TWK: More Mag

Last Feb. 25, I made a speculative post about Mag, and Art's mysterious connections to her. Here is a tidbit I overlooked, but which only serves to muddy the waters further. It comes just after the death of Gilling, when Able was treating Toug's injuries in Thiazi's quarters. Thiazi had just come in, and Able was introducing the two slave women present, Etela and her mother, to him. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this scene in Thiazi's room was the first occasion in the 900 page story where Able met either female. He says to Thiazi, "And this woman is her [Etela's] mother. I think I know her name, but it would be better if she were to introduce herself." The woman (Lynnet) ignored him. (W, 249) Three pages later, Able asked Toug what her name was. Not even Toug knew it; Etela had to supply the name. What's going on here? Why did Able/Art think he knew the name of a woman he hadn't even met before? Able's first mention of her was page 247. "There was moonlight in the eyes of the strange woman Etela called Mama; I wondered what those eyes would be like when the moon was full, and found myself hoping I would never see them by moonlight." Able and Lynnet then go on to enter the Room of Lost Love. -Roy

I was rereading The World of Null A recently (it wasn't as bad as I was expecting ;)) and noticed a couple of interesting parallels. One is the setting on Venus, which I had completely forgotten: it is a green world covered by enormous trees (mile high?). Secondly, the amnesiac hero gets there by dying on earth and awakening there in a new body, and returns to Earth by spaceship. As usual, overall there are more differences than similarities between Short Sun and Null A. A third resemblance is Gosseyn's method of immortality, cf The Fifth Head. David Duffy.