From: m.driussi@genie.com
Subject: (whorl) Tools of the Trade
Date: Fri,  6 Jun 97 06:14:00 GMT


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

Reply:  Item #6824766 from WHORL@LISTS.BEST.COM@INET01#

Michael Richman,

What you say about =Quetzal's= repairs of =Hammerstone= seems odd
(since I mainly remember Auk using the opticsynapter to repair Sand),
but if you mean to suggest by this that alga (or whoever
wrote that second post you quote) is misremembering Incus repairing
Hammerstone then I'll remind you of the repairs in the tunnel (CALDE
ch. 2, p. 59) that made Hammerstone the best buddy of Incus.  And
yes, he used an opticsynapter (EXODUS p. 139) probably in addition
(heh) to the voided cross (in screwdriver mode); but yes, he is a
practicing black mechanic where Silk is not.

If you meant to say that there are other tools at play besides just
the nigh ubiquitous voided crosses, there's not likely to be any
argument there!  (The opticsynapter is said to be for the fiberoptic
lines.)

If you wanted to probe the origins of the particular optisynapter (I
vaguely remember--was it originally Doctor Crane's?), the hows and
whys of it, then by all means, go to.

=mantis=