From: "Tony Ellis" 
Subject: Re: (urth) 5HC: Shadow Children in the Lupiverse?
Date: Sat, 4 May 2002 22:17:46 +0100

Adam Stephanides wrote:
>But that's what writers of fiction do. The Soldier series must contain
>dozens of "externally verifiable" details, but we don't conclude that Latro
>existed.

That's not the same thing. When Wolfe weaves the siege of Sestos into
Soldier of the Mist, he's using a real historical fact. When Victor weaves
the pit seen in 'V.R.T.' into 'A Story', that's Wolfe using a 'fact' in one
story that he has himself created in another story.

Instead of the Soldier series, consider the Long Sun books. We don't believe
Silk exists any more than we do Latro, but we accept that, within the
context of that fictional world, Horn is writing an account of a real
person. I see 'A Story' in the same light.

>But in either case, there's no need to
>believe in prehistoric starcrossers, or in Shadow Children telepathically
>shooing away spaceships.

Well, there's no need for Wolfe to have made the Croix\Anne system remain
unknown "when planets more distant from Earth had been colonized for
 decades" either. Having the system so mysteriously overlooked doesn't
contribute anything important to 'V.R.T.' (that I can think of). But it is
another way of indicating that the events portrayed in 'A Story' really
happened.

As for prehistoric starcrossers: if they don't exist we either have to
either find another way for human beings to have got to St Anne and become
the abos, or we have to say that abos are truly indigenous and therefore can
't breed with the settlers. It is just about possible to say the latter, but
to my mind it's a reading that greatly weakens the impact of the story.
Plus, having Victor a half-breed also explains why he doesn't seem to be
100% as hamfisted as an abo should be. And why he isn't as good at mimicry
as his mother.

The other thing about the prehistoric colonisation idea is that it gets
raised in all three novellas. That makes me feel it's an idea we're supposed
to consider seriously.



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