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2. Andrew Gilsmith has offered to answer direct questions addressed to him about his book. Do you have any?

First of all, I would like to express my greetings to Mr Gillsmith and, I hope, that my question will not be problematic or controversial. But taking advantage of the fact that we are now in a trade war and seeing the role that China has in his novel. I would like to know what is the author's position on the Chinese communist regime and its persecution of certain cults hostile to the Chinese dictatorship: Uyghurs, Tibetans and especially Chinese Catholics? Thanks a lot.

I have another question and, it is not a reproach to the author, I have observed, I do not know if it is because of the whitewashing that Nixon and Kisinger made of Chinese communism to use it against Soviet communism. What I want to say is why Japan despite having a smaller population, and being older. Why were other countries seen in American fiction as a threat and, on the other hand, communist China has not? In fact, in Hollywood there are very few films critical of the Chinese dictatorship Red Labyrinth, Mao's Last Dancer, U.-S. Marshall and, a few others. It even seems as if North Korea is scarier than China.

The Catholic Church has declared that the third secret of Fatima was made public in its entirety in the year 2000 by then-Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. This book seems to deny it.

It also denies that John Paul II consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It even says that the Pope thought it was too late to do so. This goes against what John Paul II always said: that he had fulfilled correctly Mary's request in Fatima. Lucia dos Santos, the Fatima seer, confirmed it. Also, Pope Francis redid the consecration in 2021, before this novel was published.

Can you explain, Andrew?

Fonch wrote: "First of all, I would like to express my greetings to Mr Gillsmith and, I hope, that my question will not be problematic or controversial. But taking advantage of the fact that we are now in a trad..."

Hi Fonch,

The CCP regime is, so far as i can tell, the closest analog in the modern world to Hitler's National Socialists. Repressive, thuggish, ethnically chauvinistic, militantly nationalist. It is essentially Han fascism.

Their treatment of ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs and Tibetans is appalling. They have "pioneered" high tech surveillance and social control through social credit.

On the positive side of the ledger, they have lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and do not seem to have territorial ambitions beyond whst they consider to be "greater China."

My grrat fear is that so many Western government seem to look at them as a model for managing growth and enforcing consensus.

Fonch wrote: "I have another question and, it is not a reproach to the author, I have observed, I do not know if it is because of the whitewashing that Nixon and Kisinger made of Chinese communism to use it agai..."
This is an excellent point and observation!!!

China has been a key economic partner of the US. Hollywood, for example, has relied increasingly on the Chinese market to drive profits. And while Hollywood routinely craps on it's American audience, it knows it can't do that with China. So basically.....pure greed and self interest.

I think there is also an ideological aspect to it. Many American leftists (who dominate our media) have seen China as a kind of model, particularly when it comes to social control.

Manuel wrote: "The Catholic Church has declared that the third secret of Fatima was made public in its entirety in the year 2000 by then-Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. This book seems to deny it.

..."

This is an important question, Manuel. I want to take a bit to think about it before I respond.

Andrew wrote: "Fonch wrote: "First of all, I would like to express my greetings to Mr Gillsmith and, I hope, that my question will not be problematic or controversial. But taking advantage of the fact that we are..."

Yes, that's one of the things I wanted to tell you: that there are many, many people, including free-market advocates (or so they say) who are critical of tariffs on China. It was never investigated whether China had anything to do with COVID, whether it was negligent or intentional. You hear a lot about an alliance between a number of millionaires and American politicians with the Chinese Communist Party, and that's where you left it.

Andrew wrote: "Fonch wrote: "I have another question and, it is not a reproach to the author, I have observed, I do not know if it is because of the whitewashing that Nixon and Kisinger made of Chinese communism ..."

