The Sword and Laser discussion
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Ninefox Gambit
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NG: What's the reason for the book?
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Your spoilered section is 100% the takeaway i had from the book as well.Though I have to somewhat dispute "The empire itself seems repugnant." It's maybe mentioned more in other books, but it is made clear in that in the empire the citizens mainly enjoy perfect health, are by our standards quite wealthy and nobody is ever hungry. All for the low low cost of occasionally ritually slaughtering a few (billion?) heretics every once in a while. Kind of an "Omelas" situation.
Interesting. The author is far more interesting than his book.
^^ I hadn't read the Omelas story before but it looks very interesting. LA library has an e-copy which I've tagged. There's a wait list, unsurprising for classic LeGuin.
Geez, I can answer your main question rather quickly using calendrical mathematics:Everyone read the same book, but 'the reason for this book' is an exotic effect that you didn't experience yourself because your own personal calendar was too different from the various calendars of the people who do see a reason for this book.
Matt wrote: "Geez, I can answer your main question rather quickly using calendrical mathematics:Everyone read the same book, but 'the reason for this book' is an exotic effect that you didn't experience "
I think you have misjudged the OP here. This thread isn't arguing that the book is pointless, it is probing what that point might be.
I hadn't been aware of the angle mentioned in the spoiler tab, but I had been thinking the interplay between Cheris and Jedeo was the point of the book if only because it is so fun and interesting to observe them. The extra info here is a cool thing to ponder. I'm not sure I agree that (view spoiler)
Yes! Thank you Ruth!See, I skipped the spoiler section completely here because there was no specification between plot spoilers and author spoilers before the coverup. My first post was before I had finished the book myself. It is amazing how it all comes together with a little help though. I had to put my own topic in the main section because there was no combined January + February category.
This is important stuff, so I want as many people as possible to see as many connections as possible. Next?
I was thinking we were Cheris, and watching alpha fox versus numeric moth.No one gets taken over, just incorporated? Joined #teamfox due to lack of better option?
Then there's the technology, or magic. If the public doesn't conform to rigid ways of thought the technology doesn't work. There's little explanation for this, neither how belief affects the science/magic, nor what effects belief has. It's just there, presented without explanation.
The empire itself seems repugnant. The actions it takes to keep itself together seem much more the villain. Are we to root for this society?
The plot meanders and the flashbacks don't make it any easier to follow. So what's the point of the book? Is there a central organizing principle?
Now, before I get into that, not every book has to have a Reason To Exist. Yes, we've got ones that do. Rendezvous with Rama, where Clarke sent up the trope that an alien artifact would come to us for a reason, or even acknowledge we exist. Left Hand of Darkness, where LeGuin examines gender roles from a different side. But it can also just be rollicking fun, as in Dragonriders of Pern where McCaffrey has a dragon-riding lady traveling time to save the planet from the deadly spores known as Thread.
Rest of the post is spoiler filled...
(view spoiler)[
But this book does have a central reason for being. It wasn't obvious to me until I read another poster say that the author is trans. I haven't heard of the author before and knew not a whit about his background. A trip to Wikipedia, however, showed that he is a trans man. This book is about the transition from female to male. The thoughts and feelings that a trans man feels during transition.
When General Jedao takes up residence in Cheris' body, she feels awkward. Her limbs feel too short. Cheris is in charge of the body but often feels male. Her reflexes become those of the inner man.
Jedao's voice is audible only to her, and Cheris' compatriots act oddly when she responds to what they can't hear. She makes accommodations for Jedao, even leaving a light on for him to be able to see while she sleeps, since he is always awake.
By the end of the book Jedao is more in charge of the body than Cheris. She relives his memories as if she were him despite still having her own name. The two are merging.
As for the plot, yes, there is a resolution of sorts. It's a cliffhanger setting up the rest of the trilogy. But whatever the action is, the point of the book is the inner journey of the two protagonists.
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