I'm looking for examples of novels or stories that have some detail revealed early on that later serves as a major plot point, but the significance of which was forgotten or not noticed by the time it occurs.

I have two examples, from "The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester, and
"Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny. These examples are spoilerish, so if
you haven't enjoyed these books yet, better stop reading.



*** Warning - here there be spoilers. ***




In "The Demolisched Man", Ben Reich misinterprets the coded message
from D'Courtney, WWHG, as "Denied". WWHG actually means "Acceptance",
and the key to the code is included, which shows that, but I (and I'll
wager, most readers) are swept along by Ben Reich's misinterpretation,
and don't realize it until towards the end of the book when it becomes significant.

In "Lord of Light", early on, the Rakasha "strengthen" Sam's
"flames", effectively making him immortal. But this is forgotten until
later when the Gods try to kill him before the marriage of Kali.


Looking for more examples of this - details known early on that go "unnoticed" until they are surprising significant plot points.

- ---

Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR
Control-G Consultants
lee.gleason@comcast.net


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Lee Gleason <lee.gleason@comcast.net> wrote or quoted:

I'm looking for examples of novels or stories that have some detail
revealed early on that later serves as a major plot point, but the >significance of which was forgotten or not noticed by the time it occurs.

There's a web article "The Moral Urgency of Anna Karenina"
by Gary Saul Morson about how Tolstoy hid some crucial
information in "Anna Karenina" in "open camouflage", which
information critics then repeatedly miss, according to Morson.

As another example, Bob Dylan wrote,

|Se¤or, se¤or, do you know where she is hidin'?

. Dylan is passing to us the crucial information that this
woman /is hidding/ from the narrator, but it is passed kind
of indirectly in a subordinate clause, as if the main thing
was asking the "se¤or" about her whereabouts.



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Lee Gleason <lee.gleason@comcast.net> wrote or quoted:

In "Lord of Light", early on, the Rakasha "strengthen" Sam's
"flames", effectively making him immortal. But this is forgotten until
later when the Gods try to kill him before the marriage of Kali.

If you are playing NetHack, sometimes you pick up an ability
from a scroll or a potion, and you might not actually get a
chance to use it until way later in the run.



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Lee Gleason <lee.gleason@comcast.net> wrote:

I'm looking for examples of novels or stories that have some detail
revealed early on that later serves as a major plot point, but the >significance of which was forgotten or not noticed by the time it occurs.

That might be anything Agatha Christie ever wrote?
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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Reply-To: slp53@pacbell.net

kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) writes:

Lee Gleason <lee.gleason@comcast.net> wrote:

I'm looking for examples of novels or stories that have some detail >>revealed early on that later serves as a major plot point, but the >>significance of which was forgotten or not noticed by the time it occurs.

That might be anything Agatha Christie ever wrote?

Or pretty much any fiction written by a competent author?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreshadowing

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On Sat, 12 Jul 2025 15:46:06 -0500, Lee Gleason <lee.gleason@comcast.net>
wrote in <iQzcQ.11152$y3X7.4493@fx01.iad>:

On 7/12/2025 12:35 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:

kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) writes:

Lee Gleason <lee.gleason@comcast.net> wrote:

I'm looking for examples of novels or stories that have some detail >>>> revealed early on that later serves as a major plot point, but the
significance of which was forgotten or not noticed by the time it occurs. >>>

That might be anything Agatha Christie ever wrote?

Or pretty much any fiction written by a competent author?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreshadowing

I'm looking for extreme examples, especially when the foreshadowing
goes unnoticed until much later. Do you know of any npvels that do that better than the two I mentioned?

Well, in any SF mystery -- to be a good mystery -- this has to happen.

I'm currently reading _The Patchwork Girl_ by Larry Niven which is _almost_
a "murder mystery", only it's more of a whodunit-murder-attempt mystery.

Spoilers below
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The murder (attempt) weapon is a message laser. In the beginning of the
novel, it's well-established that the moon base manufactures very
thin mirrors. The characteristics of the laser wound indicate the beam spread.

While searching the area on the moon where the assailant was seen,
there's shiny residue under a lunar rock.

I read the novel a long time ago, so I know how this turns out in
general (a mirror was used), but don't remember the specifics.
The Mrs. wanted us to read an SF mystery together, so we are. :)
I do remember there is a rather dramatic scene where a mirror
is used again, but I won't spoil that for you.

--
-v

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