From: "Kevin J. Maroney" <kmaroney@ungames.com>
Subject: RE: (whorl) textual support for Silk suicide hypothesis
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 11:43:50 

At 11:26 PM 3/28/01 -0500, you wrote:
>It is an easy mistake to make in the SS books. I felt that Horn or 
>Horn/Silk or Silk or whatever you want to call him bore a very close 
>resemblance to the Heinleinian omnicompetent man, especially in IGJ 
>and RttW. He can beat up men half his age, armed only with a rotten 
>stick, plan, fight in and win battles and give advice to lovesick 
>teenage girls. And that's not the half of it!

It's true in _Long Sun_, too. Silk-as-detective, Silk-as-warrior (he
defeats an entire Trivigaunte airship with his bare hands!),
Silk-as-genetic-superhero. It's easy to overlook because Silk is so
self-effacing, but he really is an overman. 

>The only thing I can see that sets him apart from a Heinlein hero is 
>his is his raging self doubt and feelings of inadequacy, which I will 
>admit is a big difference,

Oh yes. I was talking with Patrick O'Leary at the ICFA about what sets
_Short Sun_ apart from most of Wolfe's ouvre. It's the raw emotionality of
the work. Wolfe's work always carries a significant emotional charge, but
_Blue_ and _Green_ are unprecedented in their sheer emotional weight.

-- 
   Kevin Maroney | Unplugged Games 
   kmaroney@ungames.com | (212) 777-1190

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