# Digest whorl.v010.n095 *The Whorl list — 3 messages, 3 voices, 03 Apr 2000* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Timothy Reilly *03 Apr 2000, 02:55* Re the recent discussions prompted by my post on whether the Long Sun series is worth it or not, it's nice to see that there is a respectable body of opinion at both extremes. However for my part I did NOT enjoy reading the series (which I did once, but with care and assistance from external sources as I mentioned). Therefore I am NOT going to reread it, let alone do so five times a la Patrick O'Leary. (Martin Amis apparently said in his youth on TV of one of his early novels that it had to be reread to be understood; his father Kingsley wrote to a friend "Well then HE'S FAILED hasn't he"). I've reread TBNS (and other good Wolfe) several times, but that was for pleasure, not duty. > I say this not to (I hope) labour the point, but because Alice Turner wrote: > My initial response to the LS series was not dissimilar; it seemed like a > YA novel to me. But as I got into it, first with mantis and then with >this > group, I began to take a pecular pleasure in the plotting. It's put together > like a jigsaw puzzle. Ask yourself how the insurrection started, >how and > why Viron went to war, and how it is that Silk is chosen as the rebels' calde. There's nothing in the least accidental about it. Just >about the only really spontaneous act in the book is Silk's wild decision to leap over Blood's wall, and his ending up in Hyacinth's >bedroom. From there on, he is being manipulated nearly every step of the way. In fact, you could put his manipulation even earlier, as the >Outsider is also manipulating him. Try making a chart of the various factions in and around Viron and figure out who is working for whom. >It's fascinating. And one single person (not a god) puts the whole unwieldy structure in motion. I won't tell you who that is, but you can >figure it out by keeping track of motivations and opportunities. Alice, please do tell all. I'm not up to working it out myself, and as I said I don't intend to try in future. Same for you Patrick. *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun. --- ### Patri10629 *03 Apr 2000, 10:02 · follows Timothy Reilly* In a message dated 4/2/00 11:02:08 PM, treilly at ozemail.com.au writes: << Alice, please do tell all. I'm not up to working it out myself, and as I said I don't intend to try in future. Same for you Patrick. >> Dear Timothy, If it's any consolation I don't know what the hell Alice is talking about either:) And, please, never ever read anything out of duty. That's sort of like having sex for procreation. best, Patrick O'Leary *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun. --- ### Michael Straight *03 Apr 2000, 13:20 · follows Patri10629* On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Timothy Reilly quoted Alice: > who is working for whom. >It's fascinating. And one single person (not a > god) puts the whole unwieldy structure in motion. I won't tell you who that > is, but you can >figure it out by keeping track of motivations and > opportunities. > > Alice, please do tell all. I'm not up to working it out myself, and as I > said I don't intend to try in future. Same for you Patrick. I agree. If you've got a conspiracy theory, let's hear it so we can argue about it. Somehow I doubt you've found an uncontroversially "right" interpretation that we'd all come to if we only read more carefully. -Rostrum *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun. ---