First, I want to say I am a BIG Tepper fan. I love her. She's my
favourite writer, hands down; I picked up The Song of Mavin Manyshaped the
month it was published when I was thirteen, and I've bought every book of
hers on sight since. SHe's one of the most formative things in my life,
and I have read all of her books at least twice (Yes, including Family
Tree). I pretty much read all her books about twice a year (I read about
200 pages a day even while doing other things. It's a very good thing that
I can reread books. My father only reads one book a week to my 4 or 5, but
he can't reread books, even years later.) However, this rereading caused me
to find what I think might be a problem in the Arbai Trilogy.
(I use problem loosely. I still think they're brilliant books, and I
intend to keep enjoying them for the reast of my life. She's a fine
writer.)
Please don't read this if you haven't read Grass, Raising the Stones and
Sideshow, please. It ruins something really delicious if you do. Save it
and send me mail after you've read them if you want.
(ok? ok.)
My problem:
Grass couldn't have happened, and there would be major changes to the
stories of Raising the Stones and Sideshow - because if the Arbai were on
Grass long enough to teach the Hippae language, they were there long enough
for the Arbai device to affect either the hippae (who were at least as
smart as cats, who were proven usable by the web), or the foxen. In the
former case, it *might* not have had much effect (the device was supposed
to just show you the right thing to do, not force you to do it; the hippae
may well have been twisted enough to get pleasure from being contrary even
to it), but in the case of the foxen it would have shown them the solution
to the problem of the hippae long before humans came to the planet.
This starts a long list of 'this couldn't have happened then' that at least
undoes Grass (no plague) and the invasion of Hobb's Land in Raising the
Stones (no visit from Marjorie to the Baidee to start the religion that
made them compelled to invade.). And no Jory in Sideshow to have 'people'
to be out and about to have Danizon to leave him, etc. And before anyone
hypothesizes that the device doesn't work on the foxen, it clearly does;
the Jory-avatar in Sideshow exists because of the need of 'Him'; he is
definitely part of the net, or again, Jory wouldn't be in SIdeshow.
Any opinions?
Stephanie.
|\/| ---- _ Stephanie M. Clarkson..............thespian@sleepingcat.com
=(--)=_____ \ Web Designer, Programmer, Developer.....www.sleepingcat.com
c___ (______/ PRGrrl, www.trianglewebgrrls.com..............www.chiya.com
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