Subject: (whorl) Theophanies, Silk's end

From: Alice Turner <al at interport.net>
Date: Wed, 04 Nov 1998 09:22:49 +0000

>> Greg Neyman wrote:
>> > A New Question:  In Calde, Quetzal mentions that he's done his all he
could
>> > to ensure that theophanies stop occurring in Viron ... I never really
>> > understood why ... does it get explained elsewhere in an oblique manner
...
>> > or not at all?
>
>We do learn of one thing: Quetzal banned human sacrifice.

Greg, I don't think it's "explained," but does it need to be? Once you've
had a look at Echidna and Scylla in action, wouldn't you do your best to
keep them off-screen as well? Plus there is the destruction of the Pas
program, which may have loosed the others to do their worst. Quetzal,
despite his need for a meal beyond beef tea once is a while, generally seems
to be a benign figure.

>From Rostrum:

>I predict that if we see Silk at all in the Short Sun books, it will be as
>part of a Silk/Pas amalgram residing in Mainframe.

If you want to make a bet of it, I'll take it. I haven't got much of an
argument except that, speaking editorially, too much is unresolved at the
end of Exodus. There is the new murkiness in Silk's disposition and demeanor
that someone spoke of earlier. There is the question of Hy's allegiance.
There are the taluses under construction. It is true that we might not meet
Silk again directly (I will be sorry for that) but we will have to hear the
end of his tale. I reject the Silk/Pas amalgam because it's so baldly a
variant of the demonic offer of world control, and Silk really is a
"beautiful man."

-alga

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---

From: Kieran Cleary <kierannwn at tinet.ie>
Date: Mon, 02 Nov 1998 14:30:08 +0000

Alga said:

> I reject the Silk/Pas amalgam because it's so baldly a
"beautiful man." <

That's assuming Silk had any choice in the matter. There's reason to believe
that Silk's downloaded personality may have been grafted onto the incomplete
Pas persona without Silk's consent. (Or so I seem to remember).

Kieran C.

North West Labs
Finisklin Industrial Estate
Sligo
Republic of Ireland

Tel. +353 71 69441
Fax. +353 71 69451
email: kierannwn at tinet.ie

---

From: Matthew Malthouse <matthew.malthouse at guardian.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 04 Nov 1998 16:15:20 +0000

> despite his need for a meal beyond beef tea once is a while, generally seems

Quetzal appears benign from the point of view of the human protagonists. But
his motives are not explained to them, or to us. Why does he want to see the
completion of the Plan of Paz? It's outcome would be to send humans to either
Blue or Green - the one to a fragile saftey, the other to what is seemingly
the home of the vampires. It looked to me as if he was seeking to send a new
food supply to his relatives. Not so benign really.

Matthew

---

From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Date: Wed, 04 Nov 1998 14:19:44 +0000

On Wed, 4 Nov 1998, Alice Turner wrote:

> end of his tale. 

Editorially speaking, I think that what you're expressing is properly a
criticism of Exodus, rather than a good reason to continue Silk's story in
the Short Sun books.  Unless Silk is the central character of the Short
Sun books.  It seems sloppy to write 4 books about a character and then
have the resolution of his story take place in another set of books that
center on other characters.

I think that criticism can be rebutted, that Silk's sudden disappearance
can be seen as an artistically satisfying ending to the series, that the
details of talus construction are not foreshadowing but the explanation of
where these strange beasts come from, that we might still see more of Hy
without necessarily giving Silk center stage again.

Silk's disapearance fits in well with the Christ imagery.  It's straight
out of Acts chapter 1.  Silk is victorious and his followers think he's
about to lead them to a new kingdom, and then he disappears leaving them
to remember him as best they can and work things out on their own.  Thus
setting the stage for his Second Coming from the glory of Mainframe...

> variant of the demonic offer of world control, and Silk really is a

Yes it is, but I'm also of the camp that, if this happened/happens, it
wouldn't be something Silk had a choice about. 

I am perhaps still too enamored of the theory that Silk was originally
intended to be the host body for Pas when the Starcrosser reached
landfall, the Piaton that Typhon's "head" would be grafted onto.  

>From which might lead the (for me irresistable) irony of a crippled Pas
program which needs a new "head" personality from Silk to run it and make
it strong enough to win back Mainframe from Echidna and the kids. 

-Rostrum