Subject: (urth) Home Fires questions (spoilers)

From: Alex Carnevale <alex.carnevale at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:21:17 +0000

I have been a lurking reader of the list and really enjoy the
conversations here. I had a few Home Fires questions & I thought those
who have read the novel already might shine a light. I just finished
the book last night, and it's amazing. I've always been a fan of
Wolfe's more-dialogue heavy recent style (I think The Wizard should be
staged), but this one was as good a thriller/mystery as he's ever
done.

Here were a few things that I didn't fully comprehend after my first
read. Many spoilers follow.

1) It's pretty much outright said that Mr. Blue is an Os (which might
make make Holly Hollander's Mr. Blue an Os too, I'll have to check on
that). He never eats or drinks. He makes the cryptic comment about
destroying Earth when he talks to Skip on the ship the first time:
"Suppose they could get control of all the rest by blowing up this
one?" He kisses his "daughter" on the lips. His wife and daughter
don't recognize him. Etc. Two things about his actions still puzzle
me. The first is that I don't know if he was Charlie Blue during
dinner with Chelle and Skip at the hotel before she left to join the
military. Skip says he never takes off his sunglasses indoors or out
in that chapter, which suggests it might be the Os, but I really have
no idea.

2) Did Mr. Blue kill Zygmont because he was onto him? Was he also the
shopkeeper who sold Vanessa her furniture?

3) There must have been an EU spy (or perhaps more than one) on the
ship. Who was it? Trinity? Achille?

4) Who stabbed Vanessa after she left the restaurant? Skip thinks of
several reasons it's not Rick Johnson, and though he later recants,
I'm not sure I believe him.

5) I'm not totally clear on everything that happened on Johanna.
(Hopefully Mr. Andre-Driussi will make a timeline!) How did Chelle's
firing squad execution of that soldier figure into the events?

6) Lastly, most of Wolfe's narrators are liars in whole or in part.
Skip seems pretty honest, which I suppose is ironic considering his
occupation. He tells us his reason for becoming a JAG and opting
offworld, and it's not wholly unbelievable. As smart as he is, I don't
think it's the real reason. He's going to be a colonel out there. What
is his plan?

Many thanks for answers (or guesses) at any of these.

Alex Carnevale

---

From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson at io.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:06:14 +0000

On 4/7/2011 10:21 AM, Alex Carnevale wrote:
> 1) It's pretty much outright said that Mr. Blue is an Os

He may be one of the Os if he's not a loa, or Os and Loas could be the 
same thing.

> ship. Who was it? Trinity? Achille?

I think any of the lower crew would be happy to take money in reutrn for 
gossiping about what goes on shipboard. Otherwise, does the EU have any 
reason to put a "real" spy aboard?

> think it's the real reason. He's going to be a colonel out there. What

I'd say Skip is telling the truth about his plans, though his motives 
may be off. He's intending to continue living well thanks to his 
high-rank comission, and has arranged a non-combat role so he can be 
assured of coming back to Chelle when she's gotten her head together. 
He's still assured of some respect from the fighting men and women due 
to his experiences under arms on the ship, and he's not above exploiting 
that, and of course he won't lose his position at work as he explained.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
Computational Intelligence Laboratory - Texas A&M Texarkana
< http://www.tamut.edu/CIL >