Digest whorl.v010.n033

Alastair Reynolds · 15 Oct 1999, 07:09 · from whorl-v0010.mbox · original

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From: areynold at estsa2.estec.esa.nl (Alastair Reynolds)
Subject: Re: (whorl) Re: Digest whorl.v010.n033
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 09:09:01 +0200 (MET DST)
Message-ID: <whorl-v0010-0114 at digest.urth.net>
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David, in my reply to my query:
>=20
> Q: About how far, really, is the New Sun series set in our future (or the=20
> future of the previous universe)? How much time elapses between Typhon=20
> and Severian?
>=20
> Wolfe: That is never specified in the books. My offhand guess is between=20
> 1000 and 2000 years. I would have to reread the books with care to=20
> perhaps trim the estimate up a little bit.
>=20
> Wolfe is surely answering the second question rather than the first,=20
> since passages in BotNS suggest a serious geological timespan between our=20
> age and Severian's (e.g. the fault-cliff in =3DSword=3D which exposes thr=
ee=20
> miles of vertically stacked human relics).
>=20

Many thanks for digging that up. Yes - he's obviously talking about the gap
between Severian and Typhon rather than the era of the Urth. I must have
skimmed the second part of the question when I read the q&a originally
and assumed the answer referred to the first part - which troubled me,
because - as you say - the timescale feels so geological.

Al

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