The cosmic battle between Good and Evil ... But suppose Evil threw
the fight? And suppose Good cheated?
Sculptress Bianca Wilson is a living legend. St George is also a
legend, but not quite so living. However, when Bianca's sculpture of
the patron saint and his scaly chum gets a bit too 'life-like', it
opens up a whole new can of wyrms ... The Dragon knows that Evil got
a raw deal and is looking to set the record straight. And George (who
cheated) thinks the record's just fine as it is. Luckily for George,
there's a coach-load of demons on an expenses-paid holiday from Hell
who are only too happy to help him. Because a holiday from hell is
exactly what they're about to get.
"Open Sesame" (1997)
ISBN 1-857-23476-6 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23556-8 (pb)
Just because he is a character in a book, Akram the Terrible
doesn't see why boiling water must be poured over his head again.
Meanwhile, Michelle gets a shock when she puts on her Aunt's ring
and her computer and television start to criticize her for past
misdemeanours.
"Wish You Were Here" (1998)
ISBN 1-857-23555-2 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23687-4 (pb)
It was a busy day on Lake Chicopee. But it was an eclectic bunch
of sightseers and tourists that had the strange, local residents
rubbing their hands with delight. There was Calvin Dieb, the lawyer
setting up the property deal, who'd lost his car keys; there was
Linda Lachuk, the tabloid journalist who could smell that big,
sensational story; there was dumpy Janice DeWeese, who was just on a
walking holiday but who longed for love. But most promising of all,
there was Wesley Higgins, the young man from Birmingham, England,
who was there because he knew the legend of the ghost of Okeewana.
All he had to do was immerse himself in the waters of the lake and he
would find his heart's desire. Well, it seemed like a good idea at
the time.
"Only Human" (1999)
ISBN 1-857-23693-9 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23949-0 (pb)
A gag about God regarding the pursuit of happiness as something to
be done with a fly-swatter resulted in this book.
Something is about to go wrong. Very wrong. What do you expect if
the Supreme Being decides to get away from it all for a few days,
leaving his naturally inquisitive son to look after the cosmic
balance of things? A minor hiccup with a human soul and before you
know it you're on the road to chaos.
"Alexander at the World's End" (1999)
ISBN 0-316-85058-6 (hb)
ISBN 0-349-11315-7 (pb)
This is the sequal to "The Walled Orchard" and "Goatsong".
The story of two men, one of whom conquered empires, one of whom
tackled the drainage problems of a small village. Their paths crossed
only briefly, but the encounter changed their lives forever. The first
was Alexander the Great, the second, Euxenus, philosopher and tutor to
the young Alexander.
"Olympiad" (2000)
ISBN 0-316-85390-9 (hb)
This is a book about the first Olympian Games (held in 776BC). Tom
writes (courtesy of Calle's webpage):
"'Olympiad' is my two cents' worth for the Millennium; I got the idea
when I realised that we only think it's going to be 2000 next year because
the Christian church fixed the date of the birth of Christ in accordance
with the Roman system of recording history by time elapsed since the
(mythical) foundation of Rome by (two brothers who never actually existed,
called) Romulus and Remus, which in turn was fixed by reference to the
Greek system of recording history by time elapsed since the (legendary)
foundation of the Olympic Games by (the entirely fictitious half-god half-
human hero) Hercules in 776BC (except, of course, it wasn't 776BC *then*,
it was the First Olympiad, only it wasn't, because there were no records
at all in 776BC, since writing wasn't even invented till about fifty years
later...); in other words, our entire concept of history is based on
misunderstandings of some very old fairy-tales, which is what prompted me
to make up some more untrue history, as if there wasn't enough already.
Basically, it's a book about lies, legends and historical fact, and how
there's really nothing to choose between them."
This historical novel takes as its basis the fact that 2776 years ago
a group of men ran between two piles of stones, and invented history. If,
that is, history can be believed. All we know now is the name of the man
who won the race in the first ever Olympic Games in 776 BC.
"Snow White and the Seven Samurai" (1999)
ISBN 1-856-23898-2 (hb)
ISBN 1-857-23988-1 (pb)
Once upon a time (or last Thursday, as it's sometimes known) the
wicked Queen had a fully functioning, if antiquated, Mirrors system,
and all was well in the kingdom. Then the humans hacked in and the
system failed. Fairytales may never be the same again...
"Valhalla" (2000)
ISBN 1-857-23983-0 (hb)
'Valhalla' is about a bunch of people who get what they deserve in
the afterlife... more accurately, it's about the way we see ourselves, and
the problems we create for ourselves by not facing up to who we really are.
Actually, it's about 22 cm X 14 cm X 3cm, assuming you're buying the
hardback.
