Subject: (urth) argh argh argh

From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 22:12:36 +0000

OK guys.  I just don't understand.  All these myths of Quetzal, cobra-like, 
climbing up a tree, clinging like a liana, planting a "parent tree" in front 
of his little palace, and no one believes that the inhumi are at all related 
to the vanished gods, the trees?  I can't convince you anymore.  I've cited 
and cited.  I've explained how the inhumi evolved from the vines plaguing the 
trees sent to terraform the green moon.  Of course Quetzal is like those 
serpent like lianas - his mamma might even be on the tree he planted - a vine 
or something that either came up with the lander, or in the words of Juganu, 
boarded on the red sun whorl in the past since "(ihumi) are everywhere!"  
Whatever.  The fruit is the blood that changes them, gives them knowledge, and 
affects their offspring.  They recombine with the fruit.  
Of course, once again we have blood equated with vegetable matter, as I've 
been arguing.  Re-read the Short Sun books, please.  I don't understand how 
you can argue with sentient trees. It is in like every chapter.  Please.  
Please.  I'll try to avoid repeating myself.  Have a nice day.  Even if you 
don't believe in time travel or polyploidy, those trees are not only alive but 
sentient and doing weird things and inextricably linked to the inhumi and the 
vanished people. And Horn's abilities --- "walk through brush" magic?  !!! 
give me a break!
Marc Aramini

--

---

From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <ddanehy at siebel.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 22:53:21 +0000

That Subject: line sounds like a pirate trio, eh?

Skipping right to the core of the matter, Marc wrote:

> ... and no one believes that the inhumi are at all related 
> to the vanished gods, the trees?  

Whoa, hee-haw, hold on there boyo!  Y're making _far_ too 
sweeping a statement here.

I believe that most of the list would concede that Wolfe
intends us to recognize that the trees possess some very,
very weird properties, and that the inhumi have some kind
of relationship to them. 

You've inferred/intuited/iumped to a whole lot of conclusions
about the nature of that relationship (including your idea
that the "vanished gods" -- or was it the VP? -- became the
trees). And some of your ideas seem (to me) more 
palatable/plausible/probable as I mull them over, live with
them, and in particular as I last reread the SS books with
them in mind. Some of them have seemed less so, but I (at
least) do not feel prepared to dismiss any of your conclusions
out of hand.

When RttW came out, a number of listmembers reacted to it
with what I perceived as undue haste and hostility. I said
at the time that I believed it would take time for the books
to sink in, that judging a Wolfe book on the basis of a single 
reading seemed to me like a bad idea. (No, I'm not quoting 
exact words here.) The book came out what, a year and a half
ago? No time at all. NS still yields new insights every time
we dig into it; Wolfe wrote SS with nearly twenty years' 
additional practice in craft under his belt; I don't suppose
we can reasonably expect it to be _less_, well, crafty.

I suggest only that your attachment to these ideas is as
premature as rejecting them outright. I don't believe we 
even have the beginnings of a solid handle on the SS 
books yet.

--