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They are certainly alien in origin, brought long ago to Urth allegedly "for the use and benefit of man". Presumably they evolved to prey on the creatures of their native world, …
31 Jan 2011, 02:07
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From: "Andrew Mason" <andrew.mason53 at googlemail.com> Gerry Quinn wrote: > It's definitely Malrubius's aquastor, in Chapter 31 of Citadel: "If you fail, your manhood will be tak…
31 Jan 2011, 01:52
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"When the alzabo rushed at the zoanthrops, its instinct commanded it to preserve its prey from others; when Becan did so, his instinct, I believe, was to preserve his wife and chil…
31 Jan 2011, 01:46
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The whole business as explained by Malrubius's aquastor doesn't make a whole lot of sense. (1) Why be concerned that the particular autarchs who undertook and failed the trial m…
30 Jan 2011, 18:16
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Spare us the psychoanalysis. If you can show Becan fighting alzabo instincts, I am prepared to be convinced. The fact that I do not agree with your conclusions does not in itse…
30 Jan 2011, 17:41
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Certainly Wolfe like everyone must be restricted for the most part to the science, pop science, and non-science of his own and previous times. But I don't think one can assume t…
28 Jan 2011, 21:23
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I don't. The alzabo evolved (or was genetically engineered) to eat humans and use their minds. Humans did not evolve to be eaten by alzabos. In the absence of strong evidence …
28 Jan 2011, 21:05
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From: Jordon Flato Isn't there a difference in what happens to the 'memories' or 'identities' in Severian as opposed to everyone else, including the Alzabo? Sev has the power t…
28 Jan 2011, 21:05
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But parts of the possessor's personality become permanently incorporated in the possessee. As Chenille/Kypris explains: "Really I'm Chenille, with something extra". She also (i…
28 Jan 2011, 19:22
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I don't think I would call it a different creature, really, or use the word 'merger'. It is still an alzabo, which is using Becan's mind as a tool. Any parts of Becan's mind tha…
28 Jan 2011, 17:39
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From: "Jeff Wilson" <jwilson at io.com> Gerry.Quinn: It seems obvious that family and/or close acquaintaince are the basis of its modus operandi. It comes to the door crying to b…
28 Jan 2011, 02:36
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At the very beginning, maybe? He descends into Gyoll, and finds (perhaps) death and new life. - Gerry Quinn From: Son of Witz The vertical metaphor isn't a crucial part, …
27 Jan 2011, 22:34
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From: Mr Thalassocrat Viz: Sev colludes with a repugnant alien beast to facilitate the death of most of Cadoe's family, leaving Little Sev as the only survivor. Morally, I t…
27 Jan 2011, 20:08
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From: Son of Witz No no, I'm not condescending. I think so often readers are looking for everything to be something other than what it seems, while they often overlook the symbo…
27 Jan 2011, 19:58
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Nonsense. Natural selection can operate on quite subtle differences, not just obvious ones. - Gerry Quinn…
26 Jan 2011, 01:30
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Exactly. Different peoples migrating to a country would have different genetic capacities for such adaptations; combined with random chance this would result in various possibil…
26 Jan 2011, 01:27
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That may to individual genes or structures over short timescales (with large changes over long timescales Dollo's Law does apply and irreversibility is the rule, not the exceptio…
25 Jan 2011, 17:13
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It was never about skin colour. [Nor is skin colour especially susceptible to biased thinking, in my opinion. The notion that those who believe in racial differences are hypnot…
23 Jan 2011, 19:16
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I'm certainly interested in learning, Lee, whether from you or anybody else. I hope however that "learning something about the field from me", does not mean taking you as some so…
23 Jan 2011, 06:15
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Dollo's Law was formulated before the days of molecular genetics, but it is easily generalised. Essentially it is a statement about the irreversibility of evolution, and its tru…
23 Jan 2011, 02:11
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Don't be absurd. Obviously we are simplifying the situation slightly for conveniencein discussion, but the fact is that this hypothethical Swedish tribe will never recover all t…
22 Jan 2011, 05:48
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Nonsense. Dollo's Law will apply in any situation where selection is sufficient to reduce the presence of certain genes to a very small proportion of the population. It will al…
21 Jan 2011, 22:04
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That doesn't so far affect the applicability of Dollo. Dollo's Law is about effects stemming from the interaction between the basic genetic mechanisms of heritability of traits,…
21 Jan 2011, 20:43
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It would be foolish to take a law such as Dollo's as an absolute in any case - but it is a pretty solid general prediction if the conventional theory of evolution is valid. (Of …
21 Jan 2011, 20:10
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Unless variations are very small, the idea of a 'natural country type' conflicts with Dollo's Law which was discussed here a while ago. Suppose a race evolves in Country A accor…
