From: Jim Jordan <jbjordan@gnt.net>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Inhumi Secret
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 09:45:41 

At 10:31 PM 8/9/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>At 8:06 PM -0500 8/9/00, Jim Jordan wrote:
>>	I submit for your consideration that the secret is that men 
>>must die for
>>the inhumi.
>
>Nutria,
>
>You know, I really like this idea. It seems somehow very right. The 
>only problem with it is that I really find it hard to see how Horn 
>could have used it as a credible threat against the inhumi. They seem 
>to have a pretty realistic idea of what humans are capable of, so I 
>don't know why they would be at all worried about Horn telling this 
>fact to anyone else. And way would anyone else believe it?
>
>Frankly, after reading IGJ, I no longer believe that Wolfe has any 
>intention of directly revealing the secret of the inhumi in the last 
>book, so we will probably be able to keep up this guessing game 
>indefinitely.

	Yeah, you're probably right on both counts. That's what happens when you
stay up too late and get inspired to write a post.
	I'm still inclined to think what I wrote may turn out to be a theme in the
book, but perhaps not the secret. If the secret is something that Horn
could pull out of the hat and apply instantly any time he wants, then it is
not something that humans have to mature into, but a technique of some sort.
	And I agree that we're not going to be TOLD the secret.

Nutria


*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.
*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.moonmilk.com/whorl/
*To leave the list, send "unsubscribe" to whorl-request@lists.best.com
*If it's Wolfe but not Long Sun, please use the URTH list: urth@lists.best.com