Shades of beige

Forget food in Evil Guest; anyone else notice how many exotic shades of off-white through light-brown (or perhaps I should say birch through caffe-latte) are mentioned? What's up with that? (if this has been discussed before, I'm sorry--I've been trying NOT to read EG posts until I got a chance to read the book, which I now have) SPOILER below: And is there agreement on what sort of beast-woman Cassie is? I like "Robin" because of the red plumage, the "the alien food isn't really worms", and of course the execrable Batman-cub joke. I don't think it's the right guess, though. Adam

I don't believe the color stuff has been discussed yet. Re: Batman and Robin - I'm a Batman fan so I'm inclined to see references to him that might not be there (i.e. there actually is a character named Manbat). Then again, I wouldn't be terribly shocked if Wolfe read Batman comics growing up, and perhaps he even reads a few now, especially as his friend Neil Gaiman actually has a Batman story coming out in a few months. http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/07/after-clarion.html -Matt

Matt writes:

The Wolfe/Gaiman collaboration? And what about the Wolfe/Swanwick collaboration? Are these still happening? .

The only Wolfe/Gaiman collaboration I know of is "A Walking Tour of the Shambles," and it happeneda few years back.

Right. The Batman thing is Gaiman only. I can't even imagine what a Wolfe-and-Gaiman comic book would look like, but I know I'd read it. Official Tour of the Shambles website??: http://www.preserveusfromthehouseofclocks.com/ By the way, anyone know if copies are still available. As for Wolfe and Swanwick, I've heard of it on and off on this list, but I've never heard anything concrete about it. We can always dream I guess. -Matt

..and it was great! ???? Mobile — (415) 786-3624 ???? Skype? stuart.hamm myspace.com/stuhamm ? ??? stuarthamm.net --- On Mon, 10/6/08, Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com> wrote: From: Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com> Subject: Re: (urth) And What About... To: "The Urth Mailing List" <urth at lists.urth.net> Date: Monday, October 6, 2008, 11:46 AM On Mon, Oct 6, 2008 at 2:06 PM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com> wrote: The only Wolfe/Gaiman collaboration I know of is "A Walking Tour of the Shambles," and it happeneda few years back. Right. The Batman thing is Gaiman only. I can't even imagine what a Wolfe-and-Gaiman comic book would look like, but I know I'd read it. Official Tour of the Shambles website??: http://www.preserveusfromthehouseofclocks.com/ By the way, anyone know if copies are still available. As for Wolfe and Swanwick, I've heard of it on and off on this list, but I've never heard anything concrete about it. We can always dream I guess. -Matt?

We get an explanation from Gid for at least one character's preferred colour styling: werewolves wear shades of grey. I don't think Cassie is a beast woman, is she? She's gone up from human, not up from beast. Unless I've missed something, which is more than likely - this is a damn strange book. Eg: Almost all of the story is tightly focused on Cassie - we see what she sees, and so on. But there are three scenes where the focus is on Gid sans Cassie: at the start, when he's shot, and when he's spirited away from Cassie's apartment after being shot. After that: no more Gid-focus. I really don't understand that. If you're going to shift focus to another character at some points, why not at others, and why not to others? A bunch other things. Overall, either there's a lot of hidden stuff going on here (and Wolfe has taken some scary risks that people will just toss the book without caring enough to puzzle it out); or else he's jumped the Shark-God (except for the beautiful writing in the last third).

Sure. Which is why all the color focus has to mean something.

Has she?

Why yes. Yes, it is.

And the first scene makes no sense as a framing device. Right? I mean, The President Of The United States? Really?

