the big mistake

in her sci-fi novel world's end, joan d. vinge writes about bz gundhalinu. gundhalinu was a technician of the second rank in the stratified society of the planet karemough, which led the hegemony. he served on tiamat, where he was an inspector of the hegemonig police. his capture by nomadic thugs forced him attempt suicide by slashing his wrists, and only the love of moon dawntreader gave him strenght to carry on with his life. he helped her becoming the summer queen on tiamat, just before the hegemony's departure - and his own departure. cast aside by his people (death before dishonor, they said), gundhalinu went to four, one of the planets of the hegemony, where he worked as police inspector again. and when his brothers went missing in a barren wasteland known as the world's end, gundhalinu dared what many have dared before and no one had succeded yet: he went to the world's end to look for his brothers and to pick up the shards of his shattered life.

and the trip to the world's end was known on four by the big mistake.

gods, i feel so much like gundhalinu.