Subject: (whorl) Whorl saviors

From: Alice Turner <al at interport.net>
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 15:08:41 +0000

[Posted from Whorl, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

> Another question (so this won't all be philosophy and ethics): Who saves
> the rest of the _Whorl_?  Horn's appendix makes it clear that people
> from cities other than Viron made it to Blue. Who got them there? Did
> the Outsider enlighten someone in each city? Auk's lander is the first
> to leave the _Whorl_. What's happening elsewhere? Why did Tartaros pick
> Auk of Viron, of all the Cargo? (That at least has a plausible
> explanation.)

Here are my answers to Dave's questions, last first. Tartaros picked Auk, I
think, simply because he could, given his limitations. After he created the
Pas puppet to speak for him, he could have it appear on screens and
manteions throughout the Whorl, and that's just what I think he did, which
answers the earlier questions. I find it sort of unlikely that the Outsider
is involved since the Outsider's message, in neither case, seemed to
involve actually leaving (at least Silk didn't see it that way, though in
the interesting discussion above, it's been established that Silk is
sometimes wrong).  Tartaros has the Fliers working for him to spread the
word too. Tartaros is an intriguing guy/god and it remains to be seen if
he's good (working for mankind) or evil (working for the inhumi to set up a
great big picnic). The real Pas, I'm convinced, was a nogoodnik, and it's
debatable whether the Whorl is a legitimate colony ship.

-algae- (I concede the "alga" question, but it looks too odd; algae seems
humorous)

Questions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com