Site Update June 2019: So Long, Farewell

Hi readers,

I just wanted to say to those landing here that I expect this site to be inactive indefinitely, barring the posthumous publication of a new Gene Wolfe novel.

I am not being charged for this site so I will leave it up.  You are free to borrow anything I wrote about if you are doing your own studies, research, etc. about Gene Wolfe and his books.  No need to worry about citations, I won’t be coming after you.

I was new to blogs when I started this and I later realized it was not well organized. The following links may help you navigate to key entry points at this blog:

The introduction to my series of posts on The Wizard Knight

The beginning of the chapter summaries of Gene Wolfe’s  The Knight

The beginning of the chapter summaries of Gene Wolfe’s The Wizard

The introduction to my series of posts on Gene Wolfe’s The Sorcerer’s House

The beginning of the chapter summaries of Gene Wolfe’s The Sorcerer’s House

The single post on Gene Wolfe’s Home Fires

The post on Gene Wolfe’s passing.

I started this blog because I thought that The Wizard Knight was one of his more important works, and a bit underappreciated, in part due to how the book was split into two for publication purposes. I did another series of posts about The Sorcerer’s House given what I perceived as a possible connection between the two works.

I think  the rest of Gene Wolfe’s work prior to his last few books (“A Borrowed Man” and “The Land Across”) has been pretty well covered in other books, websites, the Urth list, etc.  I would not have anything useful to contribute.   The more recent books are fairly short and narrow in scope, and there was pretty good discussion about them on the Urth list.

Mr. Wolfe was at one point by his own admission working on a sequel to “A Borrowed Man”, but there has been no update on this for several years. My guess is that he did not get far enough in it that we will ever see a book. But I will be happy to be disappointed.

Wolfe scholar Marc Aramini’s anticipated second volume on Gene Wolfe’s bibliography will likely do a good job exploring the meaning, symbolism, and mysteries of the more recent books. Marc draws on/shares a variety of interpretations in his analysis and summaries, so he will have them covered from all angles.

Looking back on the posts, I still feel pretty good about the bulk of analysis. I would probably modify The Sorcerer’s House the most, and I think Marc and others have done good work unearthing things I missed. I stand by the core of my analysis of The Wizard Knight as being a profoundly Christian work (e.g. a retelling of the Gospel underneath a fairy tale) with heavy allusion and reliance on European mythology and folklore.

My blogging for the future will be limited to my other site, theprinceofserendip.com, which focuses on being (at least trying to be) a Catholic, and my review of books, movies, and other things that involve matters of Faith.

Thanks for reading!

 

UPDATE: 09/10/19.  I just learned that Mr. Wolfe did in fact turn in a final draft of “Interlibrary Loan”, the sequel to “A Borrowed Man.”  Tor Books will be publishing it, and according to Amazon, it will be available in June of 2020.

 

 

Gene Wolfe 1931-2019

Gene Wolfe has passed away. A link to the story below.

https://www.tor.com/2019/04/15/gene-wolfe-in-memoriam-1931-2019/

I think the first book I read was “Shadow of the Torturer.”  I was around 10, left somewhat confused and puzzled by his method, and did not read any of his books again for 10 years or more. I got around to taking him up in a serious way 4-5 years ago, and gradually got through just about all the novels and many of the short stories.  I was hoping for another book or two, but did not truly expect it. Thankfully, Gene Wolfe was one of those writers who did receive the respect and accolades he deserved while he still lived.

A collection of some of his better known short stories was published a few years ago. But many which were printed in magazines are unavailable. It would be nice if a definitive collection of all his short stories, novellas, etc. could be assembled and published some day. I would buy a copy if anyone at Tor is listening.

I hope Gene was aware of the recent developments in the Fulton Sheen canonization process. As an Illinois native, practicing Roman Catholic and someone who met the former Bishop, Gene was hoping to see Sheen recognized as a saint. The investigation of this matter has been unfortunately delayed due to litigation between the Diocese of Peoria and the Archdiocese of New York about returning Sheen’s body to his home state of Illinois. The Courts appear to have finally decided in favor of Illinois, so the review of Bishop Sheen’s life can proceed. I am sure Gene would have been happy to learn of this news if his health permitted it.

I believe Gene’s faith in the Lord and hope for salvation was the most important thing in his life. He rarely addressed faith head on in his books, and instead tried to talk about it through the effects of its absence, through symbolism, allusion, etc. Reading his books helped we reach out to the Lord and ask Him to increase my own faith.

For all of us who have puzzled or debated the hidden meanings of this books and stories, you have another reason to get to Heaven now: So you can ask him in person whose interpretation was correct 🙂

Gene, thanks very much, and rest in peace.

 

Home Fires: T.W. Bonus Level

Dear Unknown Friend:

I had no plans to do any more posts on older GW books, but I recently had a fruitful exchange with Marc Aramini of the urth.net list which inspired me to jot down my thoughts about Home Fires. Marc has a very good write-up that resolves many mysteries of the plot of Home Fires and elucidates the themes GW was exploring in the novel (and he will email it to you if you ask nicely).

I am going to cover different ground than Marc in this post. In my review of prior books, I have asserted that GW often uses or alludes to Greek mythology in his novels. He does this by having his characters re-enact the stories of myth, but in a different setting.  I have not seen anyone else write up this angle to the story, so I thought I would memorialize the Greek mythology angle for posterity for other GW fans.

 

 

(SPOILER SPACE)

 

 

 

 

POST SUMMARY

One of the under narratives of Home Fires is a replay of the Trojan War, as described in Homer’s The Iliad, and other related works about these events. Let me propose the following:

• The book’s title is a play on The Iliad and the end of the Trojan War. The Iliad can be translated as “Song of Ilium.” “Keep the Home Fires Burning” was a popular song during WWI. Both are war songs. The sack of Troy also results in its burning. “Home” may even be a sly reference to Homer.
• The alien Os and the hijackers are loosely based on the Trojans and their allies, while the citizens of the North American Union (NAU) and the other passengers and crew are stand-ins for the Greeks and their gods. Both The Iliad and Home Fires begin in medias res, during a war.
• Like the subject of that war, the Os and humans are fighting over a woman or women: the planet Johanna, and, to a lesser extent, the Jane Simms memory implant in Chelle Sea Blue.
• The fight between the Rani’s hijackers and the ship’s passengers and crew is an allusion to  the battles and duels between the Greek gods and the opposing Trojan and Greek armies as described  in The Iliad. The hijackers and Skip and his allies are fighting over Chelle/Helen, because she contains Jane Simms’ knowledge.
• I think the “Trojan Horse” is represented in the book by the things hidden inside the various characters, as Marc discusses in detail.  We have double agents, cyborg spies, people with split personalities, etc.
• To a lesser extent, GW also uses Homer’s The Odyssey, Aeschylus’ The Oresteia and some of Euripides’ plays about the Trojan war as source material.
• The subplot involving Susan Clerkin and Skip is an allusion to the conflict between Clytemnestra and Agamemnon.
• The legend of Castor and Pollux also makes a brief appearance, though I have not been able to work out all the details.

