"Halting State" by Charles Stross the Signifigance of Barnaby and Reed

[jeffreyab]

I am just finishing this wonderful book and I wonder if anyone else knows of a connection between the names of two of the main viewpoint characters Barnaby and Reed?

I am so familiar with the context between these two names that it kept throwing me off the reading thread, although thankfully the great story kept pulling me back on.

Also the constant stream of WOW ideas.

Charlie is a international writing treasure that must be preserved.

Comments

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Um, what connection would that be?

(I wasn't aware of one.)

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Sir Edward James Reed (20 September 1830 – 30 November 1906), KCB, FRS, was the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1863 until 1870. He designed early ironclads for the Royal Navy including the turret ships Monarch and Devastation. He resigned after a dispute with Coles over the design of the ill fated Captain.

He was succeeded by his brother in law Sir Nathaniel Barnaby (born February 25, 1829 in Chatham, England; died in 1915) who was Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1872 to 1885. He saw the transition from full rigged ships firing muzzle loaders to unrigged ships firing 16.25" breech loaders.

They were classmates together at the school of mathematics and naval construction at Portsmouth. In spite of this and the marital relationship Reed was a constant critic of Barnaby which lead to the latters early retirement from stress.


So every time I saw these two names together i first thought of these two.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Gosh, how ... interesting ... a coincidence!

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence.

Still since you surprised me with the Crowley, Fuller and Mosley connection I can never be sure.

You could have been Tuckerizing.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

It has been known to happen.

My current Tuckerization headache is that I'm supposed to be putting marykaykare of this parish into a novel -- IIRC it was for the Mike Ford charity auction -- and her name is notable enough that I'm going to find it bloody hard to sneak her past without it being obtrusive.

[encorecrazay.livejournal.com]

Since Stross is Scotish, he may have knowledge of this. Did you know that Stross was the Author GOH at the 2005 ArmadilloCon in Austin? I only have a few of his books.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

No he was not.

I am not too surprised its an obscure reference to any one who is not a Royal Navy wonk.

To me the name Barnaby is pretty unusual and in combination with Reed it just triggers a response in me.

[erikvolson.livejournal.com]

Charlie is a international writing treasure that must be preserved.

In scotch, of course, but real ale will do in a pinch.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Blended or single malt?

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

No, no. After my conversation with him at Penguicon, I'm convinced he wants to be frozen in liquid nitrogen. Using kind of an unusual method.