(urth) spatial temporal rules of astral travel

[Gerry Quinn]

From: "Lee Berman" <severiansola at hotmail.com>
> To me, the question becomes, why would a Flood be any sort of menace to 
> large sea monsters? If a few humans
> can survive on the ocean surface, Abaia and Erebus should be fine a few 
> kms below the surface.  I've heard
> weak arguments about "waves of gravity" or fresh water killing them and 
> such but I think we need to be honest
> here and admit Gene Wolfe intended us to recognize that nothing makes 
> sense about sea monsters dying in a
> Flood,

Who said they died anyway?

Of course one can point out that they do not seem to be currently active at 
the end of UotNS, but perhaps they are biding their time and allowing humans 
to recover. They don't want to kill humans, they want them as slaves.

Also, I don't believe that Wolfe intended that Urth be taken as completely 
inundated as in the film Waterworld.  The old Autarch, I think, remarked 
that the Ascians would do better than the Commonwealth after the coming of 
the New Sun.  Perhaps they live on higher ground.  Perhaps they are 
rebelling against the monsters.

We can hope that the coming of the New Sun will in some way allow humanity 
to throw off the chains of the sea monsters.  Maybe it does even kill or 
hurt them in some fashion, or make them give up in disgust and leave for the 
stars.  Wolfe has not been explicit regarding what happens.

- Gerry Quinn