Name confusion

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I'm re-reading the series again (to my delight and in anticipation of the latest book out in Feb), and there's something I've come across that perhaps is my own misinterpretation.

In the first three books, Nita's father is called "Harry". However, in the fourth one, he's called "Ed".

Am I missing something?

Comments

[comrade-cat.livejournal.com]

Can you give a chapter reference? The page numbers are probably different in the different editions..

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Close to the end of the second book, as well as the beginning of the third. In the fourth book, right at the end of chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5.

[comrade-cat.livejournal.com]

Heh, you're right. I always thought of him as Harry from the other books. I guess Diane Duane made a continuity mistake. Of course, he's called 'Ed' both times by Aunt Annie (whom I've always assumed is Anne McCaffrey, or modeled after her). It's not in the narration or in Nita's POV. So maybe it's just something Annie calls Harry. Harry Edmund or Harry Edward, like Caitlin says below.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Normally I would have agreed, but:

"Well, you know, Ed, it's your side of the family that the wizardry comes down from."
--Page 122 of A Wizard Abroad, MMPB ed.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Oh, sorry, it was Tom saying that.

[comrade-cat.livejournal.com]

Grr. How annoying.

[(Anonymous)]

It *is* odd that Tom is calling Nita's dad Ed there, since he usually calls him Harry, but it's possible that he picked up Ed from Betty Callahan, since the Concordance says (http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Ed) that this is a nickname she "occasionally used" for her husband. (However, I don't remember ever seeing her use it in the books, and since Aunt Annie isn't mentioned on that page of the Concordance, it's entirely possible that DD made a mistake there. For that matter, Occam's razor would certainly seem suggest that Tom's using "Ed" is also a slip-up.)

Regardless, this is a very good catch, as no one brought Tom's use up any of the times this topic was came up on the YW forums. (The most recent version is at [http://www.youngwizards.com/forums/showthread.php?p=30994], and includes links to the previous iterations.)

Nathan (off the YW forums)

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I have anal detection powers....

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

Could be "Harold Edward" or sth.

I have friends who have a middle name they go by instead of their first name.

*shrug*

[l33tminion]

Wikipedia and the Young Wizards Wiki both seem to think that's the case.

[celebestel.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're right. I'm a little surprised I never noticed that before.

Diane has a lot of odd inconsistencies in the series, which I guess is what happens when you write a series over such a very long time. For instance, Nita wore glasses at one point, then didn't need them later (this was later explained as astygmatism that corrected itself).

He's Harry again in Dilemma (page 141 in mine, at least). I just checked.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

You're right. She's been writing it for well over twenty years now. I'm surprised she's able to keep up.

[adiva_calandia]

This is especially true in AWAb -- isn't there something right at the beginning about Nita being fourteen and having practiced wizardry for three years, when she was thirteen at the beginning of SYWtBaW?

[caiteydid.livejournal.com]

And in the beginning of the series, it's before I was born- like before 87. But by WaW, 9/11 has already occured, but Nita hasn't grown up nearly that much.

I think.

[adiva_calandia]

Mmyep. That's always been one of my favorites: Dairine's specific reference to being born in the 1970s in HW, with the iPods and 9/11 references coming -- in-universe -- no more than three or four years after that.

What, Diane Duane. *fondly exasperated*

[caiteydid.livejournal.com]

I actually read an explanation somewhere, that I think maybe she'd said, but maybe someone just made it up, that they were supposed to be in the perpetual present.

And it totally works for me, because there have been worse unlikely things done by authors. At least it isn't late 20-somethings getting with 14 year olds! *throws a glare in Pierce's general direction*

[celebestel.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, there was a time when I could give a five-minute lecture on the timeline of this series (it's been my favorite for the past nine years, so . . .). Not anymore. :P But the timeline is definitely totally insane. I've always found it sort of endearing. :P

[caiteydid.livejournal.com]

I find it endearing too!

[rare-fandom.livejournal.com]

I caught that too. I looked it up at ErrantyWiki, and it says that his full name is ( Harold Edward Callahan ) (http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Callahan%2C_Harold_Edward), which I guess means “Ed” and “Harry” are both nicknames.

And the new book is coming out in February? I’d heard March, but February is even better.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Indigo.ca has it listed for the end of February, so we're both right =3.

The nicknames thing makes sense, except why would TOM call Nita's dad by a nickname? Sounds a little weird to me.

[rare-fandom.livejournal.com]

**glares at B&N**
Dammit guys, part of the reason I have a discount card with you is that you’re supposed to send me alerts about new releases by authors I have bought before! Way to drop the ball.

As to why Tom is using the nickname, I have no idea.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Oops, the first.
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Wizard-Mars-Ninth-Book-Young-Diane-Duane/9780152047702-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527wizard+of+mars%2527&sterm=wizard+of+mars+-+Books

[famebound.livejournal.com]

Where did you hear news of a release date for the new book? Does this mean my dreams are finally coming true?!

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Wizard-Mars-Ninth-Book-Young-Diane-Duane/9780152047702-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527wizard+of+mars%2527&sterm=wizard+of+mars+-+Books