 

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Now, to the cast of characters. With “Knight Notes”, this blog’s multi-post review of The Wizard Knight, I argued that every character was an allusion to multiple figures from various bodies of myth. You can detect the allusion through the similarity in spelling or sound of the name, puns, or application of onomatology. I think Home Fires is primarily working with Greek myth, and the following is my take on who is playing who. Some I feel very confident about, others are wild guesses. Like the WK, each character may represent allusions to multiple figures from myth:

Skip Webster Grison:  Skip plays many parts. He is the Greek King Agamemnon, the Greek hero Diomedes, Paris, the lover of Helen, and a gender reversed allusion to Penelope, wife of Odysseus.

• Grison is a semi-homonym for “Greece son.” Skip is the leader of the human passengers, like Agamemnon was the “skipper” or leader of the Greeks.
• He is also Diomedes, whose name means “thinker” or “planner.” Skip is very smart. Skip, in his Diomedes role, plays a part in the theft of the Palladium (see later entry). He beats Ortiz, like Diomedes defeats Ares.
• Webster means “weaver,”  and Penelope weaved a tapestry while her husband was away for 20 years. Chelle was gone from Earth and Webster for about 20 years. Penelope fended off suitors, while Skip is mired in “lawsuits” for his firm.
• He is also Paris. He is Chelle/Helen’s lover. Skip mentions taking her to “Paris or Antarctica” for a trip. He become a judge advocate at the end of the story,  an allusion to Paris’ role in judging the beauty of the Greek goddesses. Like Paris, he is Chelle/Achilles’ biggest weakness too, as her love for him exposes her to danger and injury.

Chelle Sea Blue/Jane Simms:  Chelle (Helen)/Jane Simms plays the role of Helen, a gender reversed Achilles, the Trojan princess Cassandra, and finally, in a very minor way, Odysseus.

• She is Helen, the woman everyone is fighting over in The Iliad and Home Fires. She goes AWOL from base early in the story, running away on a cruise with Skip, like Helen fled in a ship with Paris. She has a romantic relationship with Skip/Paris, and still has feelings for Don Miles, who is playing the part of her husband Menelaus.
• She is a mighty warrior, like Achilles. Its not that odd that she is played by a woman in Home Fires, as Achilles was disguised as a girl for part of his youth. Chelle sleeps with a Lt. Brice, who is a gender reversed allusion to Briseis, Achilles’ lover in The Iliad. She later starts an affair with Mick Tooley, who is a gender reversed Patroclus, also Achilles’ lover (will explain below). Chelle’s early big fight with Skip is over a woman, her mother Vanessa,  like Agamemnon’s big disagreement is with Achilles over a woman, Briseis.
• She was away from home for 20 years, like Odysseus.
• She is the Cassandra of Home Fires. Cassandra was thought to be a madwoman, and Chelle acts crazy much of the time, and calls herself “mad,” and is described by Skip as “mad.” Cassandra goes to the Elysian Fields after her death. I think this is referenced by Charlie asking her to go “on a picnic” near the end of the story.  The Fields were described as being like a beautiful park. This picnic reference perhaps suggests she wont be around anymore when Skip gets out of the service.

 

Don Miles: King Menelaus, Helen’s Greek husband. The Jane persona harbors feelings for Don.  A “Don” is a title in Latin meaning “Lord.” Don survives the events of Home Fires, like Menelaus survived the siege of Troy.

Susan Clerkin: Clytemnestra. Wife of King Agamemnon. Susan is Skip’s lover. Susan tries to kill Skip over jealousy, like Clytemnestra successfully murdered Agamemnon after the war for taking a new lover, Cassandra (Chelle).

I think she is also supposed to be Hera. Susan means “graceful lily.”  The lily was apparently dedicated to Hera according to several web pages I read. Hera was angry at Paris for choosing Aphrodite and Helen over her, like Susan is angry at Skip for choosing Chelle/Helen.

Mick Tooley: Patroclus, a Greek warrior, and friend and lover of Achilles. A “Mick” is a slang for an Irish person, and “Patroc” sounds like Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland.  Chelle and Mick have an affair, like many think Achilles and Patroclus were lovers in The Illiad.

Chet Burton, Charles C. Blue, Coleman A. Baum, “Mr. White”:  Marc quite correctly suggests that there is likely a connection, and perhaps these are the same person. I think they are playing the role of various Greek deities, but  I really struggled with this character.

• I think he is Zeus in his white bearded “Mr. White” role. When he kills Rick Johnson, he shoots him, there is a flash of fire from Rick’s back. Like Zeus striking someone with a lightning bolt. Charlie was playing both sides in the war, like Zeus was neutral party in the Trojan war. Thunder and lightning flash outside the ship during the confrontation with Rick.
• He might also be an allusion to Apollo, the god of light, and/or Poseidon, god of the ocean. Charles C. Blue is often seen wearing sun-glasses. He was described as thin and blond in his youth.  The “C. Blue” name might be a Poseidon reference.
• He might be in part, an allusion to Chryses, a priest of Apollo, in his Coleman Baum persona. Baum is homonym for “Balm” a healing resin. Apollo was the god of healing. However, “A. Baum” also sounds a little like “A-Bomb.” (see the end of this post)
• As Marc noted, he carries a blackthorn walking stick on the Rani, and blackthorn has symbolic meaning in some mythologies. Greek gods who carried sticks or staffs included Hermes, Dionysus and Hades.
• Charles C. Blue may also be a Charon allusion.  His blackthorn stick might be Charon’s pole for pushing his boat. He wants to take Chelle on a picnic, or ferry her over to Elysium, a place for the dead. The word Charon also can mean eyes of bluish-grey color, and Charles is described as having blue eyes.

