"As the years passed, Donald, always aloof and taciturn, withdrew more and more to himself."
-Lord of Samarcand
Howard seemed to prefer writing perspective characters that acted rather than make their way via the spoken word. This is unusual for a writer outside the comic book market, to spend more ink describing the body language, eye expression and dynamic action of a character than on his dialogue.
tac·i·turn.
[ˈtasəˌtərn]
ADJECTIVE
1.(of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
synonyms: untalkative · uncommunicative · reticent · unforthcoming ·
quiet · secretive · tight-lipped · buttoned-up · close-mouthed · silent · mute · dumb · inarticulate · reserved · withdrawn
antonyms: talkative
ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: from Latin taciturnus, from tacitus (see tacit).
RELATED FORMS
taciturn (adjective)
