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At the beginning of UotNS, while on the Ship deck, Severian specifically notes his weight has been<BR>
reduced by 7/8. So Roy's assertion that the Ship is of planetary size is a bit exaggerated but not <BR>
by so much. A bit smaller but of similar size to our Moon, and thus surely capable of causing an eclipse. <BR>
<BR>
The lunar eclipse used by Columbus to intimidate the natives on February 29, 1504 is a good mention<BR>
by Jeff Wilson. That event could have inspired both Twain and Wolfe. But of course, Severian's is not<BR>
that one, being a solar eclipse.<BR>
<BR>
Since I am quite in the minority in attributing the eclipse to Severian himself, I am probably wrong <BR>
about it. The Ship's Moon size is evidence by itself. The comment that the big Ship is capable of <BR>
getting deeper into the solar system but would pass between eyes and stars seems like it could be <BR>
an auctorial clue that the ship caused the eclipse. Believing the assertion that Severian has gone<BR>
too far into the past and is powerless at the time of his trial is also evidence against my interpretation.<BR>
<BR>
But I still retain a sense I could be right. Something just seems missing if Severian only twice uses his power<BR>
to affect nature in a cataclysmic way. Nobody, certainly not Severian, seems capable of accurately <BR>
predicting when, where and how his power will manifest itself from his personal being. He might have his <BR>
full powers always. In the afterward, Wolfe notes that a "thoughtful" reader can figure out what caused the<BR>
eclipse. Most seem to take him at his literal word and think about the ship. But I always saw that notation<BR>
as being a bit sarcastic, meaning that very little thought is needed to figure out what large body could be <BR>
used to cause a solar eclipse. <BR>
<BR>
But I am probably wrong on this one ;-).<BR>
<BR>
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