Virginia Healey, Vanessa Hennessey: A cloned version of Chelle’s mother, and Charles C. Blue’s ex-wife.

• In her Vanessa role, she is an allusion to the goddess Venus/Aphrodite. Skip described her at their first meeting as smelling like “sun-warmed apples? Something like that.” This is a reference to the Golden Apple that Paris gave Aphrodite/Venus. Vanessa is stabbed in the arm during the events of Home Fires, like Aphrodite was wounded by Diomedes in the arm during the battle of Troy. She acts in a seductive manner towards Skip several times, appearing in a state of undress even.
• In her Healey role,  I think she is an allusion to the sea nymph Thetis, mother of Achilles. Thetis held Achilles by his heel (Healey) in the river Styx as a child to make him invulnerable.
• As Virginia, may be a reference to Chryseis, daughter of Chryses, and a temple virgin. Chryseis was a prize, and a dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles, like Vanessa is a gift and cause of dispute between Skip and Chelle.

Feuer: The cigar smoking vice president at Reanimation. He has a gold Florentine lighter. Skip has an unpleasant meeting with him about the return Virginia/Vanessa to Reanimation. “Feuer” is the German word for fire.

Initially the smoke made me think of Hephaestus. But he is played by Gary Oberdorf.

Possibly Hades. He wants a dead person, Virginia Healy, returned to him. The smoke and fire may be telling us to think of underworld, or hell. He is only a VP, so maybe he’s Charon, the Ferryman of Hades.

Lt. Gerard Brice: Sleeps with Chelle. He is a  gender reversed Briseis, in part. He is also Ajax the Greater. He fights against the hijackers and is wounded. He survives the hijacking, like Ajax survived the Siege of Troy.  The name Gerard also means “spear,” and Ajax fought with a spear.

Sgt. Gerald Kent-Jermyn:  Ajax the Lesser, a Greek warrior. His girlfriend sometimes calls him “Jerry,” a  diminutive, hence the “Little” Ajax identity. His girlfriend is Nan Olivera. Little Ajax was the son of “Oileus.” Thus “Olive oil”, see the joke?

Gary Oberdorf: The ship’s mechanic, makes new hooks for Achille. Was laid up in the infirmary with a broken foot once.  He is playing the part of the Greek god of smiths and fire Hephaestus. Hephaestus was lame. This is one of GW’s favorite Greek gods, and he shows up in one form or another in many of his books.

Rick Johnson:  In part, Aegisthus, the lover of Clytemnestra. Rick is an associate and lover of Susan Clerkin/Clytemnestra. Both die after their  confrontation with Skip/Agamemnon. May also be Idas, who Zeus killed with a lightning bolt.

Achille:  I think this is the main Odysseus character. Odysseus disguised himself as a beggar during The Iliad in one part, and Achille is a beggar.  He is clever and sneaky, like the Greek king. He takes part in the theft of the Palladium, which Achille participates in during the visit to the Voodoo temple.

Sergeant Mort Pununto: A dead warrior, the “best non-com” Chelle saw. Executed by Chelle by being shot through the chest. Perhaps  Penthesilea the Amazon, executed by Achilles after being disarmed. Chelle said Pununto joined the service knowing it was a death sentence. According to the myth, Penthesilea  went to war to find an honorable death. May also refer to Hector, who Achilles killed by a blow to the chest.

Stanley Zygmunt, Christine Vergara and Wendy Kaya: Also called the “Z Man.” This is Skip’s private investigator, and his two female assistants. Near the end of the book, Zygmunt is killed, and the women go missing. I don’t have a good fit for these. The Z man might be the King Priam figure, who is killed at the end of the siege of Troy.  The women perhaps symbolize Trojan women taken captive by the Greeks.

Alternatively, Ozymandias, the Greek translation of Ramses II? Perhaps there is an Egyptian element to the story. “Stanley” means “stone meadow,” and Ramses II was the great builder of Egypt’s stone monuments.

Captain Richard Kain:  Captain of the cruise ship. Richard means “ruler” or “king”. King Cinyras of Cyprus, part of the Greek army. Vanessa implies to Skip that she may have had an affair with Kain. Cinyras was the father of Adonis, Aphrodite’s lover, in some stories.

Dr. Prescott: The ship’s doctor. Shot and Killed by Rick Johnson. Stumped on this one, perhaps one of the Trojans who die? Prescott means something like “priest’s cottage.” King Priam perhaps?

Angel Mendoza: Idomeneus, a powerful Greek warrior. Mendoza is one of the more effective men fighting under Skip. Both survive.

Nurse Eagan: Shot and killed by Rick Johnson. Eagan is an Irish name that  can mean “fiery.” I think she is  Iphigenia, who was sacrificed for the sake of the Greek army.

Amelia Nelson and Polly Lutz: Ship’s crew killed by the bomb (which may symbolically represent the sacking and burning of Troy). Polly Lutz is probably Polyxena, Hecuba’s daughter, who died in the sack of Troy. Amelia may be another of the Trojan women, perhaps Andromache.

Dr. Ueda: Female pediatrician. The Greek goddess Demeter. Ueda is Japanese for “rice paddy field.” Demeter was the goddess of grains, cereals and agriculture.

Nan Olivera: The goddess Athena.  Athena was a goddess of wisdom, and also olive oil, at least according to Wikipedia.  Athena favored the Greeks.

Nan was reading a book (wisdom) when she is introduced. Nan is the girlfriend of Gerald-Kent Germyn, who is Little Ajax. Vanessa also talks with her, saying Nan was “the prettiest girl” at the party. Nan denies this, an allusion to the Golden Apple of Discord and the Judgment of Paris. Paris chose Aphrodite over Nan(Athena).

Ortiz: Leader of the hijackers, defeated by Skip in his Diomedes role. He may be the god Ares, who fought on the side of the Trojans, and was driven from the field after Diomedes wounded him. Might also be Hector, greatest warrior of the Trojans. Otherwise I don’t have a good Hector candidate. “Ortiz” means “brave, strong” according to some scholars.

Soriano: The Greek warrior Phoenix. Wordplay to the rescue, a Phoenix “Soars”?

Jerry: A child passenger who accompanies Skip to his final confrontation with Rick Johnson.  He is Orestes, son of Agamemnon. Jerry says his mother drives him “nuts,” and Orestes went mad as a result of the events following the death of Agamemnon.