When great warriors die, their reward is eternal life in Odin's great
hall, Valhalla. But Valhalla has changed and like any corporation has
adapted to survive. Unfortunately nothing could have prepared it for the
arrival of currently-dead cocktail waitress Carol Kortright, who is not
at all happy.
Verse;
"Poems By Tom Holt" (1973)
ISBN 0-718-11181-8
Tom's "Infant Progidy" poems, published when he was at the tender
age of twelve. Now out of print.
"Bitter Lemmings" (1997)
ISBN 1-870-82438-5 (spiral) (pub. Beccon Publications)
An anthology of Holt's filksongs. 39 songs including some wicked
second/third/.. level filks. All to well known folk/filk tunes, so
no music provided.
Omnibus editions;
"Tom Holt Omnibus 1"
ISBN 1-841-49025-3 (pb) (will be published 7th September 2000)
"Flying Dutch" (q.v.) and "Faust among Equals" (q.v.) published
together in one volume.
Short stories;
"Igor" & "The God Who Came to Dinner"
Two short stories, available from Calle's Tom Holt website at
http://hem.passagen.se/gumby/holt/
Collected short stories & amalgamated drivel;
"Holt, Who Goes There?" (1998)
(no ISBN) (pub. British Fantasy Society)
'Be afraid ... be very afraid ... as you enter a Neverland of Tom
Holt's own devising.'
Tom Holt presents a selection of musings, writings and stories
guaranteed to raise a smile. Discover for yourself Tom's views on
writing, conventions, marmalade; and find out just how easy (!) it
is to write fantasy. Taken from his regular column in the British
Fantasy Society's Newsletter. Including two rare short stories,
HOLT! WHO GOES THERE? is the perfect antidote for the autumn blues.
Limited edition, 300 copy, signed and numbered 48pp chapbook. Can
be ordered by sending mail to: syrinx.2112@btinternet.com
Anthologies featuring Tom Holt;
"Heroic Adventure Stories" (Date unknown)
ISBN: Unknown
An anthology with tales from the rise of Qncient Greece the fall
of Ancient Rome. Tom appears with the story "No Place Like Home".
"The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy" (1998)
ISBN: 1-85487-530-2 (pb)(UK)
ISBN: 0-78670-533-7 (pb)(US)
"A compendium of comic fantasy writing. Most of the stories are
modern, with many especially written for this collection. The book
also includes classic reprints and rare gems from comic fantasy's
roots in past years." Tom appears with the story "Pizza to Go".
"Shakespearean Whodunnits" (1997)
ISBN: 1-85487-945-6 (pb)(UK)
ISBN: 0-78670-482-9 (pb)(US)
"Crimes-a-plenty tumble out of Shakespeare's plays. Suppose, for
instance, that Friar Lawrence isn't available to explain the tragedy of
Romeo and Juliet, and that Capulet or Montague engages someone to
investigate their deaths? How about King Lear: he is convinced that
Cordelia is alive at the end of the play. Is the corpse Cordelia or
someone else? What has happened? How did Falstaff really die in "Henry V"
and who was behind his humiliation in "The Merry Wives of Windsor"? Did
Cleopatra really commit suicide, or was it a set-up? Who, exactly, is
the sinister visitor conjured up by Caliban in "The Tempest"? In their
ingenious tales, the likes of Falstaff and Hamlet, as well as the Bard
himself, are set in hot pursuit of fresh clues and new solutions to
some of the bloodiest plots and nastiest deeds hidden in Shakepeare's
plays." Tom Holt appears with the story "Cinna the Poet".
C. Contacting Tom Holt
You can contact Tom Holt at <lemming dot co at zetnet dot co dot uk>
(making dot '.' and at '@'), or through his publishers, Orbit, through
their web site http://www.orbitbooks.co.uk/
---ooOO0OOoo---
2 - ABOUT THE NEWSGROUP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. When was the newsgroup created?
The proposal for alt.books.tom-holt was discussed in alt.config in June
1998 and again in August 1998, prior to the control message being issued on
28th August 1998.
B. Are there any rules on the newsgroup?
All that is asked is that posters maintain sensible netiquette. The
charter sets out guidelines for on-topic posts: basically anything to do
with Tom Holt, Tom Holt's works (novels, short stories, filks and so on)
and Holt-related fan activity.
C. Does Tom Holt post here?
Yes. Tom Holt has supported the newsgroup from its inception and is a
regular poster. So is his Mum, in fact. ;)
D. What, /the/ Tom Holt?
Yes, the Tom Holt. Honest. :)
---ooOO0OOoo---
3 - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most answers to questions in this section are from Tom himself. Any
commentary by me is parenthesised.
