Hi All,
I apologize for the delay in getting this out - but last weekend was the
Triduum and Easter, which took much of my time. I also discovered that it
will take considerably more effort to write up a Chapter than the mere
Introduction. So, I had hoped that I good take two weeks for the first
Chapter, and that nobody would notice. Of course, nothing gets by
Alberto! *sigh*
Anyhow, here is Chapter 1.
Summary:
The story opens with Maia now as an adolescent. She's a "fiver" - five
Stratoian years old, or approximately 15 on Earth. It is the morning of
"the Parting Ceremony", when Maia's clan will break ties with her by
symbolicially cutting the tradational Lamatian braids from her hair.
She awakes, however, to find that her twin sister, Leie, has decided to cut
her own hair and skip the ceremony. Giving in to peer pressure, Maia does
the same.
As Maia walks through the clan courtyard and down to the harbor, we are
given several insights into Stratoian society. We also have a brief
flashback, as Maia recalls a time when "Coot Bennett" taught her astronomy.
We also receive hints that all is not well with Stratos. A "visitor"
has arrived from another planet. Also, there seems to be a "Baby Boom" of
varlings that threatens to upset the established social order.
Disaster strikes early when Maia and Leie discover that their passage on a
boat out of town has been cancled indefinitely. After a long search, they
arrange for passage with a rather shady looking shipping outfit - on
separate ships. The chapter ends with a mysterious rocket attack being
launched at Port Sanger.
Analysis:
Maia and Leie room in the attic, presumably the least desirable quarters.
Vars are very clearly an under-class, and have to keep harder hours and do
more work than clones.
The var/clone split is not the only division between the classes on
Stratos. Pg 34 hints at severe social inequality. Some of the ships at
Port Sanger seem technically advanced far beyond anything that would even
be available to the locally powerful Lamai Clan. Also, note that only
officers were invited to the Lamatian party. This suggests that there is
a parallel male heirarchy to the female heirarchy. Powerful clans have lots
of wealth , have desirable jobs, and associate with the most powerful men
of the most powerful shipping consortia. Poorer clans operate mines -
engage in menial labor, and associate with the least powerful male shipping
consortia. Given that one's social standing is largely determined by one's
clan, it seems likely that Stratoian society has many similarities to a
caste system.
No reason is given so far as to why shipping seems to be an exclusively
male affair. What we are able to puzzle out so far, however, is that the
different sexes seem to have heightened levels of sexual desire at
different times of the year. Men are most interested in sex during the
summer, which produces "var" children. Likewise, women are most
interested in sex during the winter, which produces clone children.
Female clans and male shipping consortia enter into agreements to ensure
mutual satisfaction during the different seasons. For example, women will
agree to bed men during the summer in exchange for a pledge that they will
return for sex in the winter.
For the most part, men live exclusively on ships. Once a man reaches old
age, he sometimes may retire to a female colony. Men will eventually
disappear to a "sanctuary" to die in their old age. Few females have ever
seen a sanctuary.
We also get a brief look at two perennial Brin themes in this chapter -
Environment and Poetry. The poetry is used to provide some historical
background on page 35. Withr egards to the environment, though, the
Stratoians have a special day devoted to mourning the passage of endangered
species.
There are two references to "Perkinites", and then, "the Enemy" pg. 27 I
was unable to get a grasp of the Perkinite heterodoxy - other than that
they seemed to be pro-clans and anti-men and anti-var. It seems likely
that the Perkinites are receiving a boost for the current "var" Baby Boom.
Maia and Leie are described as being consistently "out of phase" on pg. 31.
I actually have a lot of familiarity with this. While in college, in
the middle of my freshman year, my friend "Zup" and I began to co-found a
Model United Nations Conference. This was simply a tremendous undertaking
for two students - and we benefitted greatly from being out-of-phase.
Whenever hopelessness and despair would befall one of us at school, the
other was usually there to cheer things up and keep things moving.
Port Sanger has "castle-like" houses. Not sure if this has any
signifgance, ala the practice effect. It possibly suggests, however, the
presence of inter-clan warfare. We learn on page 35 that inter-clan
warfare has occurred in the past, and may be occurring again. The
presence of a Port Sanger "defence call", however, suggest that there are
broader city-state loyalties that transcend individual clans. Yet, there
is at least the outlines of a planetary-wide government based in Caria City.
Notes:
- The Gallant Tern is a timber ship, The Grim Bird is another ship.
Perhaps men have a special reason for choosing avian terms for their ships?
Perhaps it has something to do with the class of ship, as in the US Navy?
- Anyone ever hear a gull "warble"? pg 7 Possible sign of genetic
engineering.
- Compare "Lysos" to "Ifni".
- Anyone have real-life experience with mirror twins? pg 11
- Men who sail the Parthenia Sea near Port Sanger are known for being
gossipy and bearded. pg 11
-Tugging an earlobe is a sign of goodluck. pg 11
- Coot Bennett utters "Bee-can, Jelly-can, Former". I am sure that this is
important later - just not sure how. pg 14
- Port Sanger has 17 major clans and 90 minor clans
- Stratoians (or at least Port Sangerians) use hair braids as a sort of
kilt - an emblem of family heritage. Of course, on page 19 we learn that
the Lamais wear kilts also, in addition to their braid.
- Currency is in the shape of a rod, pg 20
- Farsun Day - a holiday used in part to morn extinct species, pg 23
- What is a "getta gate"? pg 25 Or getta fence? pg 29
- Men have a written, if unexercised, right to vote - and were once allowed
to fly, pg 28
- Ringlets worn on the biceps denote rank among men., pg 32 If the shirts
are sleevless, though, how are they attached?
- Maia says "Let's get aboard and shake this town off our feet.", pg 32.
This is a possible allusion to the "Acts of the Apostles" in the Bible -
Jesus tells the apostles that they can condemn a town that it is
inhospitable to them by shaking the dust off of their sandals as they leave.
- Commerce is conducted in hemp, pg 37
- Maia has a nictitating membrane - a feature used for blinking in
amphibians, pg 37
Technology:
There seems to be an interesting mix of the pastoral and the futurist as
far as Stratoian technology goes. I'll attempt to keep track of the
technolog in each chapter.
- A bell tower is still used for signalling.
- Tang prod, pg 15. Any idea what this is? An electrified cattle prod?
- Televsions, exist, but seem to be a true luxury.
- "Old Network" on Landing Continent
- Navigation Satellites
- Distant Planetary Government, whose Adminsitrative Capitol is in Caria City
- It is possible from Mother Claire's comments that humans have develoepd
near-immortality
- Solar panels, and presumably motorized ships, pg 34
Creatures:
Its always exciting to consider the zoological marvels that come from
Brin's fertile imagination. I'll attempt to keep track of them here:
-"Lugars" are "docile giants." They have white fur, droopy snouts, and no
neck.pg16 They also appear to be nearly sentient.
- "zoor-floaters" - multicolored, feed on fishing scraps pg 17 resemble
jellyfish, with a "baby" being @20 meters, their tentacles can carry
ribbons and small messages pg 28
- "burrowers" - live in colonies, and build nests, pg 18
- "hiss lizards" - can be trained to sing tunes, pg 20
- llamas, pg 20
- "stellar snails" - can be used to make a dye, pg 22
-"firedrakes" - extinct, pg 23
- "tricorns" - extinct, used in heraldry pg 23
- zizzerbugs, pg 37
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
"The point of living in a Republic after all, is that we do not live by
majority rule. We live by laws and a variety of isntitutions designed
to check each other." -Andrew Sullivan 01/29/01