Trinity:  The ship’s female masseuse. I think she is Electra, daughter of Agamemnon, sister to Orestes.  She accompanies Skip and Jerry to his confrontation with Rick and Susan. She is angered by Rick’s backtalk to the older Mr. White (Electra complex?). She is burned by an electrical fire when Rick is destroyed. Trinity says her name is where she is from.  Thus, her name is a reference to Aeschylus’s trilogy about Agamemnon’s family feud, The Oresteia. Alternately, she could represent the Furies, the three female spirits who also appear in these plays.

Boris: Nestor.  Boris is Skip’s researcher at his firm. Nestor was an advisor to the Greeks. This is word-play on my part, flipping the syllables gets you “Isbor,” which sounds a little like Nestor.

Albano Alamar:  Protesilaus, the first Greek to land on the shores of Troy, and is killed by the Trojans (Hector) there on the beach. Albano is the soldier killed at the dock by the hijackers, the first passenger to die.

Martha Ott (Watson): An older woman we meet near the end of Home Fires in Carrera’s diner. She is worried about her two sons, Jack  and Jeff, who she doesn’t see very often. The name Martha Watson roughly translates as “Lady Ruler.” She is Chelle’s old classmate from school who tutored her in math. She is Queen Leda, mother of Helen and Castor and Pollux (Jack and Jeff). Chelle’s ripping her blouse and threatening to scream rape is an allusion to the rape of Leda by Zeus.  I think the argument with the cook over cinnamon toast is an allusion to the legend of Castor and Pollux and the fight over the meat after the Acadian cattle raid.

Burton, Grison, Ibarra: The law firm symbolizes Greece or the Greek army. Grison is “Greece”, Ibarra may mean “Ithaca,” where Odysseus was king. His first name Luis reminds me of Ulysses (Odysseus) too. I think “Burton” is a reference to Sparta, which King Menelaus rules. Burton means “fortified town.”

Luis Ibarra: We never meet him. Luis sounds a little like Peleus, the father of Achilles. Peleus does not participate in the siege of Troy, like Luis is not on board the Rani. Does this suggest that he is Chelle’s true father? Don’t know. Luis means “famous in battle.” Ibarra is a Basque word that means something like valley or river plain.

Tante Elise/”Mambo”: The tall voodoo priestess. The names roughly translates Aunt Elise, or Mother. She is Pallas,  the foster mother of Athena, or one of her priestesses.

Dianne Field: Possibly Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Her Roman name was Diana. She was Skip’s young secretary, and plays a very minor role in the story. She was portrayed by Skip as a potential replacement for Susan (Hera) after Chelle’s return to Earth. Artemis and Hera come to blows once time during the Siege of Troy. But, see the next entry, so not sure about this one.

There was a Dione, a Greek titaness who appeared in The Iliad. There are a number of other Diones in Greek mythology.

Cynthia Van Houten: “Art”ist in residence on the Rani. Houten means “forest.” The name Cynthia comes from Mt. Cynthus, where Artemis was born. I think this is Artemis.

Herve: The taxi driver on the island who takes the group to the Voodoo temple. Possibly Hermes, messenger of the gods.

Edith Eckhart: The suicide whose body was used for the re-cloned Vanessa/Virginia. Perhaps Eris, goddess of discord, chaos and strife. One meaning for Edith is “war.” Eris tossed the Golden Apple that prompted the events of the Trojan War.  The recloning of Edith’s body set the suicide ring on Virginia/Vanessa’s trail.

The Rani: The cruise ship.  An allusion to Urania, Greek muse of astronomy. Urania means “heavenly” or “of heaven.” She is often depicted wearing a cloak of stars. Interestingly, Home Fires dust jacket shows a cruise ship superimposed over a field of stars.

 

SOME EVENTS IN HOME FIRES

The following scenes from the Trojan War and its aftermath are acted out in Home Fires:

Helen’s Flight: Chelle going AWOL and leaving with Skip on the cruise is Helen eloping with Paris on his ship.

Theft of the Palladium: Pallas was the dead foster mother of Athena. The Palladium was a statue created in her honor, and one was kept in Troy. Troy could not be taken so long as it was there.

The voodoo ceremony on the island is Pallas’ festival. Skip (as Diomedes), Chelle (in her Jane Simms/Helen role) and Achille’s (Odysseus) visit to the voodoo ceremony is the Home Fires version of the theft of the Palladium from Troy.  I think bringing back Vanessa, and acquiring the gun from Tante Elise (Pallas), is an allusion to the theft of the Palladium.  Achille’s missing hands may also relate to this story. Diomedes tied up Odysseus’ hands on the way back for fear he would steal the statue. He was “disarmed.”

Sack and Burning of Troy: This may be bomb explosion on the Rani. Several women are killed.

Murder of Agamemnon: This happens when Skip goes into the cabin with Trinity and Jerry. Rick shoots him, and he is thought to be dead. Susan bandages the wound.

Susan and Rick are playing the parts of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Susan bandaging the head wound is an allusion to Clytemnestra placing a cloth over Agamemnon to bind or blind him. So in a way, Skip’s Agamemnon persona was “killed” in this scene. Jerry and Trinity are Agamemnon’s children Orestes and Electra.

OBJECTS/THINGS

The Iliad featured a number of objects or magical items that may or may not appear in Home Fires. I have not been able to identify them. Perhaps you can?

Golden Apple of Discord: Chelle herself perhaps. She is golden haired, and she is at the same party for veterans on the Rani that Vanessa (Aphrodite) and Nan (Athena) attend. Chelle introduced discord or competition among the various men for her (Skip, Brice, Mick, Don, Rick, etc.)

The Trojan Horse: This might be one of the guns that Achille smuggles around during the story.

Shield of Achilles: Achilles had a magical shield crafted by the god Hephaestus. He used it in his fight with Hector. This might be represented by the Jane Simms implant.

Armor of Achilles: Odysseus and Big Ajax fought over this after his death. Chelle has the “arm” of Jane Simms. Possibly Chelle’s gun.

 

Well, this was a long post. If you plan to reread Home Fires anytime soon, I hope this helps you better appreciate it.

The Sorcerer’s House: The Old Testament and Series Conclusion

Last post, if you made it through, thanks again.