A. Who is Tom Holt's cover artist?
When I changed publishers from Macmillan to Orbit, they commissioned
Kirby covers for the hardback of Flying Dutch and the paperbacks of the
first two. They stayed with Kirby for Ye Gods and the hb of Overtime, then
commissioned a brilliant artist called Steve Lee to do the pb of Overtime.
Steve's designs went down well with the book trade, so they reissued the
backlist titles with Lee covers (this means Expecting Someone Taller has
had 3 different paperback covers; the ghastly one put on it by Macdonald
when it first came out, the Kirby effort and the Steve Lee version) Steve
did all my jackets down to Open Sesame; at that point there was some sort
of falling-out between him and the Orbit people, and he isn't going to do
any more (a pity, if you ask me) For the Wish You Were Here hardback,
they've taken an entirely different approach; I'm slightly underwhelmed by
the WYWH cover, but from what I've seen of the roughs for the next one,
Only Human, I think they may well be on to something.
B. Why are some books copyrighted to Kim Holt?
Shan't tell, so there.
[It's a tax dodge.]
C. How do we address Tom Holt?
'Tom' will do just fine. Compared to some of the things I've been
called over the years, it's almost a compliment.
D. What are the future/forthcoming books?
At the moment I have one finished book ("Nothing but Blue Skies")
which will be the next book to be published, and one I'm still writing
("Falling Sideways"). I'm trying to figure out how to pitch an idea I've
got for another historical novel in such a way that my editor won't
have me thrown out of the building. That's about it, really.
[Details of these forthcoming books:
"Nothing But Blue Skies"
ISBN 1-841-49040-7 (hb) (will be published 3rd May 2001)
This was listed in previous versions of the FAQ as "The Portable Door",
which was the working title. Tom writes that this is about "love,
authoritarian government and the British love/hate relationship with their
bloody awful weather".
"Falling Sideways"
No ISBN or publication date yet
Tom writes that this is a "simple love story about a boy, a girl,
cloning and the true meaning of kissing frogs".]
E. Why are so many characters called Jane?
The female lead in Flying Dutch was called Jane (a) after a friend of
my wife's, an accountant, who's called Jane (and is nothing at all like
the character in the book) (b) because it seemed to suit her -
straightforward, quite strong, dysbimboesque, but with subliminal
associations of (i) plain Jane (ii) the dashing & adventurous heroine of
the old comic strip (iii) me Tarzan, you...
By the time I finished FD, I was using the name Jane as mental
shorthand for that kind of female character; and since it's a character
type I find useful, I stuck with the name. Female leads who don't follow
that pattern get called something else; Michelle in Open Sesame was a bit
too mimsy to be a Jane, Bianca in Paint Your Dragon needed to be rather
more glamorous, & so on. I called the female #2 lead in Wish You Were Here
Janice, because she's almost a Jane - by learning and suffering she moves
towards acquiring Janity.
The other reason is because it annoys the hell out of my mother.
F. Are there any Tom Holt websites?
[The definitive Tom Holt website is maintained by Calle Aasman, and can
be found at
http://hem.passagen.se/gumby/holt/ ]
G. What's all this about earwigs?
[God only knows. It's a craze or something. You should be aware that
earwigs are potentially harmful Class-A drugs, which you should avoid at
all costs. If someone offers you earwigs, JUST SAY NO!]
---ooOO0OOoo---
4 - HA HA, YOU MADE A MISTAKE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. The Flying Dutchman
Belsambar has pointed out that the Flying Dutchman appears in 'Flying
Dutch' as Julius Albert Vanderdecker, but cameos in 'Faust among Equals'
as Cornelius Vanderdecker.
Apparently Tom didn't notice this one either, it appears to be a
typical 'boneheaded' error...
[Editor's note: There's another slight "continuity error" in The Walled Orchard. Find
it out yourselves. ;-p]
---ooOO0OOoo---
5 - ABOUT THIS FAQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Frequently Asked Questions List was written and is maintained by
Nick Boalch (n.g.boalch@durham.ac.uk), although credit for large parts must
go to Calle Aasman (gumby@hem.passagen.se), who supplied most of the
information in section 1, meaning that all I had to do was format it and
add a few comments, saving me huge amounts of time.
If you have a query about the contents of the FAQ, or would like to
see something added, please email me.
This FAQ is posted automatically by the MIT FAQ server, every 30 days,
to the newsgroups alt.books.tom-holt, alt.answers and news.answers, and
is available by mosaic to
http://www.durge.org/~ngb/scribblings/abth.txt.
[Editor's note: and here, obviously - with a certain lag]
The presented texts may contain copyrighted material. Trademarks are property of their respective owners.
© 1999-2000 
Uwe Milde
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Last edited on 2000-11-19.