(urth) Tzadkiel/Melek Taus

[Gerry Quinn]

From: Mr Thalassocrat 
>Wolfe takes the reader on the same kind of journey as Sev. He sets up the form of the story to make it look like a tale about enlightenment and the progression of a soul from lowest to highest, and what BOTNS/UOTNS shows is how powerful such forms are. By the the end of UOTNS there is overwhelming evidence to make the enlightenment reading completely untenable on any "objective" grounds, but nevertheless for most readers it persists. "Tzadkiel" remains somehow the agent of some greater good, Sev has somehow earned his role of minor god to the remnants of destroyed Urth humanity, a grand (unknown) plan progresses to a sanctified (but unkown) end.


I remain 'loyal to the ship' on this one.  One can certainly question whether the negation of a black hole that was deliberately put into the sun counts as a net benefit - but can we really defend the moribund future of Master Ash compared to the new life of Ushas, though indeed this new life must be born in cataclysm?

It would, I think, be unfair to rely too much on the author's statements on his intention, but it seems to me that they support the conventional interpretation.  Severian is 'a Christian figure' - compare to Silk, who is 'a good man in a bad religion'.

But here is an obvious question which should have an answer within the text: if your theory is correct, where in BotNS/UotNS is the counterpart of The Outsider?  And what Urthly presences/powers stand against the New Sun?  Vodalus?  Who, Mr. Thallassocrat, is standing for what you say is Good?

- Gerry Quinn

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