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SPOILERS BELOW (for both EG and "The Circus of Dr. Lao.")<br>
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Thanks for that hit. Indeed it is. Of course, we are never told whether
Woldercan is what people of Earth call the planet, as opposed to what
the Woldercan-ese call it. I pulled out my copy of "The Circus of Dr.
Lao" and found (or remembered) that Woldercan is a city, the city of
the god Yottle. They are in the midst of a terrible drought, and are
prepared to implore Yottle to provide them water and food, when a
member of the audience mocks Yottle, and instead they demand water.
Yottle sends a "storm" (of words), and says (through his high priest)
that before he will even listen to them, they must sacrifice their most
beautiful virgin to him. The people choose the virgin, who it turns out
is the betrothed of the man who suggested they demand instead of pray.
The high priest prepares to bash her brains out with a stone axe, the
virgin's betrothed tries to stop him, and the statue of Yottle falls on
all three, killing them. Rain and manna begin to fall from the heavens.<br>
<br>
Comparisons to the sacrifice of Reis, betrothed of the most beautiful
woman on the island, aren't perfect but certainly fit closely enough.<br>
<br>
I just finished the book tonight, and haven't fully formed my thoughts
about it. A few observations though.<br>
<br>
The book is obviously built around an homage to the pulp fiction of the
1930s. Detective story, theater story, Lovecraftian horror, detective
story, "strange powers" story (notice the mention of a man named
Cranston who could disappear), South Seas adventure/love story, and on
and on. Wolfe is having a lot of fun here. He's also using all the
cliches of the genres he includes, right up to the (grating to today's
ears) naive and friendly/dangerous Natives to the Japanese Com Pu Ter
who can't pronounce Ls. None of that makes any sense in 2100, but in
1935 it was what pulps had.<br>
<br>
The Lovecraft parallels were there from the first mention of the watch.
I might also mention that the "RC" (though Randolph Carter is a great
guess) could also be "Raymond Chandler."<br>
<br>
The whole business of aliens in the sea of course also brings in
Wolfe's New Sun monsters, and my guess is he grinned from ear to ear as
he connected them to C'thulhu and to the cliche of sacrificing someone
to the storm/volcano god.<br>
<br>
I haven't decided yet whether Cassie is going to Woldercan for revenge
or to get rejuvenated. I suspect the former. Compare the whole plot to
Wolfe's story about aliens seducing Earth women, "Pulp Cover." Gideon
is very clearly a Woldercan/human hybrid.<br>
<br>
I have no idea about the bat-people or the voices in the car, though I
love the Truter theory on the latter and the Bates pun. If Wolfe didn't
do that deliberately, he should have. <br>
<br>
My initial reaction is that it started very slowly and became better
and better until about half-way through it was very hard to put down.<br>
<br>
More when I've thought more.<br>
<br>
-- Dave Lebling, aka vizcacha<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Russell Wodell wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:43960c850809261136v3013e2c3u366b18371d60e0e@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Isnt' "Woldercan" the name of the lost city in "The Circus of
Dr. Lao"?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Russell Wodell</div>
</div>
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