From: Walt Gay
Location: Petersburg, VA
Date: 11/23/2009
I am reading the book City at the End of Time and am having trouble with words like Diurns, Eidolons, umbers, wardens, creche, tiers, etc. Is there a glossary somewhere?
From: Greg Bear
Date: 11/23/2009
In the German edition, Walt! But that may not be very much help. Most of the words have inspirations in other real words, so a dictionary or word search might help. Diurnal, for example, refers to something that occurs every day--like a stopped clock being correct!
From: Mike Glosson
Location: San Diego - Normal Heights
Date: 11/23/2009
Whoas...for me those were the easy words,but then again I have a more "Philosophical" vocab than most SF Readers.
There are other specific terms I would have loved to see fleshed out in an Appendix, just for a more intense feeling of veritas.
Or some faux etymology of the Flora and Fauna of the Chaos, with origins and inspiration in THE NIGHT LAND.
Collectors had to file reports from time to time, no doubt...I could see one of them from the novel having written a short report regarding those "Dreaming of a City at the End of Time" and writing about it...and the difficulty in collecting such individuals..
Upon reflection CITY wasn't as "word challenging" along thos lines as another "Dying Earth" novel or set of Novels, THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. Now that one required a serious dictionary.
From: Ricardo
Location: Encinitas, CA
Date: 11/23/2009
This is actually something that I look forward to when picking up a new Greg Bear book for the first time - I know that I am going to learn some new words! Without fail, there will be 3 or 4 that I have to get out the dictionary for. That's one of the things that makes reading such an enriching experience, no?
From: Greg Bear
Date: 12/17/2009
Thanks, Ricardo.
From: Greg Bear
Date: 12/17/2009
Thanks, JOn! (or Jon...) I'm not much for postmodernism per se, but the tangle provided by multiple universes can make historical truth difficult. And I suppose if you can bend the rules of reality, all bets are off... Hm, perhaps this would make the postmodernists crave solid, objective philosophical and scientific ground to stand on!
From: Mike Glosson
Location: San Diego - Normal Heights
Date: 01/26/2010
Greg:
Completed my 4th read ov CITY over the weekend. I stand by my 1st review statement: This is indeed your best prose...indeed marathon sport writing.
And I saw a couple things on 4th read that had been missed in reads 1-3.
Almost tempted to re-read THE NIGHT LAND now...
MG
From: Greg Bear
Date: 01/29/2010
Looking forward to your further thoughts, Mike! Why not take a break and dip into Borges and George MacDonald for a bit?
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