Summary:
Maia immediately takes flight from Jopland Hold towards the only place she
knows - the iron foundries of Lerner Hold. She is taken in by two vars,
Thalla and Kiel, and begins work at the foundry. Once again, Maia is
tested by physical labor and improves her strength and conditioning.
Thalla and Kiel are a responsible type, and have made their cottage much
nicer than the others. They are also loosely affiliated with a
radical-var movement. Eventually, Maia develops enough trust and impetus
to tell them her story. Kiel reports back from Holly Lock that the
Joplands and Bellers are still in hot pursuit.
Despite the fact that Maia openly speculates about the possibility of a var
selling her out for the right price, she amazingly does not connect Kiel's
disappearance with a betrayal. Five days after Kiel disappears, Tizbe
returns with a band of Joplands and apprehends her. Calma Lerner was
apparently involved as well, but Kiel is the primary suspect, as only Kiel
could have passed on knowledge of Maia's daily routine.
Once again, Maia's unconsciousness provides a flashback to days of making
mischievous explorations with Leie, back in Port Sanger. In this case, we
get a detailed look at a clone Initiation Ceremony / male seduction gala.
When Maia awakes, she sees her new prison looming in front of her.
Analysis:
The passage (again unattributed :(, but presumably written by Lysos) which
opens this chapter delves headlong into eugenics for the first time. In
particular, I found the passage "sex ruins perfection" to be particularly
jarring. As if "perfection" were ever relevant in regards to humanity.
The Stratoian clan system as a metaphor for capitalism is again evident in
the description of the cheap novels on pg 168-9. Powerful clans are
expected to be powerful on Stratos because they are the most competitive.
I wonder if this implies the existance of Stratoian ant-trust legislation?
For example, I wonder if the railroad to Holly Lock is regulated as a
"common carrier", as the ever-monopolistic transportation industries are
regulated in the United States. Of course, the Lamais also apparently
dabble in loan underwriting (pg 187), so the regulations aren't *that* strict.
There is a national minium-wage law, defined as providing enough for the
employee to save. (pfg 173) I have to say, that if this law were
practical, it is a decent suggestion. I think that one way in which
governments can ensure social justice is to provide everyone with access to
capital markets. With access to capital, anyone who is motivated enough
can attempt to start their own free enterprise. This sort of access is
the best guarantee against corporate exploitation of workers. If a worker
thinks that they can earn more income by striking out on their own, they
will not tolerate exploitative wages. I wonder if DB contemplated this
when you was writing the passage...
Despite Thalla's talk of "Liberte, Equalitie, and Fraternite" for vars, her
philosophies don't appear to extend to men. (pg 177) Perhaps this is DB
making a social comment of some kind? This seems especially possible
since he went through all of the effort of setting up Thalla as white and
Kiel as black, and best friends/housemates. Any guesses as to what the
message is here? Perhaps the inherent selfishness/frality of man?
Notes:
-Maia's pupils may be genetically engineered to "split slittwise" in dark
conditions. (pg 167)
-The are no free-speech laws which protect seditious broadcasts. (pg 176)
-Pg 181 refers back to pg 145, when Calma was waxing effusively about
metallurgy to Maia. Calma is one of those types who loves what they do,
and thinks that everyone should be in on it.
-Thalla instructs Maia in the customs of the Southern Isles. (pg 182)
-Lamai has a close relationship with the Penguin Guild (pg 187)
-A woman's fertile season expands with age. Something about fertility
seems to make men more interested in mating, even in winter. Even a
clan-woman can't really count on a child until her 8th year. (pg 189)
-Most towns are locked-down during the summer. (pg 190)
Clans:
Oosterwyck - fabled for beauty and sensuality, hired as a dance troupe for
the Initiation Ceremony (pg 186)
Lifeforms
Raven - from Earth (pg 192). But, Why? ;-)
Maw - makes sound similar to a raven (pg 192)
Questions:
-Is the phrase "a var's womb ripens" a metaphor for childbirth, or a
reference to a genetically engineered biological process? (pg 175) There
have been previous hints that there is something vars can do to change from
being essentially neuter to true females. See also page 185.
-If the Oosterwyck Clan is so beautiful and sensual, do they conceive a
disproportionate number of babies? If so, how does this impact their
economic power from the presumably poor "dance troupe" niche?
__________________________________________________________
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
