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I can't honestly remember whether I figured that out, or picked it up from internet discussion. Surely Severian caught them in flagrante in Agilus's death cell? That makes it a…
10 Jul 2010, 08:24
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I think the coming of the New Sun is only a relatively short time after Severian left; a matter of several decades. His (ex)wife is still alive. Ash's time, when the glaciers ar…
09 Jul 2010, 23:48
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It's hard to know. I seem to recall someone saying the Ascians would be less affected than the Commonwealth by the arrival of the New Sun. As for the sea monsters, it's not imme…
09 Jul 2010, 21:25
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From: John Watkins On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 5:05 PM, Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote: From: John Watkins On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 4:18 PM, Gerry Quinn <gerryq …
09 Jul 2010, 21:21
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From: John Watkins On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 4:18 PM, Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote: I must have missed that, but yes, that is what I am getting at. It seems like a…
09 Jul 2010, 21:05
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I must have missed that, but yes, that is what I am getting at. It seems like a structural necessity in the text. - Gerry Quinn…
09 Jul 2010, 20:18
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Sure, but that is not the point I am getting at. The question I'm asking relates to the Urthly representatives of good. Surely there should be someone - apart from a few witch …
09 Jul 2010, 18:46
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From: Mr Thalassocrat On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 5:54 PM, Gerry Quinn <gerryq at indigo.ie> wrote: I remain 'loyal to the ship' on this one. One can certainly question whethe…
09 Jul 2010, 18:33
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From: Mr Thalassocrat I remain 'loyal to the ship' on this one. One can certainly question whether the negation of a black hole that was deliberately put into the sun counts as …
09 Jul 2010, 08:24
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From: James Wynn What's the narrative advantage of Dorcas being Severian's grandmother It creates verisimiltude at least; Severian can raise the dead, but he does not walk aro…
07 Jul 2010, 23:29
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On the other hand: "[Old Odilo saw] Father Inire bent nearly double, like a gnome in a nursery book, with no more nose than an alouatte" ('The Cat') - Gerry Quinn…
07 Jul 2010, 08:09
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It's not that strange that two people, or one person and one cacogen, might resemble in some way our closest animal relatives. We've all known of people likened to monkeys. A r…
05 Jul 2010, 08:07
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From: Milton Jackson to be astronomical. For these reasons, I've always wondered if Wolfe ever intended them to be legitimate characters in the story at all. I don't see any re…
04 Jul 2010, 09:33
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From: James Wynn I see no evidence that Arnthor and Morcaine utrilise their dragon aspects elsewhere. Morcaine is introduced as dinner for a dragon. Later Able speculates.on th…
03 Jul 2010, 21:57
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----- Original Message ----- Yeah, but not from _fear_. - Gerry Quinn…
03 Jul 2010, 21:30
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I don't think so eitrher. The alzabo was brought to Urth "as many other things,for the use and benefit of Man" [quoting from memory]. All I know of the undersea monsters, if the…
03 Jul 2010, 19:51
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I agree that the humans seem underpowered in some ways compared to the others. The Aelf have more magic than the humans, and the Dragons have more magic than the Aelf. But the Ov…
03 Jul 2010, 19:28
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'Group of Severnteen' seems more like the self=selected name of a communist cadre to me. - Gerry Quinn…
03 Jul 2010, 17:59
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"Ya know the other thing about throwing knives, kid?" "I dunno, what?" "It's _deniable_" - Gerry Quinn From: Rebecca Bushong-Taylor I believe this is true. Gene has …
03 Jul 2010, 17:44
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That makes sense... good literary technique, making a more concrete image for the reader. - Gerry Quinn…
03 Jul 2010, 16:08
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And you might favour givoing arms to the populace in Viron without necessarily approving of it under all circumstances everywhere. - Gerry Quinn…
03 Jul 2010, 15:17
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"the whole world began to rise, pivoting (I think) on Madagascar" [from 'The Death of Hyle'] - Gerry Quinn…
03 Jul 2010, 14:56
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And of those servants who aren't very good, they tend to be improved by greater service (Incus). Wolfe seems to believe and in fact very nearly states in canon that good service to…
02 Jul 2010, 06:24
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2010/7/1 Ant?nio Pedro Marques <entonio at gmail.com> Keeping option 3 doesn't mean that the acts of Tzadkiel need no atoning for, it just means they're done with the best of i…
01 Jul 2010, 21:05
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----- Original Message ----- I have exactly the same feeling. But it may be that we are creating a composite image, or that Wolfe did, or both. - Gerry Quinn…
01 Jul 2010, 06:32
