Subject: (urth) Books of Mr. Gold

From: m.driussi <m.driussi at genie.com>
Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 23:44:00 +0000

[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other works]

Reply:  Item #0292489 from URTH at LISTS.BEST.COM@INET00#

Jason,

The Chinese Egg, huh?  Hmmm.  That's interesting and leads to subtle
interpretations.

I myself was thinking more of the two books of Mr. Gold (not that
this is "right," mind you).  Both are forgeries (that is the threat that
Weer has over Mr. Gold, which makes daughter Sherry come acourtin').  The
one that is more pivotal to the story describes the hiding spot for buried
gold, if I remember aright--and Weer, digging, heard his shovel hit something
sounding wooden and hollow, then his "partner" pulled a gun on him.

All of which ties back into the "True Lies" thread going on over on
the Whorl.  Was there really gold there?  How much?  If not, then
what =did= they find?

The other Gold fake book is not exactly named, but is recognizable to
genre readers.  The one with the cover that is supposed to be human skin.
One wonders if it has as much validity as the buried treasure book?

All this gold quest stuff reminds me of alchemy, with its focus on
turning lead into gold; which leads to that doctor in PEACE who
specializes in turning normal people into circus freaks . . . did he
have a journal or notebook?  Again, leading back to that second fake
book, perhaps.

And turning potatoes into pseudo-orange juice into gold.

For those interested in these cross-Wolfe references, there is also a
"brown book" in the Wolfe story "Forlesen."

=mantis=