Problematic element in chronology

Gerry Quinn · 31 May 2011, 17:33 · from 2011-May.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 18:33:34 +0100
Subject: (urth) Problematic element in chronology
References: <87E792FA008E4A679A9EFA68176C4976@jill><4DE0BB7C.2060406 at gmail.com><919CCDA1A13748D3885C08CACA98A8FF@jill>	<ACEAA57F-D428-4FB2-B650-33276F9B59D8 at gmail.com>	<1FA299F467334EA3AB206557AEDF319A@jill><4DE4F975.7040803 at gmail.com>
	<4DE50281.6070600 at irit.fr>
Message-ID: <338FE273BF55421DAA98943A6330B0E0@jill>

From: "Sergei SOLOVIEV" <soloviev at irit.fr>

> Moses made Jews wander 40 years through Sinai. If you take the shortest 
> way, it is
> at most a few hundred kilometres. What makes you think that the Whorl had
> taken the shortest path to its destination? It could very well go with 
> relativistic
> speed and make a detour. It seems also that the plan might include that 
> the Whorl
> will come back and repeople Urth (Ushas) after the floods etc. - in the 
> end
> of the Short Sun cycle it is going to be repaired and travel again - to go 
> where?
> Some hints are also in the end of "The Urth of the New Sun".

It's not easy to turn a relativistic asteroid!  And it doesn't seem like 
they stopped anywhere en route, so why waste all that energy?

If Typhon wanted to repopulate Urth at a later time (but he says nothing of 
any such plan when he meets Severian in BotNS) he could have put sleepers on 
Lune or something.  But anyway he had no reason to make any such plan.

My impression is that the Whorl is intended to be repaired and explore 
further among the stars.  Perhaps that was the original plan, derailed by 
the death of Pas.

- Gerry Quinn

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