I enjoyed this one a lot more than Pirate Freedom. I think there's something to be gained from looking at it as a Lovecraftian story. But I can't make it make sense that way either. Sure, I'll buy Gideon as Nyarlathotep. His appearance is right, his charming ironic disavowal of gods and good and evil.... And the Squid God as Cthulhu? Obviously. But then....what's Bill Reis? And the bat-things....well, they can't be nightgaunts, because they have faces. So they're byhakee, I guess. Does that make Bill Hastur? The King In Yellow? Does he wear yellow at some point? Augh. This will drive me mad. Mad, I tell you. But I put it to you, doctor: how can the man who developed the trans-cranial rectometer be mad?!? Adam

Abdul Reis???? http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Imprisoned_with_the_Pharaohs hartshorn http://www.thenightland.co.uk 01273-488272 / 0777-214-9545

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book and it is getting a lot better I must say... Anyone mention chairs yet??? Cassie is always in one (as opposed ti the couch etc...) and they are described quite a bit.. Clue or red herring? don't know what to make of this book... ???? Mobile — (415) 786-3624 ???? Skype? stuart.hamm myspace.com/stuhamm ? ??? stuarthamm.net --- On Mon, 10/6/08, Andy Robertson <andywrobertson at clara.co.uk> wrote:

Abdul Reis???? http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Imprisoned_with_the_Pharaohs hartshorn http://www.thenightland.co.uk 01273-488272 / 0777-214-9545

I bought it and read it yesterday. It is very interesting, but (as with all of Wolfe's books) I am sure that I will not begin to get it until several readings. .

One of the people who kidnaps/arrests Margaret wears "a birch suit with those black stripes". Another wolf? A hyena? A zebra, perhaps? Scott wears a "bone-white-and-Chablis seersucker suit". A white wolf? An incontinent polar bear? Anyway, something unpleasant, no doubt. (Gid actually says shades of grey or white, for werewolves.) If Carrie is a beast-woman (and I still don't see anything to suggest that), then I guess the color preference rule would make her beast-part something green. Tree frog? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Red-eyed_Tree_Frog_-_Litoria_chloris_edit1.jpg I guess maybe not :)

Pick up thre book, skim the first few pages, toss it. Risky! But I guess the little god&evil dialog must be intended to frame a theme. I do find it quite difficult to unpack Gid's position on this, so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work.

I hope that isn't something you need to do to make sense of it - I have zero interest in HPL. Which obviously may be why I have probs with the book. Here's one thing I don't get at all: India calls Gil her "Hitler". ????????????

If Carrie is a beast-woman (and I still don't see anything to suggest that) Page 206 Gideon is explaining how to spot a werewolf "They're sensitive to odors and insensitive to colors." page 207 "Cassie had received the first covered dish.When she removed the cover the aroma made her mouth water in actual fact." Not like GW to telegraph it...maybe the being insensitive to colors figures in as well... S ???? Mobile — (415) 786-3624 ???? Skype? stuart.hamm myspace.com/stuhamm ? ??? stuarthamm.net --- On Wed, 10/8/08, Mr Thalassocrat <thalassocrat08 at gmail.com> wrote: From: Mr Thalassocrat <thalassocrat08 at gmail.com> Subject: Re: (urth) Shades of beige To: "The Urth Mailing List" <urth at lists.urth.net> Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 4:21 PM On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 2:36 PM, Adam Thornton <adam at io.com> wrote: On Oct 6, 2008, at 10:47 PM, Mr Thalassocrat wrote: We get an explanation from Gid for at least one character's preferred colour styling: werewolves wear shades of grey. Sure. ?Which is why all the color focus has to mean something. One of the people who kidnaps/arrests Margaret wears "a birch suit with those black stripes". Another wolf? A hyena? A zebra, perhaps? Scott wears a "bone-white-and-Chablis seersucker suit". A white wolf? An incontinent?polar bear? Anyway, something unpleasant, no doubt. (Gid actually says shades of grey or white, for werewolves.) If Carrie is a beast-woman (and I still don't see anything to suggest that), then I guess the color preference rule would make her beast-part something green. Tree frog? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Red-eyed_Tree_Frog_-_Litoria_chloris_edit1.jpg?I guess maybe not?:) Eg: Almost all of the story is tightly focused on Cassie - we see what she sees, and so on. But there are three scenes where the focus is on Gid sans Cassie: at the start, when he's shot, and when he's spirited away from Cassie's apartment after being shot. After that: no more Gid-focus. I really don't understand that. If you're going to shift focus to another character at some points, why not at others, and why not to others? And the first scene makes no sense as a framing device. “Right” ?I mean, The President Of The United States? ?Really? Pick up thre book, skim the first few pages, toss it. Risky! But I guess the little god&evil dialog must be intended to frame a theme. I do find it quite difficult to unpack Gid's position on this, so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. A bunch other things. Overall, either there's a lot of hidden stuff going on here ?(and Wolfe has taken some scary risks that people will just toss the book without caring enough to puzzle it out); or else he's jumped the Shark-God (except for the beautiful writing in the last third). I enjoyed this one a lot more than Pirate Freedom. I think there's something to be gained from looking at it as a Lovecraftian story. I hope that isn't something you need to do to make sense of it - I have zero interest in HPL. Which obviously may be why I have probs with the book. Here's one thing I don't get at all: India calls Gil her "Hitler". ????????????

