Subject: (urth) Loony Presents and Futures

From: Jim Henley <jlhenley at erols.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 21:42:06 +0000

Okay, we got three terraformed planets (in the old sense) we know about in
the solar system: Skuld, Lune and Verdanthi, aka Venus, The Moon and Mars.
Two questions:

1) What's going on on those three worlds during the tail end of the Age of
the Autarchs?

2) What are the effects of the New Sun on those worlds?

Frex, might the NS kill all the vegetation on Lune, returning it within a
couple of centuries or a millenium to the appearance we all know and love?
Was the terraforming of Skuld possible only with the cooling of the Old
Sun? Did life on Verdanthi really start to _suck_ as the OS grew weaker
over the millenia? (It's interesting that while Lune is green, Verdanthi is
still?/again? red...)

I'm especially interested in hearing relatively rigorous planetological
speculation on point 2, but theories on point 1 are more than welcome. Do
the exultants travel freely between Urth and the other worlds of the solar
system? Are the other worlds also terminally poor, bitter-end societies
like we know on Urth? Are they playgrounds for the remnant of "rich"
humans? Or are they they Checkpoint Charlies of cacogen defense policy?

Best,

Jim
 *****************************************
"All God's children got a little bit of soul
 but not that much . . . "
              -- Graham Parker, "Obsessed with Aretha"

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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From: Daniel Fusch <dfusch at hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 06:24:35 +0000

Regarding Question # 1:

When Severian is talking with Rudesind in chapter V of TSOTT, they mention 
the theory that Vodalus might hiding "in the forests of Lune." That this 
suggestion is even made suggests that it is, in fact, possible for an Urth 
exultant to hide in the forests of Lune; Rudesind's comment that if Vodalus 
in on Lune, it may be a while before the Autarch catches him--seems to 
suggest that travel from Urth to Lune is difficult...at least to the point 
at which you have trouble landing large search parties there.

That's one possible reading, anyway.

Question #2--I have no idea about this one.

>From: "Jim Henley" <jlhenley at erols.com>
>Reply-To: urth at lists.best.com
>To: urth at lists.best.com
>Subject: (urth) Loony Presents and Futures
>Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 21:42:06 -0500
>
>works
>ranjit at best.com
>whorl at lists.best.com

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From: JMCAzurin <mikah at brewsoft.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 11:01:41 +0000

> 1) What's going on on those three worlds during the tail end of the Age 
of

  Given that Urth's core has solidified by Sev's time, the same would have 
happened to Verthandi and Skuld. They wouldn't have geothermal 
(urr...venothermal? marothermal?) plants. Barring their possession of 
technogical wizardry that's not present on Urth, their primary energy 
source would likewise be the darkened sun. They'd probably be pretty dismal 
places to live as well.

  Their mineral-richness or -poorness is arguable though. They may not have 
been as thoroughly mined.

  Another loony idea: what if Wolfe had tipped his hat to Arthur C Clarke 
and had the Hieros ignite Jupiter instead? Certainly seems easier than 
transporting a white fountain.

Mikah

- Are you crying?
- No, I'm bleeding.