Urth - Geology vs Humanity

Tim Walters · 03 Dec 2008, 17:17 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: walters at doubtfulpalace.com (Tim Walters)
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:17:19 -0800
Subject: (urth) Urth - Geology vs Humanity
In-Reply-To: <63FB9AC7E0AEC7459DBCC99DC44247CA01F6B013 at BOSIDEXDB.Bankofscotland.ie>
References: <63FB9AC7E0AEC7459DBCC99DC44247CA01F6B013 at BOSIDEXDB.Bankofscotland.ie>
Message-ID: <4936BF1F.1070508 at doubtfulpalace.com>

O'Donnell, Tim (BOSI) wrote:

> Vance in the Dying Earth series never gave any clues to the passage of 
> time and thus escaped this trap.

I don't have time to look for a pull quote right now, but I'm pretty 
sure that somewhere he makes it clear that it's far, far in the future, 
far enough for the sun to have weakened naturally.

And while the subgenre is named after Vance's book, he wasn't the only 
(or first) to write in it. Vance's model was Clark Ashton Smith's 
Zothique stories. Richard Lupoff wrote "One Million Centuries." Arthur 
C. Clarke got a toe in with "The City And The Stars." Ultimately the 
trope goes back to Wells' "The Time Machine." I'm pretty sure all of 
these are explicit about the passage of eons, and it's an important part 
of their effect.

I believe Wolfe is following this tradition.

-- 

Tim Walters | The Doubtful Palace | http://doubtfulpalace.com

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