Jo Walton has an “Ask me questions about Among Others” post up.
The question I’m not asking there is “How real (i.e. based on a real person) is Sam?”
I want him to be based on a real person (or a concatenation thereof) because I love him. He reminds me in some ways of my Grandpop Lou.
I’m not asking because, for one thing I’ve already asked a question that might be of interest for other people than myself (about the ways in which Mori is Other). And because I don’t want to know if he isn’t. And because of course he is – I’ve just said he’s got some of my grandfather in him! The part where Walton never met Granpop is irrelevant to that reality.
On the topic of other books, I really need to get off the computer and on the erg (rowing machine), where I’m listening to The Three Musketeers. Why didn’t anyone ever mention how funny it is?