Date: Sat, 4 May 2002 16:02:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Phoebe Davis 
Subject: Re: (urth) 5HC: Shadow Children in the Lupiverse?

I have just reread (since their publication mind you) 12 books by Wolfe - from Shadow of
the Torturer through the final SS.  It was overdue and entirely enjoyable, but I find
that simple reality is no longer quite sufficient for me.  Be that as it may, I am in awe
that this gentleman, Tony Ellis, used a word that I had to look up.  Thank you for
tergiverseration. 

I will point out that in my years in book selling (let me seize this opportunity to
remind the list that I not only had my own SF & Mystery bookstore for 6 years, but toiled
as well for B. Dalton for 8 long years before that) the single most common complaint by
the masses, the great unwashed, the un/non/anti-literati as it were, about Wolfe is that
"he uses words I don't understand".  It is Wolfe's very use and choice of words -
obscure, obfuscatory, adumbrate they may be -- that attracts me to his work. 

Bravo!  

I am currently reading 5HoC - it seems I have not read this before despite having a
signed first (typed in a gloating manner I'm ashamed to admit) in order to try to keep up
with this list. Perhaps I will have a comment later, perhaps not, but the posts have been
fascinating.  

Phoebe


--- Andy Robertson  wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Ellis" 
> > 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.
> 
> I suggest that T5HOC is a book with a lot to say about Colonialism and its
> aftermath.      The Abos have to be there because they are Wolfe's major
> theme.   They have to be near-identical with the colonists so that the minor
> theme of identity and subversion can be invoked.   ((Their "white" phenotype
> and such minor consequences of that as the "pink" sun follow.))
> 
> I suggest that Wolfe was driven by this and threw in the stuff about
> prehistoric Starcrossers as persiflage and tergiverseration.   There is
> actually no solution, he wanted it left a mystery.
> 
>     hartshorn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 


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