???? Mobile — (415) 786-3624 ???? Skype? stuart.hamm myspace.com/stuhamm ? ??? stuarthamm.net --- On Wed, 10/8/08, Stuart Hamm <hammstu at sbcglobal.net> wrote: From: Stuart Hamm <hammstu at sbcglobal.net> Subject: Re: (urth) Shades of beige To: "The Urth Mailing List" <urth at lists.urth.net> Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 4:49 PM If Carrie is a beast-woman (and I still don't see anything to suggest that) Page 206 Gideon is explaining how to spot a werewolf "They're sensitive to odors and insensitive to colors." page 207 "Cassie had received the first covered dish.When she removed the cover the aroma made her mouth water in actual fact." Not like GW to telegraph it...maybe the being insensitive to colors figures in as well... S ???? Mobile — (415) 786-3624 ???? Skype? stuart.hamm myspace.com/stuhamm ? ??? stuarthamm.net --- On Wed, 10/8/08, Mr Thalassocrat <thalassocrat08 at gmail.com> wrote: From: Mr Thalassocrat <thalassocrat08 at gmail.com> Subject: Re: (urth) Shades of beige To: "The Urth Mailing List" <urth at lists.urth.net> Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 4:21 PM On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 2:36 PM, Adam Thornton <adam at io.com> wrote: On Oct 6, 2008, at 10:47 PM, Mr Thalassocrat wrote: We get an explanation from Gid for at least one character's preferred colour styling: werewolves wear shades of grey. Sure. ?Which is why all the color focus has to mean something. One of the people who kidnaps/arrests Margaret wears "a birch suit with those black stripes". Another wolf? A hyena? A zebra, perhaps? Scott wears a "bone-white-and-Chablis seersucker suit". A white wolf? An incontinent?polar bear? Anyway, something unpleasant, no doubt. (Gid actually says shades of grey or white, for werewolves.) If Carrie is a beast-woman (and I still don't see anything to suggest that), then I guess the color preference rule would make her beast-part something green. Tree frog? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Red-eyed_Tree_Frog_-_Litoria_chloris_edit1.jpg?I guess maybe not?:) Eg: Almost all of the story is tightly focused on Cassie - we see what she sees, and so on. But there are three scenes where the focus is on Gid sans Cassie: at the start, when he's shot, and when he's spirited away from Cassie's apartment after being shot. After that: no more Gid-focus. I really don't understand that. If you're going to shift focus to another character at some points, why not at others, and why not to others? And the first scene makes no sense as a framing device. “Right” ?I mean, The President Of The United States? ?Really? Pick up thre book, skim the first few pages, toss it. Risky! But I guess the little god&evil dialog must be intended to frame a theme. I do find it quite difficult to unpack Gid's position on this, so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. A bunch other things. Overall, either there's a lot of hidden stuff going on here ?(and Wolfe has taken some scary risks that people will just toss the book without caring enough to puzzle it out); or else he's jumped the Shark-God (except for the beautiful writing in the last third). I enjoyed this one a lot more than Pirate Freedom. I think there's something to be gained from looking at it as a Lovecraftian story. I hope that isn't something you need to do to make sense of it - I have zero interest in HPL. Which obviously may be why I have probs with the book. Here's one thing I don't get at all: India calls Gil her "Hitler". ????????????