[big spoiler] Narrative technique in _Return_

David DiGiacomo · 08 Feb 2001, 14:16 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: dd at Adobe.COM (David DiGiacomo)
Subject: (whorl) Re: [big spoiler] Narrative technique in _Return_
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 14:16:51
Message-ID: <whorl-v0012-0157 at digest.urth.net>
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>From: Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at sirius.com>
>Subject: (whorl) re: [big spoiler] Narrative technique in _Return_
>Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 09:52:56 -0800
>
>Part of the difficulty surrounding Horn giving Silk's eye to Pig, it seems
>to me, is the fact that at precisely this moment, when Pig first looks at
>his benefactor after the operation, the transfer happens, and Horn/Silk
>becomes Horn/Silk/Silk.

Is there any reason to think that a god can do a direct bio-bio transfer?
If not, the path must have been Pig->glass, glass->Horn/Silk, and it
happened shortly after Pig saw Horn/Silk.

It seems odd that Silk in Mainframe hadn't noticed his body long before
this, and entered it to see what was going on.

Can anyone think of an explanation for gods uploading themselves via the
eyes?  Normal eyes are not output devices, unless some sort of twitch code
is used, and another part of the body would serve as well for that.
Perhaps Pas bioengineered something, but there is no evidence of
biotechnology that advanced.  It seems like a weak point in the series.

>One of the first tricky questions for me was, "Why would Nettle leave Blue?
>Why not be a grandmother?"  For this I think the biggest answer is probably
>that she was told the damning secret, and as a result she would be hunted
>on Blue.  Beyond that, well, the colony has gone to hell, time to move on!

I don't think the second reason would be enough to make her go on a trip
with Seawrack.

>What about Seawrack?  Here's the weird case where she was Horn's
>girlfriend, and while the Horn/Silk/Silk combine occassionally confused
>Seawrack with Hyacinth, still, I don't think that Silk2 is likely to have
>an affair with Seawrack, just as Horn wouldn't do so with Hyacinth.  So why
>is Seawrack going?

The Mother told her to go.

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