From: David_Lebling@avid.com
Subject: (whorl) Mysteries of the Whorl
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 97 10:10:46 


[Posted from WHORL, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

I was thinking it might be interesting to make a list of the major
mysteries (or at least controversies) about the _Long Sun_ books.

mantis did a nice (if typically oracular) one for the _New Sun_ books in
_Lexicon Urthus_.  (Perhaps it should be posted to the Urth list, which
seems a bit moribund so far.)

These suggestions are in no particular order, as you will see. Some are
big mysteries, some are little...

* Was that Pike's ghost in the manteion, or what?
* Who was Blood's father?
* Who was Orpine's father?
* What are Quetzal's motives?
* How long has the Whorl been in the Blue/Green system?
* Why did Typhon/Pas send it?
* Who was Urus working for?
* What were the five very great things Mint gave up?
* Did Silk replace Pas in Mainframe?
* Should the landers really have gone to Green?
* Exactly how much of the book did Horn make up?
* Is Pas dead?
* What about Blood's driver, was he Willet/Hossaan?
* Who was the body in the tunnel?
* What was the big fish that swallowed Mamelta?
* Was Hyacinth a spy?
* Who was the spy in the Calde's household Siyuf boasted of?
* What went on between Hyacinth and Chenille that they didn't want to  
talk about?
* Was Silk enlightened by Severian?
* Did Silk die in the pit? Why did Quetzal lie to Silk in the pit?
* Is Mucor a goddess? How did she do that, anyway?
* What was Silk so despondent about on the airship?
* What about all that confusion between Marble and Mint in _Exodus_?

Feel free to suggest additional mysteries.  I'm certain I've missed some
good ones.  Also, if anyone wants an explanation of any of these (you
latecomers have a lot of Archive to wade though), I'll try to provide
it.

     -vizcacha
     (david_lebling@avid.com)