Index · 2 messages · 2 voices · 26 Oct – 27 Oct 2008

Urth Digest, Vol 50, Issue 42

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Dan26 Oct 2008, 17:22as archived

↰ answers Dave Tallman · by quotation

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At 12:37 PM 10/25/2008, you wrote: I know they said Woldercon was really far away, but outside the galaxy? When I read that, I got the sinking impression she really wasn't going there and was perhaps comitting suicide.

She sent an ethermail to Gid telling him she was coming there. I see no reason for such an expensive way to commit suicide as buying a hopper and taking off for galaxies unknown. If Woldercan was outside the galaxy one has to wonder how it was ever found. There's a lot of space out there between galaxies...

I don't think Woldercan is outside the galaxy. My statement was one of incredulity. I've since reread the last two paragraphs and suppose a great deal of time passed between them. I'd assume that she visited Gid on Woldercan and realized he didn't really love her. Distraught over the loss of both men in her life, her career, her faithless friends, health, youth etc etc, she set off on a one way trip to oblivion. What she said to Gid about driving his hopper would seem to resonate with this method of suicide. One could try to make the case that Gid took pity on her and maybe told or taught her what she could do to resurrect Wally somewhere where the laws of physics would allow it. But the last line doesn't seem to be an invocation as much as a cry of despair.

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Plus I don't understand why he just gave up and surrendered to the islanders or devise some way to rescue her. I need to reread that section again.

As king Bill may have felt he had to take personal responsibility for the terrible unexpected collateral damage to the islands he ruled. He has some moral feelings, even though he normally justifies everything he does for the greater good.

Or he was just artfully maneuvered into his death by Chase. This may have been the true goal all along. Reread is in progress...

Dave Tallman27 Oct 2008, 12:06as archived

↳ in reply to Dan

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Dan wrote: I don't think Woldercan is outside the galaxy. My statement was one of incredulity. I've since reread the last two paragraphs and suppose a great deal of time passed between them. I'd assume that she visited Gid on Woldercan and realized he didn't really love her. Distraught over the loss of both men in her life, her career, her faithless friends, health, youth etc etc, she set off on a one way trip to oblivion. What she said to Gid about driving his hopper would seem to resonate with this method of suicide.

I think Gid still loved her even after the loss of her mojo, but she might not love him, at least not enough to turn from her grief over Bill. The Pygmalion reference on p. 81 suggests this is an Eliza / Henry / Freddy love triangle. In the original play, Eliza marries Freddy.

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One could try to make the case that Gid took pity on her and maybe told or taught her what she could do to resurrect Wally somewhere where the laws of physics would allow it. But the last line doesn't seem to be an invocation as much as a cry of despair.

Even with different laws of physics I doubt Gil would think they could resurrect the dead. But if she got far enough away and could send an ethermail she might be able to send Bill messages back in time, and might hope to change the past. From the point of view of an object moving relative to us a long distance away, events that are in the past to us can be present or future to it. The paradoxes involved are one reason that relativity does not allow FTL travel or messages. Wolfe instead allows FTL and the time paradoxes.

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