Urth Net
spoilers re: evil guest. Lovecraft-esque theories.
Ok, I have a couple of questions to ask. I have read the book once, and am reading it again. I also haven't read everything that everyone has written so forgive me if I repeat anything. I am a major Lovecraft fan.
go here for Lovecraft stories. please read them before you comment on what I have to say, if you haven't read them already. Lovecraft's stuff is now public domain so me posting this is not illegal. http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/
Here are my points:
-The watch is from HPL to RC. so that's obviously from Lovecraft to Randolph Carter (dream-quest of unknown kadeth, and the two 'silver key' books, the last of which ended with RC on earth in the body of an alien lizard, trying and failing to get back into his own body, as far as I can remember). How is RC involved with this story? Is he Gideon Chase? probably not, I think.
-the watch tells G. C which time it is. I take that to mean less the time of day, and more the 'when' e.g. the century. I'd say G.C is fairly old.
-the bat people, I'm very very unhappy about them. They're almost obviously night-gaunts (creatures of Nyarlathotep, I am fairly sure) but night-gaunts are supposed to be faceless. This doesn't make much sense. either Wolfe changed the description of them or he messed up. I really hope it's neither, and they're not Night-Gaunts, but I think they are.
-G.C is olive-skinned, and talks about Egypt at some stage. Nyarlathotep is from Egypt. Is G.C Nyarlathotep? I suspect not, but it's still worth thinking about. Nyarlathotep seems to be involved
somehow. Furthermore, Nyarlathotep is generally one of the scariest Lovecraft characters because he is actually interested in what humans do, whereas the rest see us as bugs or insects.
-Reis seems to actually be a rather genuine guy, and Chase to be the evil one. I think that Chase is the bad guy. yes, they're both bad, but Chase seems to be far worse. Think about it: who is dead in the end, and who got EXACTLY what he wants? (sorry to capitalise a word). Miskatonic U has a copy of the Necronomicon. Soon after Chase got tenure there, he became the ambassador to Woldercan. So he got access to a book he needed to read (possibly) then became ambassador, which he asked for in the start as far as I can remember.
-in the end it seems fairly certain to me that she's going to Woldercan to get revenge. I think that the night-gaunts are the creatures of chase/Nyarlathotep, and they didn't help her in the end, they abandoned her.
-Apart from the possible Nyarlathotep and the definite Cthulhu, who else from the Mythos is present in this story?
-the voices in Chase's car... Are they from Mi-Go Brain Cases? it seems fairly reasonable to me that they are. it also makes Case far more evil than we suspect. (read the whisperer in darkness).
-linking to the previous Q, I immediately thought 'PLUTO!' (Mi-Go home planet, AKA Yuggoth) when Cassie asked if it were possible to go to Mars in a ... what are they called? hopper I think.
Who are the Man-men (or whatever... animal that turns into a man. It's been mentioned, so there must be one in the story. Scott the wolf might have been one. remember that Scott the wolf kills Scott the ex, in that case, who was the werewolf? (who was phone!!!??? sorry.)
Why does Cassie have silver bullets?
Why does Cassie say: 'why do you know my name' when Reis calls her (sorry, I forgot): "queen Cassiopeia of 'something'"? who IS she?
It doesn't seem that Reis' subjects are Storm King worshipers to me. They sacrificed Reis to 'call off' Cthulhu, because Reis was the mastermind behind the anti-Cthulhu plan, and Cthulhu was attacking.
Please comment/rip my theories apart/whatever.
Duncan