Gideon

Roy C. Lackey · 08 Jan 2009, 07:11 · from 2009-January.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2009 01:11:16 -0600
Subject: (urth) Gideon
References: <1bf4dd40901071544p6b16955cu27646c10ab93d931 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <009401c97160$4fce77a0$cecc4a0c@rclackey>

Dave Tallman quoted and wrote:
> > Gid knew from the start how Reis was able to breach government security.
> > Reis "walks unseen", as the note to Cassie on the back of the photo
showed.
> > What I am suggesting is that Gid set Reis up. He recruited Cassie as
bait,
> > and Reis took the bait. When Reis acted to make Cassie his island queen,
and
> > since he had already pissed off the Squid God by killing off a thousand
of
> > the god's international recruits on the islands, he knew he had to act
to
> > insure his queen's safety. The island natives were too afraid of the
Squid
> > God to be of any help. So he hired Gid as a consultant, knowing Gid had
the
> > ear of the president and the backing of the U.S. government. Gid told
Reis
> > how to set the bait for the Squid God and got the president to send in
the
> > Navy. The island natives killed Reis to placate the Squid God. Problem
> > solved. The presiden't commision was satisfied. Gid got his reward, the
> > ambassadorship to Woldercan he said he wanted (222), where he could
learn
> > how to make gold, just as Reis had done.
> >
> >
> Earlier in our discussion, I thought you agreed with me that Reis brought
> his troubles on himself.

I did and I do.

> It was certainly reckless to stash Cassie alone in
> a place so near the center of the Storm King's power, and then to provoke
a
> naval battle with Chthulhu. Even if Chase advised this course of action it
> was Reis who chose to do it. He ought to be smarter than that.

I agree. But . . .

> Of course,
> Cassie was also in danger back in Kingsport and the kidnappers might have
> been after her when she went to Springfield. But couldn't Reis find
> somewhere safer for her than the monster's backyard? I feel more
comfortable
> thinking that this part of the scheme was from Reis' meglomania rather
than
> from Chase. It's too dumb a plan for him to take from somebody else.

I agree that it was a dumb thing to do, but he did it anyway! That's a
character flaw that comes from being a megalomaniac. Reis was used to
getting whatever he wanted, all the time, at whatever the cost. He had
dreams of being an island king as soon as he got back from being ambassador
to Woldercan, as the photo the president showed Gid indicated. And he made
it so, though a thousand people died to make his little paradise. He made
himself a benevolent, well-loved king, funded by poison gold. Then he wanted
another trophy wife to be his queen. He got her. He bought the natives'
loyalty, and they stayed loyal until he crossed the monster.

Gid used Reis' ego to engineer his downfall. That's the beauty of it. Reis
would set himself up to fail, with a little nudge from Gid and help from
Gid's friends in high places.

If Gid was aware of Reis's scheme to get the Navy to do the dirty work, then
that would be a very good reason not to come to the island to pick up
Cassie. The tempest might strike at any time, as it did. When Gid delivered
Cassie to the island, he told her the secret of his success: "Never set
yourself up to fail. Never!" (223)

-Roy

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