Posted as William H. Ansley, William Ansley
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alga, Hester was my favorite, too. I also thought the armored bears and the witches were very well done. I'm glad you are enjoying the books. I hope your enjoyment continues th…
26 Apr 2001, 23:09
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Yup, I was wrong. I wrote too quickly based on already-fading memories (my poor, poor brain) which turned out to be even less reliable than usual. I felt I should warn people on…
26 Apr 2001, 22:36
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I don't think that "dumb" inhumi would preferentially target humans as their host. As I read the text, it was just an accident that the inhumi first fed upon the Neighbors and be…
25 Apr 2001, 22:31
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Thank you, John! This is so much better put than my messages. That's exactly how I felt; the last book collapsed into nonsense and he broke his own rules. I wish I hadn't broug…
23 Apr 2001, 23:10
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Nick, I really don't see how using astral travel to wipe out the inhumi at their breeding pools can work. 1) Can we be absolutely sure that the astral journeys are to real plac…
22 Apr 2001, 17:06
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I have seen this idea that there are strong parallels to _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ (aka _The Wizard of Oz_ in later printings) in _Free Live Free_ batted around in this list o…
20 Apr 2001, 01:11
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I have been thinking about the godlings for a while, but I can't say I have really gotten anywhere. The large one that Horn|Silk encounters is described as having bestial pointed…
20 Apr 2001, 00:27
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I am one of those who complained about the "impossible" size of the godlings as not being "science fictional." You know what? You are right. This was a silly objection on my part…
18 Apr 2001, 23:30
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Very good, Matthew. You have provided a reply which nicely balances my message. Certainly don't let me discourage anyone from reading the books and making up their own minds abou…
18 Apr 2001, 22:52
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I have read them. First, let me say that I like children's books. (Probably because I have a childish personality, err... I mean childlike sense of wonder.) I am also a big fan o…
18 Apr 2001, 12:33
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I have always been puzzled by this passage. If the guy Horn asked to watch his boat was involved with the robbery, then *Why* did he stick around? In fact, if he wasn't involved …
17 Apr 2001, 00:28
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At last, a perfect opportunity! The answer to your question is yes and no. There is a Crowley discussion group* on line, but there hasn't been much discussion for quite a while.…
16 Apr 2001, 23:55
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I don't think you are going to get much help from this memory, which is inexact, if I have found the passage you are thinking of. I believe the passage you refer to is the one on…
10 Apr 2001, 23:59
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I'm not alga, but but I have a similar feeling of disappointment with RttW and I want to address this question too. I think the best way for me to sum up why I didn't like RttW i…
08 Apr 2001, 00:57
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It is an easy mistake to make in the SS books. I felt that Horn or Horn/Silk or Silk or whatever you want to call him bore a very close resemblance to the Heinleinian omnicompete…
28 Mar 2001, 23:26
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Here is the passage, courtesy of Adam Stephanides, quoted from the Urth archives: It is on p. 247 of the Orb paperback edition, very near the end of the book. Here is some of wh…
15 Mar 2001, 22:27
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It's a joke! As you quoted in an earlier message: Babbie has more than two eyes, that's plain. It is consistent with the "doubling" of other parts of Bluvian creatures (thanks B…
13 Mar 2001, 23:49
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So, we're too darn smart for our own good, are we? Maybe. But, I think the very smart, scholarly and fertile brain of Gene Wolfe is as much responsible for the lack of straightfo…
28 Feb 2001, 00:38
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Wow, Robert! This is most impressive. Wolfe mentioned godlings in OBW and I had totally forgotten it until you mentioned it. Could you give the page number for this passage, plea…
22 Feb 2001, 00:09
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mantis, You know, when I first read this I thought, "How facile! This doesn't help us to understand anything." (Well, what I originally thought was more like, "Hah!" But this tr…
20 Feb 2001, 23:26
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Adam, I think you are exactly right. I was confusing complexity/obscurity of plot with 'multiplexity'/obscurity of layers of meaning. I hope that if I do re-read the LS and SS …
20 Feb 2001, 22:59
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I think you bring up some interesting issues. As I think my recent posts have indicated, I agree to a great degree with your implied criticisms of TBotSS. I also strongly agree t…
20 Feb 2001, 00:51
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[...] But they're all the same series! I assume you mean that NS/UNS* and LS are the SF disguised as fantasy and SS is the fantasy disguised as SF. No one forced Wolfe to write…
19 Feb 2001, 00:23
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I'm going to comment on one of your questions and try to answer another. I am not sure if some of the others can be answered in any definite way; it will be interesting to see wh…
17 Feb 2001, 01:18
