Memorable characters can be hard to come by in classic science-fiction. The stories may be memorable. Authors were invested in the scene, the problem to be overcome, and the solution. Characters (sometimes: this isn’t a blanket indictment) could often seem mere afterthoughts. Poul Anderson created an unforgettable protagonist when he invented Nicholas van Rijn, head of the Solar Spice & Liquors Company.
Van Rijn is, to a degree, a Falstaffian character. His appetite for food, booze, and women is unbounded. Anderson takes pains to paint him as unattractive and yet vain about his dress. He portrays him quaffing liters of ale for breakfast and continually gorging himself, like Falstaff. Yet notably, van Rijn displays none of Falstaff’s aversion to danger. Perhaps a closer analogy is Nero Wolfe, another noted trencherman and devotee of beer. Certainly Wolfe and van Rijn are closely matched in intelligence, and spend much of the narrative evaluating information to produce a revelation at the end that none of the other characters managed to. In fact, van Rijn is often assisted by one or more Archie Goodwin types performing the legwork.
But Wolfe seldom leaves his home. Nicholas van Rijn, as a merchant prince, is frequently in space, trouble shooting problems in newly opened markets for his far flung trading empire. And while Wolfe is indolent, unwilling to stir himself to work unless the bank balance is low, van Rijn is never content unless the bank balance is steadily increasing. In fact the van Rijn stories are in some ways open-eyed proponents of libertarian capitalism, warts and all, in contrast to the Nero Wolfe stories.
I picked up the first two books of Nicholas van Rijn’s adventures: The Man Who Counts — a Novel of the Polesotechnic League; and Trader to the Stars — the Second Chronicle of the Polesotechnic League. The descriptions are accurate; the first is a novel, the second is a collection of three novellas. Van Rijn is the sole connecting character. He works with a completely different cast in each tale. While Anderson does a fine job in introducing new and varied characters, the one that stands out, that the reader won’t forget, is Nicholas van Rijn and his unique relationship with the English language.
Fun stuff. Recommended. While you’re waiting to run across the Polesotechnic League stories in a used bookstore, I recommend that in the meantime you order a copy of Plasma Pulp: Lost Worlds. This recommendation is based solely on the fact that I have story in it and thus will benefit, though I’m sure the other stories are excellent (I’ve not had a chance yet to peruse them.) Happy reading.