I would dare to say that unfortunately not only in China. To cite two cases that surprised me for the worse. In Michael Chrichton's "Rising Sun" Michael Crichton he goes so far as to raise the possibility that Japan will end up taking over the United States due to its economic power. In the 80s there was that current and, I am surprised that no one saw the threat of the Chinese Communist Party and, even more so after Tianamen. Another novel that I disliked a lot was "The Miko" by Eric Van Lustbaderby the ninja Nicholas Latimer where the plot of the murderous Miko is relegated to the background being replaced by a conflict between Americans and, no longer Soviets but Russians. Latimer has no qualms about allying himself with the Chinese communists. It seems that the struggle is not against Soviet communism but against Russia and, another thing that I dislike very much about that novel is the hatred that the author feels for the Catholic Church.
On the other hand, I really liked the novel "The Secret Cardinal" by Tom Grace where a Chinese Cardinal must be rescued who is eventually elected Pope. The death of the late St. Pope John Paul IIwas an option that I contemplated, to conclude his work of decommunizing the world. I would like to save another film, The Sand Pebbles, although it is more a criticism of the Chinese nationalism of the Kuomintang, heir to the Boxers, with Steve McQueen in one of his best performances.

How did you come up with the idea that machines or computer programs could serve as transmitters of demonic possession?

Fonch wrote: "How did you come up with the idea that machines or computer programs could serve as transmitters of demonic possession?"

The first scene that came into my head was actually the confrontation between Serafian and the demon-possessed AI in the church. The story grew out of that.

Manuel wrote: "The Catholic Church has declared that the third secret of Fatima was made public in its entirety in the year 2000 by then-Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. This book seems to deny it.

..."

This is a complicated question, and I want to be careful in my answers. I am an obedient son of the Church, and so I don't want anything I say to be interpreted as a criticism of the Bride of Christ.

That said:

1) I share the late Fr. Malachi Martin's view that Fatima was the fulcrum point of the entire 20th century. So many catastrophes could have been averted had the Church heeded Our Lady's warning in the precise manner she requested.

2) To wit, Russia was never specifically and publicly consecrated to the Immaculate Heart by the Pope with the full assent of the bishops. JP2 tried, I believe. The best he was able to manage was a consecration of "the whole world," with a mention of Russia. This, I believe, was a partial fulfillment of Our Lady's command and resulted in partial mitigation of the chastisements.

3) The Capovilla Envelope is real. To my knowledge, its content have never been made public. Instead, we have alternate, truncated versions of Sr. Lucia's testimony.

4) Frankly, the report by Cardinal Bertone in 2000 is riddled with inconsistencies and contradictions. The book "The Fourth Secret" by the Catholic journalist Antonio Socci provides a good summary of this.

5) We have not yet seen the triumph of the Immaculate Heart we were promised. Perhaps we will not see it until the eschaton--I don't know. It seems inarguable that "the errors of Russia" continue to bathe the world in blood and suffering even to this day. In my book, these errors include the ongoing Uyghur genocide and a hypothetical Christian genocide that follows.

6) I say all of the above with the caveat that it is personal opinion and that I am most willing to be corrected by leaders of the magisterium. At the end of the day, Fatima is still a private revelation, and there is no requirement that any Catholic "believe in it." Neither, in my view, is there a requirement that a Catholic fully "believe in" statements by individual members of the hierarchy about it.

Fonch wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Fonch wrote: "First of all, I would like to express my greetings to Mr Gillsmith and, I hope, that my question will not be problematic or controversial. But taking advantage of the f..."

Until fairly recently, any criticism of the CCP tended to be met with accusations of "racism" by the usual harpies in the West.

There is a great example in the science fiction community. In 2023, the Hugo Awards were hosted in China for the first time in their history. MANY people pointed out the danger of this. Most of us who did were accused of being "anti-Chinese."

What ended up happening? Exactly what you might expect. The Award convention was used as a propaganda tool by the CCP. Many authors were excluded. It was later revealed that the government intervened to prevent certain authors from getting awards. The organizers, it appears, were bribed for their complicity and silence. As a result, the Hugo Awards suffered a major hit to their credibility. I personally think they have become a bit of a joke.

It all could have been prevented with a modicum of common sense. But common sense was labeled "racism," and the rest as they say is history.

My comments about Andrew's answer to my question:

1) Agreed!

