Cloud Nine

David Stockhoff · 12 Nov 2009, 02:59 · from 2009-November.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:59:19 -0500
Subject: (urth) Cloud Nine
In-Reply-To: <mailman.1.1257977688.28662.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.1.1257977688.28662.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
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John Crowley's /Engine Summer /may use that concept. There's little to go on, but it's either that or vast amounts of energy spent keeping the angels' city up. And you'd need to warm a city at 15,000 feet anyway.

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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:01:48 -0500
From: Gwern Branwen <gwern0 at gmail.com>
To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Wolfe-influenced, if not Wolfe-esque
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On Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 1:13 PM, Stephen Case <scase at olivet.edu> wrote:

> > I've published a second story that the list may or may not be interested in. ?I link it here simply because I consider myself a writer heavily influenced by Wolfe (and would of course welcome feedback): http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/story.php?s=63
> >
> > -Steve
>   

I think it's pretty decent, and not too long. The language is
sometimes a bit affected where I suspect Wolf would've been terser.
eg. I feel Wolfe might've written 'But I find I am getting ahead of my
account.' as 'But I overrun my narrative.'

The story itself is fine. My biggest gripe is that I'm still not sure
how the palace thing worked. Invisible water lifting the palace?

The entire time I was reading, I kept hoping - Be a Cloud Nine! Be a
Cloud Nine! (See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_nine_(Tensegrity_sphere) - a
geodesic dome or sphere so large that its diameter is so small in
proportion to its volume that it turns into a hot air balloon,
essentially.)

That would also be more Wolfean - real (at least, proposed) technology
thought to be magic. But I'll admit I'm biased since I love the idea
of a Cloud Nine and have used them in 2 of my own stories.

-- gwern ------------------------------

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