Having fun with names

[kengr]

So I'm reading a new-to-me SF series. Our hero is a captain in a space navy. And the enemy doesn't like him much at all because of the defeats he's handed them. Enough so that they are having agents try to kill him when he's not on his ship.

So he's assigned body guards for when is isn't on board.

First pair we encounter are named Browning and Lewis. Okay, no problem.

Then the next time he's off ship (on a different planet) he's assigned Thompson and Winchester. At which point (for me) the penny drops.

Sure enough, he's got yet another in the second book, named Remington.

I should have expected this as the author has dropped several other "interesting" character names. For example a Lt. Blutarsky. And the commander of a patrol boat was named MacMurray. Later we find out his first name is Fred.

Yup, the author is having fun.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

Speaking as a kinda-of author, coming up with names for characters can be hard and if you have a scheme that makes you giggle as well as the readers, that's all to the good!

[kengr]

In the third book, ((in which there is yet another agent, this time named Sauer) someone comments on their names being small arms maniufacturers and asks if they are code name. and gets a "I couldn't possibly comment" type reply.

I guess I wasn't the only one to notice.:-)

[stickmaker]

In my first (very unpublishable) novel, many of the secondary characters were named after Kentucky Counties.

[fayanora]

Apart from Winchester, I don't get it.

[kengr]

Browning and Lewis are famous machine gun makers (also make other guns). Thompson machine guns (aka tommyguns) are also famous. Winchester makes guns too. So does Remington.

[fayanora]

Okay cool