Overall, I found writing this blog series much less satisfying than “Knight Notes.”  I felt  (rightly or wrongly) that I solved just about every major question in the WK.  With the SH, I am still unsure about some of the major mysteries, and many of the minor ones. It’s a much shorter work, about 1/3 the length, so there is less evidence or clues to work with.  It is also a less interesting subject. Evil and sin are, contrary to media, rather banal and not very glamorous. The WK has a happy ending, and there is a resolution of all the various plot threads in a hopeful direction.

In the post about SH and WK connections, I said I thought GW wanted to write a companion book where “evil won.”  To expand on that, and perhaps to be more specific even, I think  GW wrote the book  to contrast the desperate situation of our forebears before the Incarnation, with the hope we now have after It.     The Old Testament is a very grim series of books. There is a constant narrative of interfamily personal violence and sexual exploitation, including rape and incest.  Outside the family, the tribes are fighting over land to the point of extermination.  These themes appear in the SH.

First is the brother vs. brother conflict. Others have already commented that Bax and George are deliberate allusions to Jacob and Esau. Baxter means “baker’ and George means “farmer.” In the Bible, Esau worked the land, and his twin Jacob made him a meal in exchange for his birthright. Jacob then cheated his brother Esau out of his father’s blessing through fraud. Similarly, Bax deprives George of his birthright (the money from Aunt Carla), by staying in college for years and using up the estate on tuition. He later defrauded him further. Esau means “rough”, and George is physically rough with his brother. He threatens to kill him, and challenges him to a duel.  Jacob and Esau reconciled in the Bible, but I don’t think that happened here. Their dad was Zwart, not Isaac. Bax and George are more like Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain slew Abel.

(Speaking of Isaac, a Mr. Isaacs is the partner of the A&I real estate firm. I think this is supposed to be “Abraham and Isaacs.” So, with Jake Jacobs, all three Biblical Patriarchs of Israel appear.)

We then have sexual violence.  Cathy Ruth is raped by Quorn, and Orizia is almost raped. Millie is likely beaten and maybe even subject to sexual violence in her marriage to George.

There is then the squabble over land. The Skotos Strip couldn’t help but remind me of the land feuds of the Bible between the tribes of Israel and their enemies.  Nicholas the Butler is apparently trying to scare people off the land by attacking their children. I also wonder if the Strip was a reference to the Gaza strip or the West Bank of present day land disputes. Is the river supposed to the the River Jordan?

There doesn’t seem much hope for Medicine Man and its residents. Like The Knight, there is an estrangement between Men and Women, and no succesful marriages or relationships in the book.  Everyone seems corrupt or slightly off: The police officers, reporters, lawyers, real estate agents, etc. There is no hope for escape from the cycles of violence, envy or greed.  If Bax was supposed to be an agent of reconciliation, like Able in the WK, he failed. Men and women who likely were good: Ray Finn and Ted Griffin/Ambrosius, are dead. The murders of Star Paxton, Nina O’Brien and others go unpunished.

Something dramatic, something theo-dramatic, needs to happen.

version 1.0

The Sorcerer’s House: WK Connections

In my “Knight Notes” blog series, I proposed that the SH was a “companion” novel or unofficial sequel to the WK.  The following are connections or similarities between the two works:

• The titles have a similar component, Wizard and Sorcerer.
• Both are epistolary novels
• Both protagonists are writing letters to their brothers: Art to Ben, and Bax, primarily, to George.
• Both sets of brothers’ parents are deceased. Well sort of, Bax and George’s adoptive parents are dead.
• Both protagonists travel to a magical, elven world: Aelfrice v. Faerie. Faerie, like Aelfrice, seems to be approached by a downward direction. Bax travels down steep slopes in the Skotos strip before encountering Lupine. I think he is in Faerie during these encounters with her.
• Dragonstone, fire opal, plays an important role in both. The Tower of Glas was made of it, as was the stone in Bax’s magic ring.
• Both characters acquire a magic sword, and have a supernatural paramour: Disiri v. Winker Inari.
• The name Griffin appears in both. Griffinsford the town vs. Ted and Doris Griffin.
• Both have mothers with M names, Mag v. Martha

And yet they are different, and SH is a shadowy reflection of the WK:

• Bax sleeps with every woman he can. Able only wants Disiri.
• Able is straightforward and honest, whereas Bax regularly employs deceit and is a fraud.
• Bax is educated in worldly matters, whereas Able is “wise.” Wizard means wise.
• Able acquires a supernatural white steed, whereas Bax scares his away
• The WK is a New Testament narrative, where the SH’s Biblical allusions are firmly Old Testament.

I think GW deliberately intended to write a story that was sort of the opposite of the WK, one in which evil prevails. Bax does not escape “the wrong his father did”, or “his mother’s curse”, as T.H. White is asking the reader in The Queen of Air and Darkness.  Bad blood or family can be too difficult to overcome.

For a while, I entertained the idea that the WK and the SH were actually set in the same fictional universe.

My theory related to Lord Beel’s father, who is not named:

• Beel’s uncle is King Uthor. Uthor is king before Arnthor.  In Arthurian legend, Uther’s brother was …. Ambrosius. Ambrosius was the older brother, was killed via poison, and Uther Pendragon took his place.
• Beel can do magic, which suggests his father or mother was a sorcerer. Again, a fit for Ambrosius. In the WK and SH universe, magical abilities are apparently inherited, or in the blood.
• It seemed strange that GW left Beel’s father unnamed. It made me think he was hiding something.
• So my theory was that Ambrosius left the world of the WK, perhaps through the sea cave that Able arrived in.  He came to our world, and built the Black House. He had various adventures, and was then slain by Goldwurm.
• I entertained the idea that Goldwurm was actually Uthor of the WK. Again, its never stated in the WK how Uthor or Beel’s father met their ends. Uther Pendragon used a gold dragon banner in some legends, hence “Goldwurm.”
• So Uthor and Ambrosius are actually brothers. They have a brotherly rivalry over magic or women, and Uthor eventually kills Ambrosius, and stays on Earth. This explains Goldwurm’s thing about brothers/twins, and wanting George and Bax to fight.
• This theory has a certain appeal, but the evidence is weak (basically just the Ambrosius, Goldwurm and Uthor names), and very likely wrong.

