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1. Y'all probably caught this the first time, but it was only on the second reading I noticed the real purpose of the fireworks at the Battle of Blanko: cover for Incanto so he co…
11 Feb 2002, 03:32
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The more I see those terms, 'Silk' and 'Silkhorn,' the more I think they're backwards. We oughta use 'Silkhorn' for the character named "Silk" in the Long Sun books since he's a m…
09 Feb 2002, 20:07
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Also, Apollo vs. the Wind makes me think of Severian vs. Typhon ("typhoon") -Rostrum…
07 Feb 2002, 13:16
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I think that reading is way too allegorical. Maybe Vodalus represents Wolfe's belief that many (most?) revolutionaries fight to seize power for themselves rather than for any sort…
06 Feb 2002, 19:30
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It seems possible to me that Wolfe's treatment of sex may be related to Christian doctines about sexuality. The main orthodox understanding of sex seems to be that though sex is a…
05 Feb 2002, 15:53
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Wolfe has other symbolic things going on, but what Horn is saying is that they can only go so far with derivative technology (like the hybrid corn seed). They are trying to use te…
01 Feb 2002, 20:12
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Am I the only one who can't get used to that? Also, please go easy on saying "back in 2001" until I get used to not having a flying car. -Rostrum…
01 Feb 2002, 16:23
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He was. That's what I mean. Simply being Autarch of the Commonwealth doesn't automatically mean you have found favor with the Hierodules. You also have to be worthy in some sens…
01 Feb 2002, 15:02
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SS is also holographic, but I don't think Horn talks about genetics because plants are the key. Hybrids are the key. Silk and Horn must be combined to get the benefits of hybrid …
31 Jan 2002, 17:07
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Since the first have of RTW is reconstructed by Hoof, Hide, et. al. from what Silk told them about what happened on the whorl, it wouldn't be surprising for them to have a few of t…
30 Jan 2002, 18:37
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To me, all that quote says is that the war is so far away, and the enemy so comparatively weak, that the Commonwealth can fight with an army of volunteers. If the enemy were stron…
30 Jan 2002, 15:58
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This is a post I composed and mailed right when the list went dead last month. I'll understand if no-one wants to continue this conversation... Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 11:05:34 -0…
29 Jan 2002, 20:01
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Problems with this theory: 1. Horn is able to leave his body for Silk's because the Neighbors specifically offer him that opportunity (and maybe because he's wearing a magic ring…
09 Jan 2002, 14:13
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One of the appendices to the BOTNS has a note on distances. I seem to remember that the author of the appendices just says "league" is hard to pin down from Severian's text. -Ros…
09 Jan 2002, 13:49
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Maybe. On re-reading OBW, I thought the reason for going on about hybrid vigor is because it's thematically related to the Horn/Silk hybrid. -Rostrum…
09 Jan 2002, 13:38
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Does the claw give power to anyone but Severian? (I guess you can still make the comparison if you say only Severian has the stature to use the claw's power, but it doesn't fit qu…
08 Jan 2002, 15:30
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On Wed, 2 Jan 2002, James Jordan wrote: [regarding "Olmo has fallen" = "Elm has fallen"] Yes and no. I was sorta joking. Horn's ghost is in there, but I think there's evidence …
02 Jan 2002, 20:38
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In addition to your interesting connections, the strego is an excuse for Incanto to explain the difference between believing in ghosts, believing in witches, and believing in witch…
02 Jan 2002, 20:30
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No. Wolfe isn't saying Brooks is good. He's criticizing those who slam Brooks for being a Tolkien ripoff. Wolfe wants more Tolkien ripoffs and claims to be a Tolkien ripoff hims…
02 Jan 2002, 20:24
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Having seen lots of praise for Pratchett on the internet, I gave "Small Gods" a try but found it so hamhanded and unfunny that I could barely skim it. I flipped around reading a f…
10 Dec 2001, 17:16
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I'd vote for just one list, but if you're going to divide the list this way, I think the most natural cut-off point would be "when it's available in paperback." -Rostrum, a Wolfe …
07 Dec 2001, 16:37
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"To demonstrate the singular hold the Qur'an has in Muslim society, Cools tells of a woman who for thirty years communicated exclusively with quotations from the Qur'an." Daniel P…
05 Dec 2001, 14:41
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Not too surprising Wolfe would have strong opinions on this subject. Just about every book he writes has a war in it. The only exceptions I can think of are Peace (heh.), Free L…
03 Dec 2001, 13:35
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Ack! What a great catch. This proves the narrator is a ghost! -Rostrum…
03 Dec 2001, 13:28
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Haven't read Waif yet, but is it possible Jesus's story of the Good Samaritan is relevant? In response to the command "Love your neighbor," Jesus is asked, "But who is my neighbor…
