a question, some Cthulhiana, and some EG spoilers (maybe)

Adam Thornton · 13 Oct 2008, 02:55 · from 2008-October.txt.gz

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From: adam at io.com (Adam Thornton)
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:55:00 -0500
Subject: (urth) a question, some Cthulhiana, and some EG spoilers (maybe)
In-Reply-To: <e11bddb60810121937g208290e6pfe421ca80c47ed44 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <e11bddb60810121937g208290e6pfe421ca80c47ed44 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <FA4CD2E0-3BF6-4792-8012-EC67CCD8B543 at io.com>

On Oct 12, 2008, at 9:37 PM, Thomas Bitterman wrote:

> First, the question.  In the final conversation, between Cassie and  
> Klauser (which
> really needs extended explanation), Cassie asks Klauser what to take  
> on the trip
> to Woldercan.  He says, "Women have monthly needs.  You could use  
> rags, and
> our great-great-grandmothers did, but if you would prefer not  
> to...".  WTF?  Who
> talks like that?  Why would an old man tell an old woman about  
> menstruation and
> the historic ways to deal with it?

For some reason, this reminded me of the conversation between Marlowe  
and Sternwood in _The Big Sleep_.  You know, "Orchids remind me too  
much of dead men's flesh."  Also, of course, "I exist largely on  
sleep, like a newborn spider."

I don't know *why* the conversation triggered that memory, but when  
reading Wolfe, often my hunches turn out to be at least sort of  
right.  I think there's something to that, and something, perhaps, to  
the fact that the novel smells like pulp but might be noir.

As far as Gideon Chase being Great Cthulhu: the dude seems much more  
like Nyarlathotep to me.  But...well, the Haunter In Darkness is the  
only one of that crowd with much actual interest in humanity  
(admittedly, the interest of a cat with a mouse).  But I wonder if  
Bill Reis, and the Shark God, and the Volcano God, are mere Gods of  
Earth, while Gideon Chase and the Squid God are something much  
larger.  Of course, if Gideon is driven off-world by the efforts of  
the U.S. Navy....hmm.

Adam
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