S&S vs. SF in BotNS

Lee Berman · 20 Dec 2011, 19:53 · from 2011-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:53:00 -0500
Subject: (urth) S&S vs. SF in BotNS
Message-ID: <SNT123-W7526AC06DCF8B44AA065BCFA40 at phx.gbl>

>Jerry Friedman: How about the analept of the alzabo and the effect of drinking 
>blook on the inhumi?  After a moment's thought, the only way I can understand 
>these is as magic, specifically the principle of contagion (if I have it right).

I think the alzabo stuff is explainable by time period. There was a very real
and serious camp in the 1970's which thought memory might be carried by RNA. Wolfe
wouldn't be the only SF writer of that era to base fiction on it.

But that really doesn't wash for 21st century science in Short Sun. You got me 
thinking Jerry..

I've always thought that there was an echo of 5HoC Shadow Children in the Inhumi.
Perhaps, like them, inhumi are essentially non-material beings. So it isn't really
the blood, per se,  which facilitates the personality absorbtion but the spirit 
associated with blood (eucharist in mind).

Perhaps more importantly, this idea has softened my stiff-necked stance on the Inhumi
lie of flying through the void from Green to Blue. If there is a spiritual essence
to them, perhaps they could do it by shucking their material body. Then all my problems
with the idea (using muscles to achieve escape velocity, biological survival in the void) 
are side-stepped. If "contagion" is invoked, that could explain why planetary conjunction 
is important in setting the timing of the migration.

I kinda like this idea further because it allows the stated "Secret of the Inhumi" to
actually be their secret- they are what they eat. But, of course the secret isn't as
simple as that. The deeper truth being that they have no material body other than
what they eat. They aren't humanoid or reptilian or even parastic vines. In essence 
they are only malevolent spirits. (and they are still liars ;- ) )

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