2) After John Paul II's consecration, he spoke with Sister Lucia dos Santos and she said the Virgin Mary had told her that the consecration had been done correctly. In a further visit to Fatima, during the 90s, JPII was addressed by one of those present, who asked: "Why don't you consecrate Russia to the Virgin Mary?" and he answered: "I have done it!"

3) Yes, of course, the third secret was in the Capovilla envelope. But its contents were made public in June 2000. This is what the Wikipedia says about it: The Vatican has maintained its position that the full text of the third secret was published in June 2000. A report from the Zenit Daily Dispatch dated 20 December 2001 based on a Vatican press release, reported that Lúcia told then-Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, in an interview conducted the previous month, that the secret has been completely revealed and published, and that no secrets remain. Bertone, along with Cardinal Ratzinger, co-authored The Message of Fatima, the document published in June 2000 by the Vatican that contains a scanned copy of the original text of the third secret. Ratzinger asserted several times that the secret had been fully published there.

4) I have not read the book you mention, so I cannot comment.

5) That "[w]e have not yet seen the triumph of the Immaculate Heart we were promised" is irrelevant. Mary never said when that would happen.

6) I agree with this, but I tend to trust more Ratzinger than Antonio Socci.

Hello Andrew,

Have you read The Second Greatest Story Ever Told?

This was our February club book, and the author Fr. Gaitley talks in detail about the Consecration and the third secret of Fatima. He also has a great series of videos based on the book on Formed, if you have access to this platform.

This is the link to our book's discussion:

/topic/group...

I have not! I will add it to my shamefully huge TBR pile.

I'm curious about three things:

1) Approximately, how old are Serafian, Sarah, Praetor Mbambu and Emperor Kapulong? (Sometimes, I'm surprised to know that characters I thought were old, in actuality, were a lot younger.)

2) Which character is your favourite?

3) As the author, which character do you think is the most well-written in the first novel?

Emmanuel wrote: "I'm curious about three things:

1) Approximately, how old are Serafian, Sarah, Praetor Mbambu and Emperor Kapulong? (Sometimes, I'm surprised to know that characters I thought were old, in actuali..."

Good questions!

I am assuming that this far into the future, lifespans have been extended somewhat. The Emperor is probably 80-100 years old, though with the health profile of a modern day 60 year old. Serafian and Sara are younger--probably no more than 40 during the events of this book. Namono is the youngest. I can't imagine she is older than 30, given the physicality of her job.

I really love all of the characters, but the one I identify with the most is Serafian. That said, Tiliwadi was probably my favorite to write.

As for your last question....I tend to be highly self-critical. This was my first novel, and I think all of the characters could be improved. In fact, that is the major focus of the new round of edits the book is currently undergoing ahead of republication.

Andrew wrote: "Emmanuel wrote: "I'm curious about three things:

1) Approximately, how old are Serafian, Sarah, Praetor Mbambu and Emperor Kapulong? (Sometimes, I'm surprised to know that characters I thought wer..."

It's interesting to know the lore about living longer in the setting of the novel, I don't think I grasped this while reading. But it seems I got the characters' ages right. After reading the sequel, I guessed the Emperor would have to be at least 70 years old.

The character I related the most to was Serafian, and that's why he was my favourite too. However, for me, the most well-written was Emperor Kapulong. Maybe that's why Namomo's arc was so engaging, especially when we consider its fruits in the Epilogue and the sequel.

Even so, Thierry is easily the most sympathetic of them all.

Hello!!!!

What was the conexion between Namono and the emperor? The question is based on the profound feelings of loyalty Namono shows and also caring the emperor shows for her.

Andrew wrote: "As a result, the Hugo Awards suffered a major hit to their credibility. I personally think they have become a bit of a joke."

I personally think the Hugo Awards have been a complete joke for a long time.

Andrew wrote: "In fact, that is the major focus of the new round of edits the book is currently undergoing ahead of republication."

I assume correcting the name of the Pope is one of those edits? I was wondering if that should have been John XXVIII?

Yes, among other corrections.

I don't understand. In my copy, the name of the Pope is John XXVIII. What's the problem? Why should it be corrected?

There migbt be multiple versions out there.