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The Sorcerer’s House: Compiler’s Note and Character Fates

Letter 44 is followed by a “Compiler’s Note”

The unidentified Compiler explains that he has obtained the letters that make up the SH from Millie, Madame Orizia and Tina Hawes Kojac, Sheldon’s daughter. He states that “George Dunn” has been missing two years, and that Bax has been declared legally dead. “George” earlier told Millie that he would have Bax declared legally dead after seven years, so the Compiler’s note is likely being written at least 9 years after Letter 44.  Sheldon Hawes is also said to be deceased. The Black House is a private residence, occupants not identified. The Skotos Strip is now the suburb of Riverscene.

So What Happened to Everyone?

My view is that Bax killed George. He apparently accepted George’s challenge, and made out a will naming George his beneficiary and executor.   He won the duel, and then assumed George’s identity and lived as Mille’s husband for 9-10 years. In order to have himself declared dead, he knew he was going to have to stay on Earth as George for at least seven years.  It was also a way to enjoy the world with his new found money, and another man’s wife that he had long coveted. Once he had had himself declared dead, and satisfied himself, he cast aside Millie and the George identity and returned to Faerie. He was never in love with Millie, and took along Winker Inari as his concubine during his impersonation.

Bax is also dead. Remember, this is a tragedy. His death was likely foreshadowed by Kiki, a bean nighe spirit that acts as an omen of death. Mary King, another omen of death, also told Bax that she was going where he was going. She disappeared when they passed a cemetery, perhaps meaning Bax was soon to die.

But why is Bax dead? Emlyn explained earlier in the SH that Goldwurm/Zwart had been looking for Ambrosius’ “weapon of sorcery.” This weapon was the magic ring Bax found in the fish. Zwart wanted it, and he gets what he wants. He could care less about Bax. He did not need to kill Bax right away. This might have scared off Martha. He was content to let Bax spend a few years in the real world, and then come to Faerie.  Zwart might have even arranged for Bax’s death to look like an accident, perhaps  like Ted’s. Maybe he had Quorn or Nicholas the Butler kill him to put the blame on someone else.

Zwart is evil, and has no real love for his children. He was encouraging them to fight a duel, and may have even hoped George would kill Bax, and allow him to get the magic ring sooner.  He is mainly interested in satisfying his appetites for women (his Asmodeus persona), magical power (Aleister Crowley persona), wealth (Long John Silver persona), etc.

Emlyn and Ieaun’s futures are left open. They seem to have reconciled by the end of the SH, and perhaps they are the one glimmer of hope in the story. These two brothers have made up, and may be able to escape whatever plans Zwart might have for them. Emlyn seems willing to sacrifice himself for Lupine, whether she deserves it or not.

Martha made her choice for Zwart. She is likely in Faerie still, and never returned to Medicine Man. Otherwise the Compiler probably would have mentioned her.  She is a “bad woman,” as she admits to Bax in one of their conversations.

Winker Inari has likely been playing Bax the whole time. She was put in the cage by Zwart for Bax to find. She is likely the “wonderful girl” that George describes as helping him in his one letter to Bax. Winker is a “honey trap” intended to ensnare and corrupt Bax. The fact that her name involves “winking” may be a signal that something about her is not on the level. To wink is to sometimes signal a joke or secret sign.

This interpretation of Winker’s role is supported by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. There Lord Bertilak provides a fox as a gift to Sir Gawain. Remember, Zwart is playing the Bertilak role, and Bax that of Sir Gawain. Also, Sir Gawain (Bax) always dies by the end of the various Arthurian stories, including The Once and Future King.

Sheldon Hawes may have died of a broken heart after Bax stopped writing, just like the Lady of Shalott. Or perhaps he was rubbed out after getting out on parole and showing up in Medicine Man. Remember, Iron Mike told Skotos who Sheldon was.  Zwart wouldn’t want any dangerous friends of Bax interfering with his plans.

Kate Finn’s fate is left open. She knows about the magic of the Black House, Bax having shown her Goldwurm’s Spire from a window. She may have even known that Bax was impersonating George at his sentencing hearing. She may have been eliminated by Zwart for knowing too much. Or perhaps she has been corrupted and serves as an unofficial protector of the Black House while still on the police force.

Jim Hardaway is likely still around, acting as a front man for Zwart. If you walked by the Black House, you might spy a small, energetic man peering out through one of the windows.

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The Sorcerer’s House: Ambrosius

In this post I will try to solve the mystery of Ambrosius.

The name Ambrosius is of course associated with the Merlin figure of the King Arthur legend.  Merlin is a very complex figure, and based on multiple historical and mythical individuals. The name Merlin is closely related to Myrddin Wyllt, a figure of Welsh folklore.  In legends and literature Myrddin was sort of fused with a Roman-British political figure known as Ambrosius Aurelianus. So in Arthurian literature we sometimes see the name “Merlin Ambrosius” used.

• The (probably) real Aurelianus was the older brother of a (probably) real figure who came to be known in legends as Uther Pendragon. Aurelianus was poisoned, and Uther then became the leader. Uther was often made King Arthur’s father in various stories.
• Ambrosius had some role in defeating Vortigern, a (probably) real warlord of ancient Britain. Vortigern is blamed for allowing Saxons to settle in Roman Britain, and has been negatively treated in literature.

Getting back to the SH.  GW is having Ambrosius play a Merlin-like role in the SH. He does this by invoking the legend of the “The Threefold Death of Myrrdin Wyltt” or “Threefold Death.” According to legend, Myrrdin prophesied he would die three times: by hanging (or falling), drowning and stabbing. The triple death appears in other legends and mythologies.

Ambrosius experiences a triple death in the SH.  Emlyn says he was strangled (like hanging) and thrown in a river (drowning). Kate Finn says renters of the Black House see a dead body that had been stabbed or died due to hanging. I think they saw Ted’s ghost. So Ted/Ambrosius was stabbed, hanged/strangled/fell, and drowned.

I think the strangling was performed by Nicholas the Butler, who likes to steal clothes lines, and who ran clothes lines through his figures during the lunch with Skotos and Iron Mike.

Martha says that Ambrosius and Zwart were friendly rivals. Over what? Well, magical power for one. Zwart wanted his weapon of sorcery.

