-
Several recent newstories about Groening's new series include a cartoon self-portrait of Groening in his studio with a bookcase behind him "...The animation pioneer noted that he i…
14 Aug 2018, 02:52
-
http://everythingisnice.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/the-fifth-head-of-cerberus-by-gene-wolfe/#comment-1391 David Duffy.…
26 Mar 2010, 23:54
-
If Wolfe is a lesser short story writer, then why are the embedded stories (eg Peace) so good and so central to the novels ;) A most memorable SF/fantastic short with world build…
26 Jun 2003, 05:45
-
I seem to remember earlier discussion of this. Looking on various web sites, Mithra was incorporated into Zoroastrianism as one of the holy immortals aiding Ahura Mazda: "Mithra w…
12 May 2003, 01:24
-
While rereading Lem, I was suddenly caught by "no more than any genuine heresy such as the Manichaean or the Pelagian." And yes, the Pelagians "emphasize human free will as the d…
07 May 2003, 22:10
-
Was it possibly a review in Foundation, comparing Donaldson's _The One Tree_ with _The Sword of the Lictor_ (both out at that time)? As I remember that article, the reviewer found…
20 Apr 2003, 04:51
-
I can't resist pointing out that these are used in chess notation: "!?" interesting and speculative "?!" bold but unsound Lots of use for them on this list ;) David Duffy.…
07 Jan 2003, 01:59
-
All this information about the Ozzian army reminded me (off topic) of John Wright's _The Golden Age_: his soldier too wears tinted specs IIRC. David Duffy.…
16 Dec 2002, 06:26
-
I seem to recall someone earlier pointing out that Silk was always very abstemious, as befits an augur.…
07 Jul 2002, 06:10
-
The only reason for its mention I can see is the symmetry with _"A Story"_, where one of the twins is cut (probably actually castrated). About level of destruction of physical evi…
22 May 2002, 07:27
-
There is little doubt that there were abos. It is more the melancholy fact, that just as on our world, all evidence of their occupation is intentionally (and/or incidentally) dest…
20 May 2002, 05:44
-
Apropos suites and mosaics, there is a much older model such as the stories about Robin Hood etc. There, they are cycles. They may represent episodes in the one narrative, variat…
16 May 2002, 07:36
-
And are polymorphic: short and ugly, taller and fair. It is the obvious link, given the "abo" terminology, which I think is unique to Australian vernacular, but there is little ma…
07 May 2002, 01:24
-
I think, just as Gevers suggests Wolfe is deconstructing all the other genres in BotLS, he is having a hack at profane love as not (necessarily) being a solution to the existential…
08 Feb 2002, 07:09
-
Tolkien said that he disliked allegory. As a child, I read his introduction to LOTR, and used it to justify a literal reading of the Pilgrim's Progress ;). Wolfe always has a-not…
14 Dec 2001, 00:18
-
I just watched a documentary about the Royal Menagerie within the Tower of London. Not only was there a Lion Tower (where the lions and tigers were, demolished in the 19th C), but…
01 Sep 2001, 10:49
-
_The magic faraway tree_ (we're not restricted to "High Fantasy" are we ;)) _A wizard of earthsea_ _The Weirdstone of Brisingamen_ _Elidor_ _The nargun and the stars_ _Sweethallow…
02 Aug 2001, 00:07
-
Dan'l and William said: I have to admit, the last time I reread the trilogy, I read it backwards, and enjoyed Titus Alone the best (I was reminded of it last weekend, sitting in d…
03 Jul 2001, 23:28
-
I think we're in the wrong worldview here. The song is magical, so its effects break down immediately from the point of view of a pre-Contact narrator, no matter how acausal that …
23 Jan 2001, 23:36
-
Not having read the story, is it the Ship of Fools?…
04 Sep 2000, 04:04
-
Put me down please!…
09 Aug 2000, 04:33
-
As a good Gnostic and fan of heterodoxies, JC would be happy to have Judas as hero, wouldn't he? I was fuzzily thinking as part of the hero, based on my distant memory of the fina…
03 Jul 2000, 00:47
-
