Carlos Wu is a famous flatlander mathematician, playwright and composer. Considered a genius, he was given an unlimited breeding license by the Fertility Board of Earth when he was only eighteen[1], a fact which causes him to regularly get petitioned by women and couples to father their children.[2]
He is described as a dark slender man, with narrow shoulders and straight black hair. Graceful in one Earth gravity.[2] He has the flatland phobia (fear of space).[1] In addition to him being a genius he is also incredibly resistant to diseases and injury.[2]
A friend of Beowulf Shaeffer and Sharrol Janss he enters an agreement with them after the Fertility Board denies Beowulf a breeding license for being an albino.[1] He marries Sharrol on a two year contract and has two children with her, Tanya Wu and Louis Wu.[2]
After the contract ends he leaves for Jinx as Beowulf is expected to return to raise the children with Sharrol. Ironically, he encounters Beowulf on Jinx as he is stranded there after ships stop making trips to Sol system due to unexplained disappearances. Initially a bit apprehensive Beowulf might hold some spite for his marriage with Sharrol they patch things up and agree on going back together to Sol system on a special ship provided by Sigmund Ausfaller who is as well hunting for the reason behind the disappearances.[2]
On their trip back to Sol system the three of them speculate on what might have happened to the ships. As they near Sol's gravity well they are forced out of hyperspace unexpectedly, and their hyperdrive motor vanishes. In the ensuing aftermath Carlos formulates a theory on what might be happening to the ships but refuses to discuss it with Beowulf or Sigmund. Instead, they search for another famous scientist called Julian Forward who might be able to help Carlos confirm his theory.[2]
Julian does confirm Carlos's theory, although in a rather dramatic way.[2]
After a near death experience he is rescued along with Beowulf by Sigmund and later witnesses the destruction of Forward Station by the first known quantum black hole.[2]
Sometime after his return to Earth he helped the UN design a new autodoc that used self-replicating machines and raw organic material to rebuild human tissues instead of transplants. He also started a relationship with an ARM agent called Feather Filip. With Feather's help Carlos starts plotting to secretly leave Earth and emigrate to Home via Fafnir with Carlos wanting to escape the UN's hold on him, the plot widens to include Sharrol, Beowulf and the children she had with Carlos. The plot goes along well until Fafnir where Feather turns on the group and tries to kill Beowulf. The reason for this remains unknown but Beowulf speculates Feather wanted to have children with Carlos and Carlos refused because feather was a schizophrenic causing Feather to come up with a plan to force Carlos.[3]
Unfortunately for Feather, Carlos escapes with frozen Tanya and Louis and reaches one of Fafnir's spaceports where he leaves for Home with the children and settles.[3]
Appears on[]
- Grendel (Mentioned only)
- The Borderland of Sol
- Procrustes
- Ghost (Mentioned only)
- Fly-By-Night (Mentioned only)
- Ringworld's Children (Mentioned only)
- Juggler of Worlds
- Betrayer of Worlds (Mentioned only)