Subject: (whorl) Impressions, riddles, etc.

From: Alice Turner <pei047 at attglobal.net>
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 22:46:03 +0000

> From: "Ian Smith" <iancsmith at 4unet.co.uk>

Hi Ian, and welcome,

> No-one seems to have queried yet the reason for the sudeen change in
Horn
> between the first two volumes. At the end of OBW we leave Horn still
> wallowing to some extent in self-loathing, still questioning whether
he
> should be writing his book.  At the start of IGJ this has
disapppeared, and
> throughout he confines himself to minor self-depreceatory remarks
(very much
> in the manner of Silk...).  As the time lapse between the end of
writing the
> end of OBW and the start of OGJ is purportedly very short (I think
there are
> hints that it is only around 2 days?) what as caused this
transformation?
> Could it have something to do with the mysterious encounter in the
woods
> before Horn meets brother and sister?

No, I think it is, as has been discussed quite recently, Horn's transfer
to Silk's body, with Silk's powerful gene-spliced leadership DNA having
an effect on those he encounters. I'm not quite sure from your post that
you have finished IGJ--this will become clearer.

> "I found him in he forest, sitting in the dark under the trees.  I
could not
> see him, it was too dark to see anything.  But I knelt beside him, and
lay
> my head upon his knee, and he comforted me."(OBW p.378)
>
> At first I thought this was another neighbor encounter, but in IGJ
Horn says
> he hasn't encountered them since they moved him to a new body.  It
could
> also be a particularly obtuse dream sequence, I suppose.  Any ideas?

It is Babbie speaking here. It is probably Horn's fever-dream, but maybe
not. Babbie is going to turn up again in the third volume (thank
goodness, I missed him) and we'll know more.

Hi Wombat,

> At 12:04 PM 7/29/00 -0400, vizcacha wrote:
> >Second, and more importantly (and here we are getting close to the
true
> >secret), there are actually no inhumi.  There is only, poignantly, "a
girl
> >trapped in the body of a blood-drinking reptile."  The inhumi only
have
> >"spirits" because their victims have spirits, only have intelligence
because
> >their victims have intelligence, and so on.
>
> I don't think this point has been made here: The inhumi seem
specifically
> to be telepathic reptiles tht developed their telepathy to enhance
their
> predation. It seems likely that the assumption of human
characteristics is
> a side-effect of this telepathic ability. I can't tell if they are
capable
> of true shape-shifting; their ability to pose as humans is certainly
> enhanced by, and may be completely, telepathic projection. Note that
this
> does *not* seem to be part of what Krait told Horn on Green, since
Horn
> doesn't realize this until he sees the camouflaged hunters in Goan.

They are shapeshifters only to a degree and I don't think it's fully
"telepathic." Remember three things: They cannot change their density; a
careful upclose look, especially at their limbs and hair by someone who
knows what to look for, will give them away; they are cold-blooded and
cannot fake otherwise. Horn has been given the ability to know them
almost at once, but Fava and Jahlee are very careful not to get too
close to any human. This is somewhat important to the plot.

> It seems that Incanto's travel between worlds is a combination of the
> inhumi telepathic projection and the Vanished People's indeterminate
reality.

Again, I discount "telepathy," except on an elementary level--"charisma"
might be more like it. This is a gift from the Vanished People, I think,
and meant, in some mysterious manner, to bring humans and inhumi
together, since neither can do it alone. (Though I guess the VP can.)

> >Jahlee describes the
> >pursuit of Horn at the end of OBW, and how the inhumi all felt they
should
> >kill him, but each hoped that another would do it first.  They feel
this way
> >out of gratitude and also, I think, because the people whose blood
they have
> >absorbed would not be quick to kill either. Few are eager to cast the
first
> >stone, sinful or not.  Result, Horn escapes.
>
> Well, also, the inhumi are strongly biologically conditioned not to
kill
> their prey. In "nature", they will feed on a victim repeatedly over
the
> course of years rather than kill. If the inhumi surrounding the Rajan
at
> the end of _Blue_ have not fed from killers, they will not have
"learned"
> how to kill, themselves.

No, you really can't say that. Horn had to clean the sewers, with
thousands of people dead from inhumu greed. Unless that was a dream, and
I don't think it was.

> I'd go a step further: If all the inhumi are treated as human by all
> humans, they will *become* human. But I think there's one more twist
to the
> secret coming, and I don't know what it is. So far, Wolfe has
overdelivered
> on every promise of the narrative; I'd like to think he's capable of
> overdelivering on the promise of the secret of the inhumi as well.

I don't quite follow. But your second sentence has been brought up over
and over on the list, and I still think it is too simplistic. So sue me.

Asked Raymond:
>
> I have a quick question. Why did Silk agree to become a part of Pas?
Is
> there an explanation in the Long Sun books? Just wondering.

We have absolutely, positively no proof that he did. This was only a
conjecture of the pre Horn/Pas Horn that it MIGHT have happened.

Welcome, Muskrat, and don't be scared of Nutria--his fangs are mostly
for show:

> I have to wonder whether you all are making life more
> difficult for him.  Does he read these archives?

No.

-alga

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---

From: Kevin J. Maroney <kmaroney at crossover.com>
Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 11:49:09 +0000

At 10:46 PM 7/31/00 -0400, Alga wrote:
>cannot fake otherwise. 

Casting back, I seem to remember something in _Blue_ about the inhumi
changing shape to travel between the worlds. So they probably do *really*
shapeshift mildly. But I think the projective telepathy is real; Incanto's
discussion of watching an inhuma die indicates that there's something more
than just physical shapeshifting going on. 

That said, the projective telepathy is far from perfect; that's obvious.
They emulate their prey, but not well enough to fool someone who knows what
to look for. 

>thousands of people dead from inhumu greed. Unless that was a dream, and

I don't think it was a dream, either. But I think that the inhumi of the
City killed lots of humans not deliberately but out of exhaustion--they
reflect the cruelty visted on them by the Vanished People and work (and
drain) their humans to death, but do not necessarily set out to murder them. 

>>to the secret coming, and I don't know what it is. So far, Wolfe has
>>overdelivered on every promise of the narrative; I'd like to think he's
>>capable of overdelivering on the promise of the secret of the inhumi 
>>as well.

>I don't quite follow. 

I think that throughout the narrative of _Long Sun_ and _Short Sun_, Wolfe
has set up narrative expectations. He then, pretty consistently, has
fulfilled those expectations in ways that, I feel, surpassed expectations. 

Wolfe has spent a tremendous amount of narrative energy building up the
"secret  of the inhumi". I have a hard time believing the secret is
anything we could guess. Hence, I think that the secret encompasses the
idea that humans can rid themselves of the threat of the inhumi by acts of
loving kindness, but I have faith that it involves something much bigger. 

>But your second sentence has been brought up over

You'll be hearing from my lawyer. 

-- 
Wombat, a.k.a. Kevin Maroney kmaroney at crossover.com
Kitchen Staff Supervisor, New York Review of Science Fiction
http://www.nyrsf.com