However, I have this theory Martha was involved too. She has some fear or guilt associated with his death, which she displays when she sees the ring.  Perhaps she seduced or otherwise got Ambrosius in a compromising position before his death.  This would fit with Martha’s association with Morgan Le Fey and Morgause. I believe these two women are Martha’s intended literary counterparts. Both are involved in stories where they betray Merlin. She may also be sort of a Nimue or Vivien type figure, a young woman who seduced Merlin, stole his magic, and arranged for his imprisonment.

I even wonder if it was Ambrosius that Martha eloped with to Faerie, and that her relationship with Zwart started later. Martha says she was a “sorcerer’s wife”, and Zwart/Goldwurm is really a warlock.

In this theory, it may be that Ambrosius is the father of some or all of Martha’s sons. This may be why Ambrosius/Ted’s ghost tries to stop the beating of Bax, and why his ghost appears to Bax in the strip. Bax seems to think that Ambrosius was Ieaun’s father during the first appearance. Or perhaps Martha left Goldwurm for Ambrosius at some point?

One other legend that might support this theory is the Tale of Sir Caradoc. Caradoc appeared in a Grail Story called The Life of Caradoc.  Caradoc is a knight of Arthur’s court. One day the sorcerer Eliavres arrives and challenges the knights to a beheading contest, in essence, an earlier version of the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight poem. Caradoc accepts the challenge and has a number of adventures.  During this Caradoc learns that his father, a King, was cuckolded by Eliavres. Caradoc is the son of Eliavres. Despite learning this, Caradoc is loyal to his non-biological father, and aids him in taking revenge on Eliavres. Eliavres escapes however, and causes a magic serpent to wither Caradoc’s arm. Caradoc is eventually healed and has a happy ending. Is the Goldwurm name thus a clue to the Caradoc legend, given the role the serpent plays?

Another possible clue to the Caradoc legend is that Shell keeps addressing Bax as “Prof.” Prof = Caradoc. “Prof” being short for professor, and “Doc” short for doctor. Bax has two doctorates.  Its a form of wordplay.

At this point I can speculate no further. I have not found definitive proof to unravel the paternity mystery, and definitely show that Ted was Ambrosius. I think he was, but I can’t find a smoking gun. Doris seems to imply that Ted died a natural death, and she gave no impression that Ted had magical abilities. So its possible that Ted and Ambrosius are really two different people.

The only other theory I could think of is that Ted was the son of Ambrosius, perhaps by Martha. That would make him and Bax half-brothers. Ted is a big man, and sort of reminds me of Bold Berthold. Berthold was from Griffinsford, and Ted’s last name is Griffin. Did Zwart arrange for Ted to get sick then?

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The Sorcerer’s House: Letters 41-44

Letters 41-44: The Riverman, A Terrible Mistake, Final Report, Home!

Letter Summaries

Letter 41 is the climax of the SH, and is from Bax to George. The letter begins with Sentinel news stories about Lupine’s and Nicholas the Butler’s nocturnal activities.  Martha wants Bax to help her find Emlyn and Lupine and put an end to the attacks. Bax and Martha head out to the Skotos strip with Toby and Winker Inari.

They find Lupine and confront her.  They then remove her skin, and start to destroy it. However, Lupine summons werewolves, and a battle is joined.

The combat is temporarily interrupted by a phone call from Nicholas the Butler. Apparently he had been cornered by George, Doris (returned) and Madame Orizia, and forced to return to his trunk. Doris gave Nicholas her cell phone, to call Bax, as part of the deal.

Martha advises Bax on a spell, which he uses to summon the Riverman. The werewolves are defeated, and Lupine’s skin destroyed. Emlyn and Ieuan emerge from the woods and tend to Lupine.

Zwart finally reveals himself, bearing his golden staff  (a clue that he is Goldwurm). He acknowledges his “Old Nick” identity was a ruse, and welcomes Bax as a “brother sorcerer.” Martha asks to return to Faerie with Zwart, and he agrees. Zwart advises Emlyn on helping Lupine. Zwart prompts Bax about dealing with George, who he says has “no talent.”

In Letter 42, Doris writes to Bax. She apologizes for dumping him. Apparently she returned to Medicine Man during Bax’s confrontation with Lupine, and assisted George in confining Nicholas. She asks to renew the relationship, and describes another encounter with Ted’s ghost. Even though she is in town, Bax apparently never meets her.

Madame Orizia writes to Bax in Letter 43. She advises him on the disposal of the vampire Nicholas, and submits her final bill.

In Letter 44, “George” writes to Millie. He explains that Bax has gone to Faerie to live and won’t come back. George will manage Bax’s properties, after serving thirty days community service for striking Kate Finn. He proposes to take Millie on a long trip around the world, and that he will  be a better husband.

Goldwurm Revealed:  The gold headed staff was the final clue for me that Zwart Black is also Goldwurm the Warlock.  Remember, Zwart is also  associated with the Shamir worm of the King Solomon legend. So Zwart has both a “gold” and a “worm” attribute. He is the only character with these two associations. Thus it was Goldwurm/Zwart that murdered Ambrosius/Ted(?), his “friendly rival.”

Bax the Chivalrous: Bax is not a good man, but not a villain either.  He chooses an odd time to display chivalry when he drops his sword and gun and fights Lupine “hand-to-hand.”

George’s Letter: I think most readers realize that Bax is actually writing that last letter (44), and has assumed George’s identity. Bax serves the community service, and then assumes the identity of Millie’s husband for an undetermined period.  There are several clues, including his plans to read Victorian literature to children at the local library. Bax had a degree in 19th century literature.  He is also bringing the Fox Sword and Winker Inari along with him. The flowery language is also more consistent with Bax.

Bax and George:  My view is that George is dead. They had the duel, and Bax won either due to magic, cheating, or just from all his practice with the pistol. Bax may have had no intention to kill George, but may have killed him in self-defense when George decided to go through with the duel. George’s fate was foreshadowed by Kiki or Mary King, spiritual creatures who are omens of death.

Zwart wanted Bax and George to fight, and Zwart gets what he wants in the SH. This is a tragedy, remember.  Zwart is also a liar. George had “no talent”, and yet he was able to imprison a vampire, and somehow safely spent time in Faerie.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Zwart was separately talking with George and telling him that Bax had “no talent.”

Doris’ Change of Heart: As stated in the last post, Doris’ “Dear John” Letter and subsequent return seem very strange. Part of me wonders if Zwart used magic to make her leave the first time.

