interview questions

Lee Berman · 05 Jan 2011, 13:18 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 08:18:03 -0500
Subject: (urth) interview questions
Message-ID: <SNT123-W45CAB2FA8A8AA445E7D157CF090 at phx.gbl>

>Gerry Quinn: Or are you saying the Shadow Children became the abos?

This is closer to my (and I think James') interpretation. Except it is
more accurately rendered as, "some of the creatures which became Shadow
Children later became abos". Shadow Children are an imperfect copy of
humans. Abos are a closer copy. Civilized people in the city may be even
closer copies. The original "form" is..well, shadows, in my view. Maybe 
worms in James'. But I like shadows. Hence the weird little guys are
"descendents of shadows". Aren't names supposed to be important?

>But then where did the humans, who outnumbered them, disappear to?

That is the central mystery that we can NEVER know. It is ironic because
we spend a good part of this novel being told the mystery is about where the
abos have gone. In finding them, we end up losing ourselves. 

>First, how did they forget *everything* about their origin?  Earth, 
>starcrossers, clothes... you name it, they forgot it.  How and why?

"How" seems an irrelevant question. We don't know "how" a human brain or even
computer (most of us) erases memory. "Why" IS a good question. Forgetting is
an essential part of sucessful imitation. As Aunt Jeannine teaches, the only
original part of an "abo" (Shadow) that cannot be lost is the imitative ability.
(James thinks she is wrong about this).

>Second, why can't they use tools?  Why have they got a strange eye color? 

These both are part of an imperfect imitation which is corrected later

>How did VRT replace Marsch?

Again this is part of the central mystery. If we knew the answer it would ruin
the story. In losing Dr. Marsch we have lost ourselves (even as readers, vacariously
losing our humanity is a horrifying feeling)

Third, why did the Shadow Children copy humans so badly?

Each imitative effort got progressively better. Shadow Children->abos->regular folk.
Each one better. Only Dr. Veil knows the truth and she is in denial. As are we readers,
at least upon first or second reading.

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