(urth) Ansible Interview

[James Wynn]

Wolfe said:
"Where is the difficulty, unless all the valleys run
parallel to the Long Sun? Naturally they don't. "

>In Wolfe's vision, it seems to be the case
> that valleys running at an angle to the long sun can somehow, at least
> sometimes, be filled with "vast black shadows" during the day.  That
> is, if the long dimension of the valley, where the river would be,
> runs north-south, then it can be dark in the valley.  I have to admit
> I'm still having trouble seeing how that is possible.

It never occurred to me to read this as a river valley, probably because it 
would make no sense that way. Any depression near a steep precipice would 
look like a valley from the other side of Whorl. I have always understood 
"run parallel" to mean "on a plane that is in congruence with the line Long 
Sun" such that it was perpendicular to the light coming from the Long 
Sun...which is the only way there could be shadows.

But there definitely *could* be shadows, and my experience with the 
imperfections human constructions in extreme topography tells me there would 
be: for the same reason that there are few straightaways in highways through 
mountains.

J