Mysteries

Gerry Quinn · 22 Oct 2011, 11:50 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: gerry at bindweed.com (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:50:31 +0100
Subject: (urth) Mysteries
In-Reply-To: <A9589C00-47B1-4F33-A72C-274C896ABE05 at gmail.com>
References: <1319254319.20859.YahooMailClassic at web161806.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
	<A9589C00-47B1-4F33-A72C-274C896ABE05 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <B1C54B39A91F4FE2B22577EDEA7BB0AF@Rover>

From: Ant?nio Pedro Marques 
> No dia 22/10/2011, ?s 04:31, Marc Aramini <marcaramini at yahoo.com> escreveu:   
> > --- On Fri, 10/21/11, Andrew Mason <andrew.mason53 at googlemail.com> wrote:

    > > > Not in the _Sun_ cycle, as far as I can remember. Perhaps
    > > > that Weer is dead?

    > > Every body agrees on that because Wolfe said it in early interviews.  Otherwise, we would 
    > > be arguing about that, too.
> Maybe you're right. And the same goes for Dorcas, some say. Sounds bleak to me. 

It?s not that bad, I think.  If Wolfe says something, after all, others might have come to the realisation later.  As for Weer, when I read _Peace_ I didn?t know he was dead, but it was clear that he was at least dying if not dead, and I?m not sure that the difference is hugely important.  I think I did settle on him probably been dead, mainly because I felt he was being punished in some way (perhaps just by becoming an unquiet spirit).

The lander overruling the destination set by Quetzal was a bad one, though ? we should have noticed the monitor in sick bay!

As for mysteries, I think a lot of people are seeing mysteries where there are none, and of course they cannot find consistent answers to them.  In Fifth Head, for example, we are told quite clearly who the Shadow Children are (in this case Wolfe actually said the opposite in an interview fifteen years after publication, but I?m certain it was an error!)  Trying to paint them as the aboriginal Annese just leads to confusion and inconsistency, and ?mysteries? that aren?t really there at all.

- Gerry Quinn

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