Adam, re: the end-of-the-world hypothesis:
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Not my suggestion. It may have been Roy Lackey's, or mantis's, who have both touched on the "end-of-the-world" hypothesis (another hint I wish mantis would flesh out!).
Not I.
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Adam wrote:
I wrote "Weer's narration of the start of the visit has, to me, a dreamlike quality". For the sake of completeness, I might as well state what makes me say this.
I agree about the "dreamlike quality", but I think an even more telling detail in the passage is that when Weer enters the waiting room he sees five people, one of whom is himself. This brings to mind the common phenomenon in dreams of being both observer and participant.
Roy