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--- On Mon, 5/10/10, Jeff Wilson <jwilson at io.com> wrote: We could more profitably devote our time to arguing about which Wolfe heroine is the hottest -- Jeff Wilson - jwilson …
11 May 2010, 11:09
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--- On Tue, 1/26/10, Son of Witz <sonofwitz at butcherbaker.org> wrote: I vaguely remember something about a desecrated grove. Do you remember what scene or chapter that was. than…
27 Jan 2010, 17:46
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You're right about the resemblances, but I don't think they're the same. — In the Appendix to Shadow, Wolfe says, "I have scrupled to call these creatures horses, since I am certai…
11 Jan 2010, 12:56
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Well, EXCUUUUUUUSE me! ? Martin Luther, John Calvin and their followers would beg to differ. Best wishes, Jack the Protestant --- On Fri, 12/18/09, brunians at brunians.org <b…
18 Dec 2009, 15:13
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Isn't Thecla put to the Revolutionary because she is a revolutionary? ? Or at least associated with her sister, who has joined the revolutionary Vodalus. — Those who revolt against…
21 Nov 2009, 18:40
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Herodotus's Histories is a wonderful book, and readers of Wolfe's "Soldier" books should enjoy this source. The accuracy of the Histories has often been questioned, but many strang…
12 Nov 2009, 22:09
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It may be written for teens, but from the discussion here, I need to go back and read it again. It seems to have many layers. I must have missed 90% of the meaning. Best wishes,…
19 May 2009, 20:33
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Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all, at times, condemned the lending of money at any rate of interest at all. Usury today means a very high rate of interest, especially a rat…
19 May 2009, 15:39
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I've read The Devil in the Forest and I liked it. It is good fantasy. It's been many years since I read it, but some images stick with me. For instance, the witch who tells fort…
14 May 2009, 20:10
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Rereading "On Blue's Waters," I came upon some of Horn's reflections on being a ruler: "My advisors, who are all good, well-intentioned men, are forever suggesting that I get do…
26 Mar 2009, 12:55
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Can you supply some text references? I don't remember any of this. Best wishes, Jack…
24 Mar 2009, 20:32
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The only similar-sounding name I can think of is Sycorax, the mother of Caliban in Shakespeare's Tempest. But that seems like a stretch. Best wishes, Jack…
14 Mar 2009, 22:49
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--- On Fri, 2/6/09, Roy C. Lackey <rclackey at stic.net> wrote: From: Roy C. Lackey <rclackey at stic.net> Subject: Re: (urth) Indescribable Christ? To: "The Urth Mailing List" <ur…
07 Feb 2009, 00:07
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Having seen "Doubt", I vote for Meryl Streep as Maytera Rose. Best wishes, Jack…
29 Jan 2009, 13:45
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Does anybody know which way the Whorl turns? I had assumed that if you viewed the Whorl from outside looking toward its front, it would turn clockwise. — But it could just as easi…
26 Jan 2009, 16:07
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I think the Whorl has to be close to perfect cylinder. — If not, it would wobble as it spins. Best wishes, Jack --- On Wed, 1/21/09, Craig Brewer <cnbrewer at yahoo.com> wrote: …
23 Jan 2009, 20:40
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<<<<<< I don’t see how they get inside either. Perhaps a lander went to Green and came back with stowaways. Quetzal has been there for 30 years or so. Best wishes, Jack --- On …
23 Jan 2009, 20:19
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Jimmy Stewart would make a great Silk. Just dye his hair blond. Here are some Long Sun nominees. Imagine them at the appropriate age. Chenille? ? ? ? ? ???? Raquel Welch Mayter…
15 Jan 2009, 18:17
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Character Actor =========== ======= Severian Johnny Depp Thecla Brooke Shields Vodalus Warren Beatty Thea Liv Tyler Baldanders John Goodman Dr. Talo…
15 Jan 2009, 01:22
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Silk himself is responsible for one piece of graffiti When he goes to the home of Teasel, the girl who was dying from the bite of the vampire Quetzal, he tries to protect her fr…
14 Jan 2009, 19:59
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Isn't this last sentence also a play on words? Take the word "God" and add 0 (zero = nothing) and you get "Go0d" or "good."…
29 Dec 2008, 10:09
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Common gold Au 197 is stable, but all other gold isotopes are highly radioactive. Isn't a gold isotope a clone (an evil clone) of the true metal? Best wishes, Jack ________…
21 Dec 2008, 13:30
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That's a great picture of the castle. The "Castleview" restaurant no longer exists, but you can still see the castle if you're around Barrington. From Barrington, take NW Hwy …
19 Dec 2008, 21:37
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I used to live near Barrington, Illinois, which is Gene Wolfe's home. In the nearby town of Fox River Grove, there was a restaurant called "Castleview." From the restaurant you …
19 Dec 2008, 19:19
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Is there any evidence in the text for Severian spending a year with the Ascians? Or is this a doctrine, like the Immaculate Conception, that is derived by clever reasoning? Best…