Reynard can be seen as doing his duty as he sees it. Rush is offered a choice at the end of his narrative (which suddenly reminds me of the offer to Silk). He knows what he is …
29 Jun 2000, 06:31
-
Truman's name is actually written Harry S Truman -- not having the book here, what is the exact punctuation?…
28 Jun 2000, 00:33
-
The Rajan also mentions that the length of year varies across different cities' calendars, making his (and mantis's) calculations slightly harder. David Duffy. "reserved when ali…
18 Jun 2000, 09:17
-
I don't know if it has been mentioned before, but Stalin dies from his stroke (?) because nobody dares disturb him in his study. David Duffy.…
06 Apr 2000, 06:02
-
That B. wants to live forever, while they presumably by choice reject such an option. | David Duffy. ,-_|\ | email: davidD@qim…
19 Jan 2000, 23:42
-
In defence of Park, it is pretty clear that words like "horse" and "petrol" don't refer to the mammal and hydrocarbon we know and love. Perhaps destrier would have been better, …
03 Dec 1999, 00:38
-
Slightly tangentially, I read _The marriage of Cadmus and Harmony_ after positive remarks here (IIRC). His new book (here anyway) is _Ka_, and the third chapter is all about Ushas…
26 Nov 1999, 00:25
-
I've commented before on what I thought of as a medieval (Christian) world view in Wolfe, in that the pain and suffering in this antechamber to eternity is really not that importan…
22 Nov 1999, 00:19
-
You shouldn't be completely dismissive of this. It was replicated up as high as cats (trooly rooly), but the effects were never really big. Just recently they've found there are a…
04 Nov 1999, 07:27
-
Briefly delurking, I couldn't help but bite at the mantic comments wrt alchemy. A brief search gives several images that *might* inform UotNS (I don't have any primary references …
03 Nov 1999, 05:53
-
03 Nov 1999, 00:17
-
I'm really impressed by this flowery analysis too. Just for this last list, maybe the English meanings/puns are also relevant, "loosing strife" as well as "ending strife", and "r…
18 Jul 1999, 05:21
-
That is definitely the case for all his artificial creatures, such as the hollow men, (and more noticeably in the Long Sun) -- they are all made in the image of G*d, and all can be…
08 Jun 1999, 00:29
-
A difference is that Wolfe actually is Catholic, but Blish IIRC was an atheist; and while Wolfe likes Borges and Chesterton, Blish liked Joyce and Cabell (and Star Trek) ;). The e…
02 Jun 1999, 02:14
-
All this discussion reminds me of the not-to-be-got-into-here arguments about science fiction v fantasy v magical realism v fabulation v whatever whatever. Wolfe is a science fict…
30 Apr 1999, 03:37
-
Has anyone seen the great photo of Wolfe in the recent collection called (IIRC) "Fantasy Writers": he is reclining on a couch wearing a Wolf T-shirt; a (pretty lupine) German She…
24 Mar 1999, 05:43
-
I think they are characters in a dream, based on those waiting in one or more actual visits to the doctor. WRT dreams and rooms, Lessingham in _The Worm Orouboros_ has the room (“…
25 Jan 1999, 03:14
-
(Maybe it should be Alder rather than Alden -- elm, though then you can't throw in Den) I have the impression (coming back to the pillow story) that Weir's life represents a wron…
06 Nov 1998, 00:13
-
I had two points - the first is about the arrow of time and entropy. Briah could actually be the contraction phase of our universe -- to viewers there, we are in their distant fut…
04 Sep 1998, 00:41
-
I am reminded of _The Thurb Revolution_ where the differences between Realists and Nominalists is discussed. WRT Dante, I have previously commented on the quote from Shea's Infern…
16 Jun 1998, 01:31
-
Isn't the choice at the end of the Long sun series between the green and blue planets? viz the Aborigines. David Duffy.…
01 Jun 1998, 01:09
-
Regarding _Acturus_ (I am a fan I guess), I think a link is what I think of as the medieval Christian viewpoint that suffering and death in this world are transitory -- so it's not…
25 Apr 1998, 03:55
Urth Net