30 Nov 2001, 14:26
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That seems like it would be just right to me. I was under the impression that Qudditch is a caractature of sports by someone who doesn't like them. -Rostrum…
16 Nov 2001, 13:23
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Which should make you wonder about the differences between Wolfe's version and Horn's... -Rostrum…
31 Oct 2001, 19:05
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I'm pretty sure it's in the beginning of Blue, when Horn's on the ship leaving home just before getting attacked by the Leatherskin.…
30 Oct 2001, 13:13
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They're pretty poor, and the old man didn't seem too happy that his wife was sharing with Silk. My impression was that he was afraid Silk would try to sneak back and steal from th…
16 Oct 2001, 10:44
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I don't have anything to add. I just thought this was an interesting interpretation. It's jarring to think of the Chinese Pillow as a bad thing since the second chance it offers …
10 Sep 2001, 09:30
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Further support for your thesis: comparing traditional modernist detective stories with Umberto Eco's postmodern detective story, _The Name of the Rose_. In which there is no patt…
22 Aug 2001, 10:42
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Your description actually reminded me more of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles than FIFTH HEAD. -Rostrum…
16 Aug 2001, 09:02
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Alex quoted from PANDORA: This explains why Nero Wolfe is GW's favorite. Given GW's love of playing games with his name (wolf motifs, the narrator of FIFTH HEAD, etc.), his perso…
16 Aug 2001, 08:57
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Welcome! You may not be aware that there is also a list specifically for Wolfe's Long Sun and Short Sun series. It was established as the books were coming out to keep people in …
08 Aug 2001, 09:31
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Welcome! You may not be aware that there is also a list specifically for Wolfe's Long Sun and Short Sun series. It was established as the books were coming out to keep people in …
08 Aug 2001, 09:31
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Have we so soon forgotten Castleview? "We are all Arthur's descendents." Go back far enough, and killing one person could effect most of the gene pool of a 20th century continent.…
06 Aug 2001, 08:46
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Dan'l said most of what I wanted to say except for this: Many Universes means all possible universes exist. I can't belive this is a possible universe. This is actually a radica…
03 Aug 2001, 14:15
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Welcome! Good catch. Horn does indeed promise to bring Scylla to Blue. Although I'm still unconvinced that Pas made it to blue except inasmuch as "Pas" is now partly or mostly S…
02 Aug 2001, 11:20
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Well, if you're willing to admit it's illogical, I can't argue with you, but I think dismissing objections as "just the Crushed Butterfly theory" is ridiculous. All of human histo…
02 Aug 2001, 10:05
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I haven't read TGC either, but it can't be as egregious in this regard as Wolfe's _There Are Doors_. TAD may be more tolerable since it doesn't focus so much on the alternate worl…
02 Aug 2001, 09:48
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Wow. I've never read Delaney, but that title alone makes me want to go out and give him a try. -Rostrum…
02 Aug 2001, 08:34
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Does Weer say that the tree was mature? Maybe it was a sapling that fell. I don't like that idea. The language implies a full-sized tree. If it were a sapling one would be mor…
18 Jul 2001, 09:11
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Another point of the Bible story: When the zombie empath shows up, the woman asks the aliens something like "Is that my husband?" And they say something like "The question is dif…
29 Jun 2001, 15:47
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Sorry I wasn't clear. I mentioned that more as the exception that proves your rule. It's a nifty engineer's spin on "solved by technological means" that I wouldn't have thought t…
28 Jun 2001, 14:16
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Except maybe "Alien Stones." -Rostrum…
27 Jun 2001, 16:41
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I think of it this way. Imagine reading a story in which spaceships can use a certain doohicky to move faster than light (not hyperspace, but actually moving faster than light). …
26 Jun 2001, 14:02
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I would have put it the other way around. Wolfe is probably also refering to Holy Communion, but the idea of getting memories from somehow consuming someone else's brains/RNA is a…
25 Jun 2001, 12:57
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The fact that he felt like he would need to tear up the whole account made me think he was referring more to the way things were written, the things he focused on, the things he le…
22 Jun 2001, 09:16
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And isn't a Mary Sue generally thought to be the author's fantasy-self? Isn't that a major part of the ickyness of it: watching the author imagine herself a terrific-in-every-way…
20 Jun 2001, 12:37
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I disagree on two grounds. 1. I think this business of objective vs. subjective narration is an important theme of the Long/Short Sun books. Wolfe is asking us to examine the as…
14 Jun 2001, 09:41
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