Talk:Oracle/@comment-173.206.248.47-20150415201444

What was the point of inventing new names for "Stoney" and "Hamilton"?

You wouldn't be able to follow the story without knowing who they're actually supposed to be, Egan goes to extraordinary lengths to establish beyond the tinyest shred of a doubt just who they really are, and slandering historical figures wouldn't be a concern since it's stated outright that people are different individuals from their alternate universe counterparts.

Did the publisher insist on this for some reason? Harry Turtledove does this sort of thing all the time without apparent grief.