Summary:
Maia takes a position on a mining cart, making its way up Jopland Hold,
where Maia intends to access the planetary data link. The trip gives her
mind some time to replay memories of her childhood with Leie.
Upon arriving at Jopland Hold, she finds an early-winter seduction party
already in progress. The matriach, who seems congenitally grumpy, is
clearly not pleased to have to help Maia.
Maia starts feverishly babbling to the first person she gets ahold of in
Caria City, as these calls are expensive. Much to her surprise, the
representive of Planetary Equilibrium Security takes at least mild interest
in her call, accepts charges for the call, and even sends Maia an official
notice to help her out.
At the end of the call, the matriach is stunned to find that Maia does not
have a large bill, and Maia may have accidentally blurted out that her
mysterious benefactor was P.E.S. This of course, arouses suspicions.
After the call, Maia discovers that Tizbe has arrived, and finally puts it
all together. Tizbe is running a drug that will permit Perkinite Clans
boost their winter birthrates. Suddenly, Maia finds herself in very deep
trouble.
Analysis:
On page 144 Maia notes that Perkinism appeals to small rural clans,
particularly those that are not long descended from a summerling. This
parallels Earth where extremism is most popular among rural minorities.
The Lerner Clan seems very interesting me. According to Maia, they have
small establishments up-and-down the Eastern Continent. I am curious,
though, as to how a "cadet" seeking to set up an independent Lerner
enterprise differs from a var trying to set up her own enterprise.
Certainly, the Lerner cadet enjoys the financial and technological backing
of the rest of the Clan - but do cadets ever decide to declare
independence? What if a particularly prosperous cadet wanted to found her
own lineage? Does this sort of thing ever happen? Even though they all
share the same genes, they are still all individuals, and this seems only
natural.
The lifespan of Lamais (pg 147) is slightly less than 90 Earth-years.
Despite the pastoral lifestyle, the Stratoians have apparently retained
much of the advances of modern medicine. Indeed, modern medicine seems to
have advanced a bit from the current average lifespan of just under 80 in
the Industrialized World. I wonder, however, if there is a similar
correlation between identical twins dying at the same time?
Stratoian computers are photon-based. (As opposed to our present-day
electrical circuit based.) Their use, however, is limited by tradition
from the Founders to nine devices. One of these devices, curiously, is
"The Game of Life." If you were going to restrict use of computers to
nine devices, I don't know that a game would be one of them. There should
be other forms of entertainment. Unless, of course, the "game" is far
more than it seems. (pg 155)
Maia wonders on pg 161 whether sex might not be greater than the sum of its
parts. It occurs to me that *love*, as we understand it anyhow, is
completely absent in Stratoian society. This must have been a remarkable
feet of genetic and societal engineering. I wonder if perhaps these
effects are reduced in vars, and thus, Maia is more prone to feeling the
nearly-forgotten desire for "love" than clones. In fact, it sounds like
Maia might have enjoyed the Roman Catholic perspective on this issue: that
sex causes two to become one, and that the union of man and woman allows us
mere mortals to experience briefly the triune existence of God. Yet,
despite all this (or perhaps because of this) Maia uses the euphemaism
"making love" for "sex" on pg 162.
Notes:
-Leie gave Maia a book of ephemidries as a birthday present. This is a
book of astronomical tables. (pg 143)
-This is a bit speculative, but it appears that the Stratoians have
retained recordings of the music of J.S. Bach, as Maia is familiar with
the four-part fugue. (pg 149) I wonder if any other art, music, or
literature composed by males has been retained?
-The Stratoian satellite network appears to be decaying. (pg 150)
-Calma refers to Jopland Hold as "Jopland Home" on pg 150. This may be a
typo, but the location is not on the map.
-Stratoians apparently have a political division equivalent to a "county."
(pg 150)
-Since Perkinite areas do not produce varlings, due to exile of men during
the summer, their population is declining relative to the Orthodox coastal
areas. (pg 154)
-There is a Federal law enforcement agency known as "Planetary Equilibrium
Security) (pg 157) Their agents are colloquially known as "Pessies." (pg 163)
-Genetic engineering has also produced an effect whereby the sex drive does
not start taking hold until later in life. (pg 161) The sex drive is also
apparently increased after one's first time.
-Lugars were engineered to replace the role of men as manual laborers in
society. (pg 162)
Clans:
-The Lerner Clan are small-time miners and smelters of steel. (pg 144)
-The Saxton Clan is based in Port Sanger (pg 148)
-The Jopland Clan appears to be involved with rural area governance.
Lifeforms:
-Pou Birds live inland (near Holly Lock anyways) and fly in "coveys." (pg
148) The term "covey" is usually reserved for groups of partridges or quail
on Earth.
-Foxes (pg 148)
-Fruit Trees (pg 149)
-Glow Beetles live on fruit trees. (pg 149)
-Dogs (pg 162)
-A fast-and-low-flying noctural creature (pg 162)
-Tit-squirrels (pg 163)
Technology:
-Straoian computers are far more powerful than the present-day. The can
convert rambling human speech into directed requests. (pg 156)
Questions:
-In the introduction to this chapter, an uncited text notes that "For
instance, wihtout eliminating male feistiness entirely, we can channel it
to certain narrow seasons, as in rutting animals like deer and elk. Other
inconvenient or dangerous traits can be quarantined, isolated, so our
daughters need no longer face them year-round, day in, day out." Any idea
what those "other inconvenient or dangerous traits" are?
-Did Maia ever make it through the secret door? (pg 148)
-On page 150, Maia says "At least there are no statues." Why?
-What are the remaining six computerized devices? We know of Net
Terminals, Solar Railroads, and the Game of Life. (pg 155)
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
We are products of the same history, reaching from Jerusalem and
Athens to Warsaw and Washington. We share more than an alliance.
We share a civilization. - George W. Bush, Warsaw, 06/15/01