21 Jan 2011, 18:34
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I don't read Severian's comment that the Ascians all looked similar as indicating that they were a race not seen in the Commonwealth - I think he means the empty eyes again. The…
21 Jan 2011, 18:18
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----- Original Message ----- From: Son of Witz So, if my theory is right, that the culture of Kim Lee Soong was asian, and this culture is the humanity that spread into the u…
21 Jan 2011, 00:41
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And for me it's completely the opposite - I don't see this consistent scheme at all! Of course I can see all the things you point out to me, like Silk's dreams or Mamelta's utte…
20 Jan 2011, 20:09
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Easy ;-) Talos has somehow acquired bits and pieces of pieces of her and placed them in the waitress from Nessus, converting her into a hybrid creature of supernatural sexual at…
20 Jan 2011, 19:07
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Do you have no comment at all on the above? She spends a long time alone with Silk, and she never says anything like this again. She *says it *only* when under the influence of…
20 Jan 2011, 18:53
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Another point against it is that, IIRC, Tussah was reported to have paid a lot for the embryo. If it was part of Typhon's plan, you'd expect Tussah to be paid, or to do it out o…
20 Jan 2011, 17:25
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From: "Marc Aramini" <marcaramini at yahoo.com> So you are saying Mamelta is Kypris? But if Typhon put Kypris on the Whorl, whether as reward or punishment, why would he replace…
20 Jan 2011, 15:36
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----- Original Message ----- From: Matthew Keeley I think this is the third time this interview has been posted. Surely this is the first time the list has repeated its…
20 Jan 2011, 04:00
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Molpe (in her original form) danced through her dreams. The Monarch and his family were the most important thing in the lives of Mamelta and her contemporaries on Urth. And lit…
20 Jan 2011, 01:55
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Surely it was cats? - Gerry Quinn…
20 Jan 2011, 01:44
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I don't think you can dismiss him, actually. Silk has just replicated Typhon's military strategy of taking the side of the underdog in a military conflict and winning, something…
20 Jan 2011, 01:43
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From: "Marc Aramini" <marcaramini at yahoo.com> They can't come from Mamelta, because after Mucor leaves Mamelta, Mamelta and Silk spend a lot of time alone together, and Mamelta…
20 Jan 2011, 01:04
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Well, perhaps that says something about the differences in our interpretive methods! Me, I think people get too suspicious of Wolfe's potential trickery and end up tying themsel…
19 Jan 2011, 18:46
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I also question whether there is "loads of textual support". In truth, I am hard-pressed to see any. But I accept that you and perhaps others do. So I concentrate on the conse…
19 Jan 2011, 18:33
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From: "Marc Aramini" <marcaramini at yahoo.com> One can certainly imagine that Kypris is lying. But in that case, the contents of the lie are not very strong evidence for anythi…
19 Jan 2011, 18:23
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Why not? We have three gods at least that have long conversations with Silk, and all three have completely different motivations. I can imagine good reasons for Kypris to keep …
19 Jan 2011, 16:23
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You forget that people like Kypris and Echidna knew him intimately, and Mamelta and Rigoglio knew him recently (in their terms). And Silk isn't just a random guy, the guy on the …
19 Jan 2011, 15:14
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I think "many in the rest of the world have a negative view" is correct. It is a little more nuanced than "most of the rest of the world consider it one of the worst crimes ever…
19 Jan 2011, 14:57
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Tartaros tells Auk that their appearances are the self-images of the gods. He gives the specific example of Kypris: "You say that you could nearly make out the face of my father'…
19 Jan 2011, 14:07
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From: "James Wynn" <crushtv at gmail.com> James... read Antonio's first line carefully! - Gerry Quinn…
19 Jan 2011, 13:59
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If so, saying anything at all is a value judgement, because any statement is a negation of all statements that are logically incompatible with it. Wait a second. Surely we are *…
19 Jan 2011, 04:13
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I don't understand - what do you think I'm ignoring, specifically? The bit you quoted simplky says I wasn't talking about something, so I'm kind of at a loss as to what you mean…
19 Jan 2011, 03:34
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You misunderstand me. I wasn't talking about hints that Silk might be a clone of Typhon. What I'm saying is that if he is in fact such a clone, there must be a grand conspiracy …
19 Jan 2011, 02:52
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We're not talking about the Book of the Short Sun, and anyway Mamelta isn't in it. Anyway, Rigoglio remembered Typhon too, and lots of stuff about him. Have you some information…
19 Jan 2011, 02:27
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Maybe. I think Wolfe would probably call it science fiction - that's what he calls _Home Fires_ in the interview linked just now by Matthew. But in any case the main point is t…
19 Jan 2011, 01:55
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