Empire Star and New Sun

David Duffy · 06 Apr 2005, 21:33 · from 2005-April.txt.gz

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From: David.Duffy at qimr.edu.au (David Duffy)
Date: Wed Apr  6 21:33:42 2005
Subject: (urth) Empire Star and New Sun
In-Reply-To: <4254873D.4030805 at gmail.com>
References: <3d03967f050405133832567a59 at mail.gmail.com>
	<4254873D.4030805 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.58.0504071403320.5054 at orpheus.qimr.edu.au>

I've just been rereading Delany's _Empire Star_ (1966), and was struck by
certain resonances with tBotNS

I suppose SPOILERS AHOY

a) the heroine is Sai Severina
b) who as Princess of the Empire (with a dying father) will ascend to the throne
that controls the time gate
c) travels back in time to carry out her plan to free the enslaved Lll
(the name of the only member of this creative race we meet is an anagram
of Samuel R Delany)
d) which entails the recruitment and education of the hero Comet Jo to her
cause (a 500 year wait under the pseudonym Charona)
e) who then helps the young Severina kickstart her plan and time travel
loop.
f) and when older helps recruit himself to the plan just as he dies

I don't remember the original typesetting, but in the 1980 (reprinted
2000) illustrated version, after the linear story of Jo, the loop is
presented in a half page summary with mandalas made up of the
illustrations.

David Duffy.

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