Ted’s Ghost: He appears for the third time in the story. Many things occur in threes in the SH. Doris thinks he is crying because he wanted her and Bax to “be together.” I am not so sure this is it. It may be more that Zwart’s plan has apparently succeeded (conning Martha and Bax).

Nina O’Brien: This is Martha’s best friend who had recently been killed by a hit and run driver. We never meet her in the story. I believe Zwart killed her, maybe by using the antique vehicle, his “hearse.”  Why?  Zwart is trying to get Martha back, and to do so is eliminating her reasons for staying in Medicine Man. Getting her sons to come to Faerie doesn’t hurt either. Nina’s death may have been signaled by Mary King, who was a ghostly figure and omen of death.

The Battle: I have a feeling the whole combat was almost a pantomine to allow Zwart to influence Bax and Martha.  Zwart knew Lupine, and in the note in the pistol box asked Bax to spare her. She is his ally. He was watching the combat from nearby, and likely would have intervened if Martha was near death. Perhaps the battle stirred Martha’s warm memories for the magic and excitement associated with Faerie, as Zwart intended.

“I spent about forty years here as a sorcerer’s wife“: Martha makes this statement before the battle. Martha is about 90 years old, like her sister. Though her appearance is only of a woman in her 40s or 50s maybe. This may refer to the duration of her marriage to Zwart, and that she got “divorced” around the time of Bax’s birth. This seems consistent with the suggested timeline.

Hardaway – Martha says “I know him. Watch out.” This is final confirmation that Hardaway is a bad guy, and has been Zwart’s agent all along. Hardaway denied knowing Martha to Doris earlier in the SH. Hardaway is probably the one who winds up managing the Skotos Strip and the Black House after Bax and George “disappear.” His cigar smoking may be intended to make us think of brimstone.

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The Sorcerer’s House, Letters 38-40

Letters 38-40: Manjushri, Be Cool, Dear John

Letter Summaries

Letter 38 is from Bax to Millie. He describes his longest visit to Faerie in the company of Winker. They encounter a number of samurai, who they bypass. They arrive at a shrine, and Bax encounters Manjushri, who advises him to seek out Kate Finn to help find George.

Kate and Bax have lunch, and he hires her to help him. They go back to the Black House, and she sees Goldwurm’s spire from a window. They then learn that George has been arrested for violating the terms of his bail.

Letter 39 is from Shell to Bax. Shell advises Bax on the coming duel.

In Letter 40, Doris writes to Bax. She says she is moving away, and breaking up with him.

Warlock – Bax says that this is a “criminal sorcerer,” someone whose word cannot be trusted. We learned earlier that Goldwurm was a warlock, and therefore GW is saying that Goldwurm/Zwart is not to be trusted.

Manjushri – This is a bodhisattva associated with wisdom. I have no idea if GW intends this to be the actual entity, or perhaps an impersonation by Zwart.

Musashi – Miyamato Musashi was a real samurai, and author of The Book of Five Rings. He was perhaps the greatest samurai who ever lived.

Dear John – The title of Doris’ letter.  A “Dear John” letter is slang for a letter a woman sends to a man she is breaking off a relationship with.

I found Doris’ departure a bit odd. Even if she didn’t want to continue the relationship, it seems strange that she would leave town, and her job.  She stood to make a fair amount off money of the Skotos strip deal. The letter is kind of nasty, even bringing up Bax’s criminal record and sexual prowess, which hadn’t bothered her before. Bax held onto the letter for years, perhaps showing that he harbored some affection for her after all.

Her prior conversation with Bax referenced her pressing Hardaway for the details of Skotos’ funeral. Did Hardaway scare her off? Or did the magic of the Triannulus wear off?

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The Sorcerer’s House: Letters 34-37

Letters 34-47:  Fox and Wolf, The Duelist, Wherever You Are, The Challenge

Letter Summaries

Letter 34 is from Bax to Millie.  He reveals his guess that Martha Murrey was at the funeral for Alexander Skotos, which Doris confirms. He then learns from Thelma Nabor that she was Martha Murra(e)y’s twin sister, and that Martha eloped at a young age

Bax then confronts Martha. She admits to being Thelma’s twin, and Bax,  George, Emlyn and Ieaun’s mother. He asks her to help with Emlyn and Lupine. He learns that it was Martha’s decision to give him the deed to the Black House, not Zwart’s. She admits to eloping to Faerie with Zwart, and describes what its like there. She thinks Zwart wants Bax and George to duel each other.

Letter 35 is to Shell from Bax. He has been practicing his shooting, apparently at a range too with Jim Hardaway. He admits that he will kill George in if he has to.

Letter 36 is from Bax to George. He describes a long conversation with Old Nick (Zwart) in which Zwart pretends that he/Old Nick was a creation of Zwart’s. He explains that he has been looking for him and Nicholas the Butler.

Letter 37 is from George to Bax. It is the only letter of his in the SH.  He claims to have visited Faerie in the company of a “wonderful girl”, and wants to rule it. He challenges Bax to a duel to the death using the pistols.

Zwart’s Plan: What exactly is Zwart’s purpose in the SH? Martha educates us. It is apparently Zwart’s desire to reclaim Martha. She says he keeps wanting her to come back to Faerie with him. This seems to be why he named Bax in his will, in order to eventually draw him to Medicine Man.

Additionally, I think he is still looking for Ambrosius’ source of magical power. Perhaps he thought Bax would find it somehow … or that the ring would find Bax.

Why does he want George and Bax to fight? Martha says he “has a thing about twins.”  They are not really any threat to him on Earth. Neither had any magical ability.   The “thing about twins” could be an in-joke by GW about himself.  In the Arthurian legend there is the story of Sir Balan and Sir Balin. They are brothers who accidentally kill each other.  GW used the legend in both Castleview and The Wizard Knight. I think its in play here.

Hardaway’s Game: Hardaway continues to lie. He tells Doris in Letter 34 that he barely knew the other two people at Skotos’ funeral. One was a little man he had never seen before. The other was some woman in the real estate business, but he didn’t remember Martha’s name. The little man is of course Zwart, who Hardaway bought the Skotos strip for. He is Black’s servant in all things. He helps Bax prepare for his duel with George by taking him out to the shooting range, in furtherance of Black’s plan. As I stated before, I see Hardaway as a corrupted Jim Hawkins in service to a Zwart/Long John Silver. Both figures have crutches, gold coins and pistols.

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