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From: David Stockhoff I wrote earlier: I guess that Silk’s head would replace Piaton’s, then. But I still don’t think that his intended position will not be the equivalent of Pi…
29 Nov 2011, 20:03
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From: James Wynn If you can show an interpretation is wrong, you save others from being misled by it. Seems a good reason to point out the problem. - Gerry Quinn…
29 Nov 2011, 19:39
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From: David Stockhoff So what was the point you were making, then? Do you disagree with my reasoning regarding the role of Silk in Pas/Silk? This is so weird. An aspect of the…
29 Nov 2011, 18:49
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From: David Stockhoff So what was the point you were making, then? Do you disagree with my reasoning regarding the role of Silk in Pas/Silk? This is so weird. An aspect of the…
29 Nov 2011, 18:49
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From: David Stockhoff So what was the point you were making, then? Do you disagree with my reasoning regarding the role of Silk in Pas/Silk? This is so weird. An aspect of the…
29 Nov 2011, 18:49
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From: David Stockhoff Your response puzzles me. Perhaps the “drum roll” interjection is intended to represent some sort of victory screech, but I cannot see in what argument you…
29 Nov 2011, 18:04
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From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes That Echidna is one stoned lady! - Gerry Quinn…
29 Nov 2011, 17:18
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From: David Stockhoff Lots of reasons. Presumably Kypris doesn’t show Silk his own head gasping. And I don;t think she’s trying to trick him either. Also, in RttW he seems to …
29 Nov 2011, 17:14
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From: Ant?nio Pedro Marques You’re right — I never noticed that. At the same time, I never noticed the heads being different elsewhere. Perhaps Pas had to restore from an earl…
29 Nov 2011, 16:30
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From: James Wynn That isn’t too hard to explain. He might have lost a lot of data when he died and resurrected. He would then have needed more of Silk than he had planned to us…
29 Nov 2011, 15:27
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From: David Stockhoff Don’t we all? Identical twins are clones. - Gerry Quinn…
29 Nov 2011, 15:23
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From: David Stockhoff I don’t think it matters — Two-Headed Pas as icon has two equal heads. The Typhon-Piaton origin is no longer relevant, and would be meaningless to Silk, fo…
29 Nov 2011, 15:18
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From: James Wynn But if Mucor possessed Oreb, then you do have an error in Silk’s rationalisation as required — and you also have an explanation for why Oreb lied (or forgot). -…
29 Nov 2011, 14:24
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From: Lee Berman They are the two Sleepers that we talk to (unless there are more in IGJ and RttW that I haven’t got to on my re-read) and so must be taken as representative. Ma…
29 Nov 2011, 14:20
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From: Larry Miller The question Silk asked was about how Pas died — that’s why he asked if Pas possessed someone who died. Echidna answered the implied question, but she was los…
29 Nov 2011, 13:59
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From: David Stockhoff Vance usually uses it when his wizards grow humanoid agents (though they are rarely clones exactly). - Gerry Quinn…
29 Nov 2011, 13:48
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From: James Wynn Mamelta calls him the Monarch. As for the rest, the Sleepers have to get along with the other people of Blue. - Gerry Quinn…
29 Nov 2011, 13:46
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From: Lee Berman Mandragora is a quite standard name for such homunculi. In fact, it’s the *only* meaning given by Wikipedia: ?In myth, mandragoras are familiar demons who appe…
29 Nov 2011, 13:36
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From: Brian Lovely Marc has ideas along somewhat similar lines, I think. But really, I don’t see any strong reason to believe that the creatures of Green and Blue are anything o…
29 Nov 2011, 13:26
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From: Lee Berman Actually this is quite incorrect. Silk recognises the painting as a “crude mockery of Campion’s celebrated painting of Pas enthroned”. Campion’s painting was…
28 Nov 2011, 13:10
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From: Larry Miller Why assume an alien with one-way mind transfer, when there’s no difference from if he was human all along? - Gerry Quinn…
28 Nov 2011, 04:23
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From: Lee Berman Their minds weren’t wiped — we know that quite clearly from Mamelta and Rigoglio, who remember much of their time on Urth. As for the painting, it might well ha…
28 Nov 2011, 04:19
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From: Ant?nio Pedro Marques That is a good point. And when Severian woke him he was all gung-ho to take over Urth again, yet fifty years later he had not reappeared after being …
28 Nov 2011, 03:22
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From: Larry Miller It’s true she doesn’t mention Typhon specifically, but she remembers his family, notably Molpe. They danced through her dreams. - Gerry Quinn…
28 Nov 2011, 03:17
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From: Larry Miller Typhon wanted a son. If he were a space monster, surely he would hardly have cared about the son of some random Urthling? The mandragora? Do you mean the h…
