Random Brust question

[prog]

When Vlad says "I went up to the door and clapped," does he mean that he stood facing the door and clapped his hands together, like applause, in order to announce his presence? I took clapped to be a synonym for used a door knocker but then it seems from other context that this isn't what people do there.

I'm up to Phoenix, by the way, and enjoying the series very much. It's more or less been getting better with each book. (Though I get the impression that Brust later regrets the precedent he sets in the first book by suggesting that bringing back the dead is easy and common. It almost never happens after that, with the author going through contortions not to contradict himself.)

Comments

[jadelennox]

Dragereans clap instead of knock. It's a minor point later on when he goes East where people knock. Or possibly all the humans knock , I can't remember.

[prog.livejournal.com]

It's an Eastern thing, yes. The confusion first comes up early on, when we meet Cawti's rabble-rousing buddies.

[katre50.livejournal.com]

I've never read these books, but now I am sitting here trying to figure how on earth you can clap loud enough to be heard through a door reliably. I mean, that's the point of knocking: it transmits the sound through the door. Maybe they're really strong, but also have funky ears so they don't deafen themselves? Maybe they have special door-listening servants who wait for a clap? I don't know, and now I can't stop worrying about it.

[toonhead-npl.livejournal.com]

Touched the door and got VD. Duh.

[radtea.livejournal.com]

Claps his hands together. There's some scene in Teckla, I think, where he does it in South Adrilankha and no one comes to the door, and then he remembers he should pound on the doorpost instead.