If you enjoy zombie science fiction, there is a scene in World War Z (the book, not the atrocious movie of the same name) which you would appreciate. Blink and you'll miss it, but the author distills some of the best parts of the British national character into two sentences which nearly made me (an American) weep for the beauty of it.
[Edit: Strong general recommendation for that book, by the way. If it were not in a low-status genre, parts of it would be taught in high schools.]
The government of the UK retreats above Hadrian's Wall after civil order in the country collapses in the wake of the zombie pandemic. The Queen refuses to abandon her people and declines evacuation, makes all royal property throughout the commonwealth a refuge by royal decree for any who can successfully reach and hold it, and with her loyal retainers turns Buckingham Palace into a sanctuary (and beacon of hope) in zombie-overrun London. This later proves to be crucial to the UK as Buckingham Palace happens to be on top of substantial petroleum reserves, which wartime exigencies require tapping.
That's what happens, anyhow. Read the book, Max Brooks does it a lot better than I just did from a three year old memory. There is also a very brief meditation by the character being interviewed by the frame narrator to the effect that the monarch is the custodian of the soul of Britain in a way that the Yanks just can't understand. Literary criticism: I would have struck that sentence because the book shows that powerfully and it is weaker for then saying the moral explicitly.
Comments
If you enjoy zombie science fiction, there is a scene in World War Z (the book, not the atrocious movie of the same name) which you would appreciate. Blink and you'll miss it, but the author distills some of the best parts of the British national character into two sentences which nearly made me (an American) weep for the beauty of it.
[Edit: Strong general recommendation for that book, by the way. If it were not in a low-status genre, parts of it would be taught in high schools.]
Oh man. I need to go back and find my copy now... :-)
What was it? I don't exactly have a copy of the book on hand...
The government of the UK retreats above Hadrian's Wall after civil order in the country collapses in the wake of the zombie pandemic. The Queen refuses to abandon her people and declines evacuation, makes all royal property throughout the commonwealth a refuge by royal decree for any who can successfully reach and hold it, and with her loyal retainers turns Buckingham Palace into a sanctuary (and beacon of hope) in zombie-overrun London. This later proves to be crucial to the UK as Buckingham Palace happens to be on top of substantial petroleum reserves, which wartime exigencies require tapping.
That's what happens, anyhow. Read the book, Max Brooks does it a lot better than I just did from a three year old memory. There is also a very brief meditation by the character being interviewed by the frame narrator to the effect that the monarch is the custodian of the soul of Britain in a way that the Yanks just can't understand. Literary criticism: I would have struck that sentence because the book shows that powerfully and it is weaker for then saying the moral explicitly.
"...the monarch is the custodian of the soul of the Britain."
Excellent way of putting it. That is pretty much what she (or he) is.
This is one of my favourite sections in both the book and the audiobook.
I would highly recommend checking out the audiobook even if you've read the dead tree version. It is a different, but equally enjoyable, experience.