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Didn't Jonas say "those old families are the newest of all"? This suggests that it is the exultants who differ. - Gerry Quinn…
29 Jun 2010, 19:04
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I understood that. I agree that 'Gene Wolfe' can very well be the name of the narrator of 'Fifth Head' (same applies to 'Procreation') and I wasn't disagreeing with you... I was a…
27 Jun 2010, 20:08
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Possibly. But it may also be that in Port Mimizon, public education leaves something to be desired. Indeed, it appears standard among the rich or middle clesses of Port Mimizon no…
27 Jun 2010, 11:19
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----- Original Message ----- Indeed, I think this is correct. I had thought that the child was Phaedria's by way of her failed marriage, which allowed another reading. But of …
24 Jun 2010, 23:42
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From: Adam Thornton On 06/24/2010 06:12 AM, Gerry Quinn wrote: "Someday they'll want us" is the last line of _The Fifth Head of Cerberus_, written three years after the nar…
24 Jun 2010, 13:29
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"Someday they'll want us" is the last line of _The Fifth Head of Cerberus_, written three years after the narrator's release from prison. The subject, clearly, is Phaedria and her…
24 Jun 2010, 11:12
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I think you are reading for too negative a meaning into certain things. For a start, the New Sun is welcome despite the destruction, which is predicted in advance by various peopl…
23 Jun 2010, 22:34
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I doubt it too, but Hethor's description of 'sun-kissed skin' is interesting, because Agia seems often to be described in terms of light falling on her skin. - Gerry Quinn…
20 Jun 2010, 08:00
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----- Original Message ----- That fits with the possibility I mentioned, that Hethor recognises Agia as one of this kind, but knows she is not the one lost by him. - Gerry Quin…
20 Jun 2010, 07:55
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If Agia really was Hethor's paracoita rather than a human woman - I'm less than convinced of this, but there have been some interesting arguments made to that effect - might not …
19 Jun 2010, 15:47
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They are nuclear powered, although not necessarily all of the same type. Mint caused a trooper's fusion power source to blow when she struck him with an azoth. And Crane was con…
19 Jun 2010, 15:16
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This suggests that they *can* make eidolons of whoever they want, but they avoid making eidolons of the living to reduce the probability of such unfortunate encounters. - Gerry …
14 Jun 2010, 20:03
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Too big. I prefer to maintain my original assumption that the Wall is of ordinary height and Severian made a typo. One problem with a wall several leagues in height is that it w…
14 Jun 2010, 13:06
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I agree - the sea monsters may have great powers, but we clearly know that Typhon was concerned with other issues. If he was beleaguered by Abaia, Erebus and Co., he would hardl…
11 Jun 2010, 12:36
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Yes, but this is different from the 'airfoil' mechanism that can propel a boat faster than the wind, and which is not available in the case of light. That said, I think I was wro…
10 Jun 2010, 12:50
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I know that even 'hard' SF writers generally get a free pass when it comes to FTL travel. But the method described in 'Urth of the New Sun' has two problems with it. First, the…
09 Jun 2010, 15:38
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I don't think so. To travel to Yesod it is necessary to break the laws of physics in Briah by travelling faster than light (though the mechanism proposed, tacking across the li…
07 Jun 2010, 18:55
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I thought I was. In another post you just claimed you were not involved in a debate, and you were done. - Gerry Quinn…
07 Jun 2010, 18:49
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Maybe there was a fear that the undersea giants would control the human populace, and some ruler built a security wall to prevent infiltration. - Gerry Quinn From: Mr Thalassoc…
07 Jun 2010, 18:42
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----- Original Message ----- Is everyone who doesn't believe in the fairies deluded? Or everyone who doesn't believe in the mountains? - Gerry Quinn…
07 Jun 2010, 13:01
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I have never been to Australia, or to Brobdingnag. Nevertheless I have opinions about whether they exist. Strangely enough, these opinions are different. Do you think I am bei…
07 Jun 2010, 12:52
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I had a similar experience in Ireland at a similar age. I had enjoyed the Narnia books until I got to the _The Last Battle_ where the Christian allegory was hammered home. I felt…
07 Jun 2010, 12:48
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You're right - I got them back to front. But I still think Yesod and Briah are different universes, not the same univese at different times. - Gerry Quinn ----- Original Messa…
07 Jun 2010, 12:39
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Severian's universe (which is also ours IMO) is named Yesod. That of the Hierodules is called Briah. - Gerry Quinn.…
06 Jun 2010, 16:13
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-----Original Message----- From: Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> "FWIW, my opinion is that Urth is presented as less spiritually advanced than Earth, notably lacking two…
03 Jun 2010, 19:04
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