Blue & Green same as worlds in Fifth Head of Cerberus?

Alastair Reynolds · 03 Jul 1997, 08:11 · from whorl-v0007.mbox · original

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From: Alastair Reynolds <A.Reynolds at fys.ruu.nl>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Blue & Green same as worlds in Fifth Head of Cerberus?
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 10:11:21 +0200 (MET DST)
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[Posted from WHORL, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

>=20
>=20
> [Posted from WHORL, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Su=
n]
>=20
> David Langford wrote:
> >...Like I suspect many readers, my reaction
> >when we learn that Whorl has arrived at what appears to the
> >same double-planet system as featured in The Fifth Head of Cerberus...
>=20
> Actually, I could suggest a way that the worlds depicted in Fifth Head
> could be the same as the destination of the Whorl. Assume that the
> arrival of the Whorl is a considerable time after the events depicted in
> Fifth Head. Suppose that in the interval, the inhumi (the
> shape-shifters) absorbed all the humans on Blue and Green. That would
> account for Quetzal's ability to mimick humans so well, and his
> knowledge of human culture, and for the absence of indigenous humans on
> Blue. In fact, Quetzal is probably pretty confused about what he is, if
> he's one of the shape shifters described in Fifth Head...

Have to 'fess up and admit I wrote the above, not DL - but I agree that
the only way it'd make sense is if the chronology's as you suggest
above.

al

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