From: "James Wynn" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Two Ships
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 07:53:53 -0500

Crush suggested:
> > The only way I can think to salvage this theory is to say that
> > Severian's ship was *first* the Whorl, retrofitted over time to
> > eventually become Severian's ship. In that case, the time-line
> > problems disappear and all the problems in technology can be
> > explained by the passage of time. This is a less elegant solution
> > than you were looking for since it doesn't explain "the cargo".
> > But IMO it resolves some nasty snarls.
> >
>
> Don doesn't think this is likely.  However, Silk did leave for the
> Whorl at the end of RttW and it went on it's merry way to who knows
> where.  Maybe it went to Yesod.  If Silk is Typhon redeemed then this
> makes an interesting circle.  Hmmm.
>
Crush responds:
Well, of course its unlikely. Its a cumbersome theory whose main benefit is
that it explains the Whorl's existence in view of the captain's claim that
there is only *one* ship. Not one "true" ship -- one ship. Of course, there
are more cumbersome theories that I hold true, and two other options -- that
the captain was wrong or that Wolfe messed up (the most likely explanation)
 and both seem like cheating to me.

There is one other option I can think of: The Whorl returned to Urth or
wherever before Severian's assent to the throne. But that is also unlikely
if one believes Severian is contemporaneous with Silk. Anyway, how would all
the inhabitants land? What would become of the Whorl? It would still "exist"
in orbit.

--- Crush



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