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Well, of course, this question is unanswerable, since it boils down to a matter of opinion. But I will try to answer it below, nonetheless. There is probably no SF writer who ha…
15 Feb 2001, 01:25
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While this doesn't serve as an argument against following the estimable alga's advice, _Peace_ is the first book I read by Wolfe and it did get me hooked. It did and does continu…
01 Jan 2001, 23:38
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Definitely start with _Peace_. I would then read _The Fifth Head of Cerberus_, followed by _Free Live Free_ and _Strange Travelers_ (I hope you get it). I am a strong proponent …
27 Dec 2000, 23:53
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No one else has mentioned this web site that I am aware of. The URL for the Planetarium site is: http://www.beholder.co.uk/ beholder.com is something else entirely. I haven't h…
11 Dec 2000, 23:09
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Thank you, but I'm sure you would have done just as well, if not better. [...] Very neat. This hypothesis is much better my "Weer's mind as a single point travelling through tim…
08 Dec 2000, 23:57
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... I can't let this pass without comment. I am sure I won't change your mind Dan'l, but as far as I am concerned, the only reasonable choice from your list of who Weer could be…
08 Dec 2000, 00:03
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Since recommending books seems to be in fashion at the moment, I'm going to chime in. First, I would like to very strongly second the recommendation for the Nero Wolfe books abov…
05 Dec 2000, 23:51
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All I can say is, you people make me sick! <G> At least Kevin Maroney was too polite too explicitly come out and state that he had received and read an advance copy of RTW (not t…
05 Dec 2000, 23:23
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I agree that Wolfe probably didn't intend the reader to be able to reconstruct a biography of Weer from _Peace_. I love the idea that Weer's failure to be able to sort out "Life"…
03 Dec 2000, 23:03
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I don't know why everyone thinks that the larger guy on the cover is a giant. The glowing guy could be teensy. And the bird could be much farther away than everyone is assuming. …
24 Nov 2000, 00:33
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I also favor a single list. I would say an absolute no to any ads that were not plain text. I would prefer no ads, but will put up with plain text ads rather than have no list. …
19 Oct 2000, 01:20
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I also favor a single list. I would say an absolute no to any ads that were not plain text. I would prefer no ads, but will put up with plain text ads rather than have no list. …
19 Oct 2000, 01:20
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Robert, You make an intriguing and even convincing case. It's nice to see you using your powers for goodness instead of evil. <G>…
08 Sep 2000, 23:36
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Wow, indeed! If you come across a hus, and it offers to shake your hand, *don't do it*. <g>…
07 Sep 2000, 00:02
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I find this a very odd thing for Gene Wolfe to say, considering it is a certainty (based on the evidence of "The Eyeflash Miracles") that Wolfe read Baum's Oz books. Ozma is noth…
06 Sep 2000, 23:24
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And you hold it much more gracefully than ever I could, alga. <g>…
24 Aug 2000, 23:02
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But, Babbie *is* an eight legged beastie! I just think it was Babbie the whole time. Most likely under Mucor's control then, and perhaps later. Well, it's nice to be back. Will…
24 Aug 2000, 22:37
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Wow! I agree with you on this one Robert. Way back on Tue, 19 Oct 1999, so long ago that I still felt clever for figuring out that Olivine was Hammerstone and Marble's daughter, …
23 Aug 2000, 23:44
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[...] Almost certainly, it will surprise no long-time readers of this discussion list, least of all you Robert, that I disagree strongly with this interpretation. It is just so …
23 Aug 2000, 23:23
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I agree, as I think many, if not all, reading this do. The IGJ cover makes the OBW cover look, well, less bad in comparison. It would have been very easy to make attractive, eleg…
09 Aug 2000, 22:47
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Nutria, You know, I really like this idea. It seems somehow very right. The only problem with it is that I really find it hard to see how Horn could have used it as a credible t…
09 Aug 2000, 22:31
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I think you may have something here. But surely, "not wishing each other dead" is included within the Golden Rule?…
02 Aug 2000, 23:23
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Of course! I knew that Wolfe's description of the "dream Oreb" reminded me of something. I bet it's deliberate; Wolfe has used cartoon imagery more than once before. Now you're …
02 Aug 2000, 23:18
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Actually, Adam Stephanides noted the change: And, in response, I made a speculation much like yours: I think the section of the book that you quote from is probably important, p…
01 Aug 2000, 00:09
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alga, I bow to your superior knowledge in these matter and stand corrected.…
31 Jul 2000, 23:59
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I think you may have hit upon one of the few statements that everyone who reads this list can agree on. <g> I seem to recall that someone who seemed to know said that Wolfe did …
31 Jul 2000, 23:30
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