AEG again

David Stockhoff · 24 Nov 2009, 13:42 · from 2009-November.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:42:19 -0500
Subject: (urth) AEG again
In-Reply-To: <mailman.4722.1259059921.4134.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.4722.1259059921.4134.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <4B0BE2BB.4000009 at verizon.net>

Tomayto/tomahto.

OK, I just finished AEG. 

Could someone please summarize all the discussion so far? I need to catch up. ;)

My first observation is that the novel is intended to be very stagy, i.e., like a play. As such it appears somewhat (deceptively) thin, and the characters even mock the plot's resemblance to what I imagine to be a series of Pacific island movies of the 1930s-40s, perhaps (having never seen one---maybe the musical "South Pacific" itself, which came a bit later?). The theme of "playing roles" is of course central, though I haven't thought about it much. And the play-like construction allows---nay, demands---lots and lots of off-stage action and resolution, which has always been  a Wolfe signature anyway.

One is left wondering about the fate of R'lyeh and the timing of the storm. Coincidence that Reis has stockpiled just enough radioactive gold there over the years so the Navy attacks just before he is to marry Cassie? Was it connected to the Navy in fact? And if the SK was indeed counterattacking the Navy with the storm, why did he turn off the storm in response to the sacrifice of Reis? How does that make sense? Does it matter?

I was also skeptical of Reis's confidence that the Navy could more than handle the SK. First, they would have to identify him as a threat. Then, they'd probably have to nuke him and pick up the gold after. This requires that he defeat them first, and we don't know the result of this battle.

Finally, I believe I've seen the furry bat aliens in some listing of all the races invented by Lovecraft. Are they byakhee?

Does anyone know this list? It's not on Wikipedia.

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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:56:46 -0600
From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson at io.com>
To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) The Guild's Revolutionary
Message-ID: <4B0B91BE.6030302 at io.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Adam Thornton wrote:

> > 
> > On Nov 23, 2009, at 5:30 AM, Jeff Wilson wrote:
>   
>> >>
>> >> It's less of a pun than a Dantean contrapasso, I would say.
>>     
> > 
> > Potato/dried tuber.
> > 
> > Adam
>   

Goodness, is it my turn in the barrel again already?

I'm not sure what you mean by that answer, could you please explain ti 
at greater length, Adam?

-- Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com IEEE Student Chapter Blog at < 
http://ieeetamut.org > ------------------------------

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