28 Nov 2011, 03:15
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From: Ant?nio Marques Either that, or he learned ?ah, my old enemy Abaia is still around, and doing well it seems — maybe it’s time to negotiate a new understanding. But it seems…
28 Nov 2011, 01:44
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From: Larry Miller The possession is technological, based on light pulses sent via the Sacred Windows. There’s no evidence that Typhon himself can do it. Scanning is the same f…
28 Nov 2011, 01:39
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From: Larry Miller Something was done to them, but they seem to remember their time on Urth reasonably well. Both Mamelta and Rigoglio have plenty to say about Typhon, and there…
28 Nov 2011, 01:16
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From: Ant?nio Marques He mightn?t have known about Scylla. Or he might not have recognised the significance of the name she took. - Gerry Quinn…
28 Nov 2011, 01:02
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From: Larry Miller Can’t a man be a monster? - Gerry Quinn…
28 Nov 2011, 01:00
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From: Ant?nio Marques He didn’t know anything about it when she was scanned and the Whorl launched? Though you’d think he’d send a message to Pas on the subject... - Gerry Quinn…
28 Nov 2011, 00:15
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From: Lee Berman Surely it’s evident that the blond-haired man *was* Typhon? If he were some sort of human mind-slave of a monstrous alien (for which I don’t believe there’s an…
28 Nov 2011, 00:13
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From: Larry Miller What makes you think that? - Gerry Quinn…
28 Nov 2011, 00:02
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From: Larry Miller I don’t see much reason to think he is non-human, though he may be an off-world human. Sure, he doesn’t have a saint’s name, but then again he made himself in…
27 Nov 2011, 21:28
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From: David Stockhoff Granted the stars are visible during the day on Urth, but surely the night must still be the best time for viewing constellations? I don’t see what you mean…
27 Nov 2011, 15:22
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From: Sergei SOLOVIEV I agree with Sergei — Typhon may well have come from off-Urth but he is human, or close enough for government work. Even if he has psychic powers (I pers…
27 Nov 2011, 14:24
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From: Larry Miller Why would humans be loyal to an alien? Severian sees him as a man with two heads, but notices no other non-human characteristics. Typhon may well have come fr…
27 Nov 2011, 01:56
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From: Larry Miller There are a good few reasons that appeal to various degrees to various people. One is the fact that Silk is certainly a special embryo, one seeming bred to ha…
26 Nov 2011, 23:16
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From: James Wynn Something just occurred to me this morning. Mamelta and Rigoglio (as well as chems, but they mightn?t know or notice) are not the only people who were contempor…
26 Nov 2011, 19:47
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From: Roy C. Lackey That makes a lot of sense. Silk’s rationalisation of Oreb’s actions is correct, then, but Oreb either forgot or didn’t accept that his actions while possesse…
26 Nov 2011, 16:56
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From: Lee Berman Again, your physics is correct: while the issues of the vacuum / dryness etc. can be argued around, the problem of escape velocity can’t easily be. Nevertheless…
26 Nov 2011, 16:42
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From: Andrew Mason Horn seems to do it in the pit, when the long-nosed man touches something to his forehead. - Gerry Quinn…
25 Nov 2011, 23:28
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From: Ant?nio Pedro Marques Seems close enough... - Gerry Quinn…
25 Nov 2011, 18:11
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From: Lee Berman Because humans might change. Unlikely, but it might happen. This is the core moral theme of Short Sun, IMO. - Gerry Quinn…
25 Nov 2011, 14:36
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From: David Stockhoff James does not ordinarily imagine or assert non-existent textual evidence for his ideas (not everyone is so careful/scrupulous). In this case, however, he …
25 Nov 2011, 13:53
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From: David Stockhoff Apparently there was no sapient life on Green before the Neighbours developed space technology and went there. Inhumi were just like animals, and even if t…
25 Nov 2011, 13:47
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From: Lee Berman Even if that’s correct, what difference does it make? It does suggest, I suppose, that humans on Blue have less to worry about than they might have thought, giv…
24 Nov 2011, 17:33
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From: Larry Miller Ah yes — I have read it now. Interesting that Silk no longer mentions Oreb, probably writing him off as appearing only in his imagination. Instead he thinks …
24 Nov 2011, 12:49
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From: Lee Berman Wolfe plays fast and loose with the laws of physics when it suits the story. Maybe inhumi can generate a hard shell for themselves while flying. An intitial sp…
24 Nov 2011, 12:37
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From: Marc Aramini Yes. As I understand it, if that happens they will then prey on unintelligent animals and regress to a similar state themselves, like they were on Green befor…
24 Nov 2011, 12:17
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