Digest urth.v028.n049
The Urth list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 07 Oct 1999
https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/1825

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Michael Straight — 07 Oct 1999, 18:22

> On Thu, 7 Oct 1999, Paul C Duggan wrote:
> What about the detail (IIRC) in the Long Sun that the religion of the
> Whorl "parodied" that of the state religion at the time of Typhon? Does
> that indicate a kind of connection to christianity ("sign of addition",
> minimally)? 

Oooo!  A tricky question.  How much do details from the Long Sun "count"
in interpreting the New Sun books?  Somehow I feel that's cheating.

On the other hand, I don't feel that way at all about the Short Sun & Long
Sun books, I guess because it feels like it's going to really be all one
story.

As for rumors that Severian may be involved somehow in the Short Sun
books, I am prejudiced against the idea.  The Typhon bit works because
it's such a minor connection.   But the feel of these two series is so
different, I have trouble imagining them being brought together without
one seeming out of place.  (I haven't read _Blue_ yet, so I can't say
anything about the 'feel' of that book.)

-Rostrum

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Peter Westlake — 08 Oct 1999, 09:17
  follows, by subject match Michael Straight

At 18:22 1999-10-07 -0400, Michael Straight wrote:
...

> As for rumors that Severian may be involved somehow in the Short Sun
> books, I am prejudiced against the idea.  The Typhon bit works because
> it's such a minor connection.   But the feel of these two series is so
> different, I have trouble imagining them being brought together without
> one seeming out of place.  (I haven't read _Blue_ yet, so I can't say
> anything about the 'feel' of that book.)

There's also the problem that by the end of _Urth_ Severian has
acquired god-like magical powers, and such heroes are famously
difficult to deal with in fiction. Everything's too easy.

S.Bear

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