From: "Roy C. Lackey" 
Subject: Re: (urth) time/space - whorl purpose, Pas heads
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 01:49:34 -0600

Marc Aramini wrote:
>>My evidence for time travel is as follows: Silk appears in the story of
Inclito's mother.  It isn't her made up story - it's real, and Silk dreams
it
and makes it real by manifesting himself in her past.  In a way, it's kind
of
Philip K. Dickish - Silk's dreams affect the past.  Reality depends on his
mind.  Perhaps he is a bit more of the primary observer than we at first
believe.<<

_If_ the strego and talking bird in Salica's story are Silk and Oreb (which
seems probable), and _if_ the story is true, then a supernatural event
occurred (like Pike's ghost at the manse). It occurred before either Silk or
Oreb were even born, to people he never knew, in a place he had never been.
That is "contrary to everyday experience". Salica is a minor character, even
in IGJ. She is of no great consequence to Silk in either the LS or SS books.
Silk was not dreaming when she told her story, had never laid eyes on her
before that day, and had no reason to travel in time, even if he had the
ability, to appear to her old servant and spurned suitor. What would have
been the point? I don't know why he was in her story, but the fact that he
was doesn't constitute proof of time travel.

If Silkhorn had the ability to travel in time, he could have done many more
things with the ability that were of much more import to himself, his
friends, his causes, than what amounts to a pointless parlor trick. Like
keep Horn from falling in that pit. Avoiding all sorts of personal travails.
Keep Krait from taking a bullet. Saving Seawrack's arm, etc., etc.

IIRC, each time Silkhorn uses his dream-travel to go to the same place more
than once, each subsequent trip follows, temporally, those that had come
before, in the customary sequence of events. He never goes back to a time
before an earlier trip to change anything.

-Roy


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