From: Matthew Malthouse <matthew.malthouse@guardian.co.uk>
Subject: Re: (urth) Constellations
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 13:05:34 +0000

Mitchell A. Bailey wrote:
> 
> Thanks, mantis. That'll teach me to draft letters before my coffee kicks
> in, and to study southern constellations more diligently.
> 
> Well, the conclusion is inescapable, given this many examples of
> constellations of our time still recognized by Severian, that Urth's sky
> as described in BNS is not consistent with the theory that Sev's time
> lies in a "far future" millions or tens of millions of years hence.

I've seen this discussed more than once but remain unhappy with the "sooner
rather than later" conclusion.

How can this be reconciled with:
 1: The mining industry of Saltus
 2: The cliff face Sev decends to Cas' cottage
 3: The 'sharp' peaks of mountains thrust up after those older ones carved
inbto the likenesses of Autarchs?

I can't avoid the conclusion that geological ages have passed since our epoch.
Yet other thing otherwise (which is presumably the function of others. :))

Matthew

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