HOME FIRES finished thoughts (spoilers)

Brian Doherty · 20 Aug 2013, 21:51 · from 2013-August.txt.gz

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From: brianmdoherty at gmail.com (Brian Doherty)
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 14:51:48 -0700
Subject: (urth) HOME FIRES finished thoughts (spoilers)
Message-ID: <CA+uiXAKdVM5O7weRB8WgJr8hbNrLb1cyHwZPa96qEKTOwBH0YA at mail.gmail.com>

In the end, I'm more convinced that this was (deliberately or not) his take
on a late-Heinlein feel novel. Skip and Chelle just seem like late Heinlein
types, Chelle perhaps more vulgar-tough than the vulgar-sweet RAH would go
far. The dialog style, the heroism, the lawyerly machinations, all felt
Heinlein. Skip, the aging noble man successful and choosing an ultimate
sacrifice for both personal love and humanity....(presuming which I'm not
sure I should that there IS something good for humanity about fighting the
Os.)

Also in the end, I found myself liking it more than I expected i would from
first 2/3. Not that the conclusion was anything bang up or that it raveled
anything together in any WOW way, but just....I was really feeling the
emotions of everything from the final diner scene when Skip showed up on.

Still, what a PECULIAR book. So much felt, like, what? why? Particularly
the cinnamon toast scene at end. Loved it, but didn't...get the point. And
as always with WOlfe, you feel dumb because you don't. Maybe it was simply
to show how tough Chelle was but seemed late in narrative to take time for
mere character-building.

Some points I picked up I think mostly from this list:
1) I believe it is either known or believed by some that Charles Blue is an
Os. i missed even a hint at this. What's the clue/giveaway?
2) Wolfean Q---given that we know SOME characters are brain scans in bodies
other than ones born with, this makes me assume that some/many OTHERS are
too. Do others agree, and who are top candidates?
3) "so that he can keep running into "Charles Blue" and keep forgetting
about it, and to show how nobody knows anything about anybody else -
identification has been lost in that world."---I did not pick up on this at
all when relating to Blue, but saw a reminder of it in the "lost
women"/Chelle diner scene. Is that because, again, MOST people in this
world end up in diff bodies they were born with/are way older because of
relativistic space effect?

This seems to me to be a Wolfe novel that's received the least detailed
discussion of mysteries/meaning. If someone can guide me to source for
same, would appreciate it.

Brian Doherty
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