From: "Chris" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Severian, memory, alzabo
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 18:09:22 +0000

This is true, though the fact that they come to life within him seems unique 
to Sev (regardless of which concoction he uses) rather than characteristic 
of the autarch's drug. If I had to guess I would say that the difference 
between the drugs is that *for a normal person* the memories gained from the 
alzabo fade quickly and are lost, whereas the autarchs must retain more of 
them and on more of a permanent basis. With Sev this difference doesn't seem 
to be so large.

Chris

>At 12:05 PM 7/9/2003, you wrote:
>>As a few people have said this, it may be worth pointing out that the 
>>Autarchs do not use the alzebo drug to pass on their memories.  When the 
>>Autarch has Severian kill him and eat his forebrain, he points out 
>>specifically that the drug in the vial around his neck is not taken from 
>>the alzebo, but is a rarer, better, and more powerful drug.
>>
>>--Don Palumbo
>
>And Sev does not just get their memories, any more than he just got 
>Thecla's. They come to life in him. This is part of how he passes the 
>trial.
>         I originally thought this was nod to Casher O'Neill in *On the 
>Sand Planet* by C. Smith, who passes trials with the same benefit as gained 
>in *On the Wind Planet,* but Wolfe told me Smith was not an influence on 
>him.
>
>Nutria
>
>
>--

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