11 Dec 2008, 21:45
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Jonas speaks of "a handful of black beans" (Shadow XXXV) Is there some other reference in the text that specifies only 5? Best wishes, Jack…
10 Dec 2008, 07:42
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Isn't Abaia an alien monster from the stars? This is Jonas' story of the black beans: "...others went out in the ships that ply between the stars, returning with treasure and …
09 Dec 2008, 13:26
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Based on the cliff sediments and the forested moon, I vote for 3.5 gazillion years, give or take a gazillion. Jack…
04 Dec 2008, 02:18
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I think it's an INTERESTING question, and I have certainly enjoyed hearing the wide range of opinions and the evidence cited. Best wishes, Jack…
03 Dec 2008, 13:41
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People seem to have significant differences of opinion as to how far in the future Severian's Urth is. Is it a few thousand years in the future or a few hundred million? I lean …
01 Dec 2008, 18:30
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The Commonwealth seems to be in South America. And the story takes place so far in the future that today's underground bases would probably have long since disappeared. Best wish…
01 Dec 2008, 13:27
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10 Nov 2008, 17:18
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If we're counting on natural selection to cause ice-age people to become hairy, they probably won't. Clothes, fire and other gifts of civilization will be much more important to s…
31 Oct 2008, 20:37
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In The Sword of the Lictor, Wolfe populates Lake Diuturna with floating islands which move about with the wind. This, I had thought, was another strange and exotic invention that…
07 Sep 2008, 00:32
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Dave Tallman wrote: "Obviously they did not evolve the wheel. They got it from somebody who had already evolved. And this somebody could not put a cart or chariot aboard the sh…
04 Sep 2008, 14:59
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One of my favorite Wolfe stories is "How the Whip Came Back." Domestic strife results in the re-introduction of slavery. =======================================================…
22 Aug 2008, 19:48
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One of my favorite Wolfe stories is "How the Whip Came Back." Domestic strife results in the re-introduction of slavery. =======================================================…
22 Aug 2008, 19:48
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Does anybody understand what Wolfe is up to when he resorts to Latin in The New Sun books? He says, "Latin is once or twice employed to indicate that inscriptions and the like ar…
21 Jul 2008, 16:25
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Maybe I'm trying to split a hair. I agree that the hymn approves the bravery and other admirable conduct of soldiers. But it asks us to use martial virtues in a good cause. …
17 Jul 2008, 12:13
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I won't try to defend the Crusades but you're giving the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers" a bad rap. The hymn does not promote militarism. The "Christian soldiers" are not …
17 Jul 2008, 01:37
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Can any one think of a Wolfe novel or story in which he portrays a good society? When I re-read The Fifth Head of Cerberus, I realized that on the first reading I had missed h…
11 Jul 2008, 15:17
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I don't even see why Juturna is related at all to Severian. Is Juturna human? Can someone enlighten me? Jack…
09 Jul 2008, 12:41
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I thought that this was just a joke. The teacher is getting old and making mistakes.…
03 Jul 2008, 20:57
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Doesn't the "man-edge" and "women-edge" distinction just tell the executioner which side of the blade to use? And don't you tell the edges apart by the heads (which I took to be …
03 Jul 2008, 17:22
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Gwern has a clever suggestion about the mercury channel in Terminus Est: "Well, why do we need a vacuum at all, when we could just have air in it like normal and avoid displacem…
02 Jul 2008, 23:22
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Severian’s sword Terminus Est is a long, heavy executioner’s sword with a channel in the spine through which a river of mercury flows. The mercury changes the balance of the sword…
02 Jul 2008, 19:24
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The mercury channel would weaken the spine of the sword no matter how it was made. Another problem: If the empty part of the channel is filled with air, the pressure of the air w…
02 Jul 2008, 12:26
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find a source of exultant blood for Severian. He is tall compared to most people but at least a head shorter than every single exultant he meets. In other words, he is of armiger…
30 Jun 2008, 21:07
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"Severian is not actually the Conciliator. The Conciliator, as should be obvious to anyone who knows Wolfe's religious background, is Christ. In the timeline of the first Severian,…
16 Jun 2008, 00:03
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You contributors to these discussions have studied Wolfe's books much more thoroughly than I have. It would be helpful if you would cite the book and chapter that supports your…
09 Jun 2008, 18:05
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