John wrote: "Andrew wrote: "As a result, the Hugo Awards suffered a major hit to their credibility. I personally think they have become a bit of a joke."

I personally think the Hugo Awards have been a complete..."

Agreed. And the tragedy is, it doesn't have to be like this.

If just 1,000 Catholic science fiction fans joined worldcon, we could start to shift the awards and nominations process back towards great sci fi, as opposed to approved narratives.

Worldcon is the definition of a "captured institution." It has real strategic value, and it is only garrisoned by a couple thousand zealots.

Tania wrote: "Hello!!!!

What was the conexion between Namono and the emperor? The question is based on the profound feelings of loyalty Namono shows and also caring the emperor shows for her."

This becomes a bit clearer in the second book, I hope.

Namono had a difficult childhood, without a father figure in her life. The Emperor is this for her. He likewise feels a kind of kinship with her.

There are no hidden bloodlines or anything like that, though!

Manuel wrote: "I don't understand. In my copy, the name of the Pope is John XXVIII. What's the problem? Why should it be corrected?"

In mine it is John XVIII.

Andrew wrote: "John wrote: "Andrew wrote: "As a result, the Hugo Awards suffered a major hit to their credibility. I personally think they have become a bit of a joke."

I personally think the Hugo Awards have be..."
My friend the Professor Manuel Alfonseca, Jaime Blanch Queral (another science fiction writer friend) (Today is the Jaime´s birthday) and a humble servant had a colloquium on the Canal of my Boss Don Alberto Balayla Sin Vergüenza 2.0 about Science Fiction (by the way we mentioned in the video "Our lady of Artilects and other science fiction books that we read in the club) (I share the link here).
We couldn't talk about it, although I would have liked to talk about when the science fiction theme began to break down. This issue has been discussed by the Professor and I on countless occasions. For the Professor (and I agree with him) it began to break down from the 60s when the authors began (in some cases to continue maintaining their status and go hand in hand with the times) to talk about sex, contraception, and population control. Even brilliant writers such as Isaac Asimov and, in a goodreads message we talked about him (Poul Anderson) submitted and, from the sixties, although there were also good books, the quality of their works began to decline. You don't always have to go against your time, but there are times when the author has to stand up and say no as Fred Saberhagen did with "Love Conquers All" for example There are times when the author, being an American, tends to be very hostile to the history of Spain and attack it harshly. We have seen it with Poul Anderson and some other authors. The problem with the Hugo and Nebula is that there are people with shady interests. Millionaires with shady interests and countries with governments that are beginning to influence publishers and awards in order to favor social engineering to take the world where they want it to go, and publishers and authors swallow. For this, the freedom, autonomy of the author is important and that he has a clean and fair conscience and, when something perverse is proposed to him, he says no and, if they boycott him, he should self-publish and ask for help from the fans or, look for patrons who are not contaminated with these perverse ideologies. PS. I have also shared another video I made on my Youtube channel talking about "Three friends talk about science fiction" and commenting on some aspects that were not said in that video.



Andrew wrote: "Fonch wrote: "How did you come up with the idea that machines or computer programs could serve as transmitters of demonic possession?"

The first scene that came into my head was actually the confr..."

I understand it.

I think John XXVIII would be fine (I wish we had so many Johns. By the way, let us pray for the success of the Conclave, and that they may elect a good Holy Father. I don't know if it was Cardinal Burke who asked for prayers that the conclave would go well.) Without a doubt, John XVIII is wrong.

Fonch wrote: "Andrew wrote: "John wrote: "Andrew wrote: "As a result, the Hugo Awards suffered a major hit to their credibility. I personally think they have become a bit of a joke."

I personally think the Hugo..."

The Hugos have a peculiar history of catering to sex pests and deviants. This is the same organization that has celebrated NAMBLA members as "grand masters" and knowingly facilitated the depravity if Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter Breen.

I believe that Ursula LeGuin was writing about the sci fi establisment in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," her story about a so-called utopia that depplended on the abuse of a child.

Ultimately, institutions are what their memmbers make them. I would love to see an influx of Catholic sci fi fans into Worldcon. Simply ignoring it wont work. Our commission as laypeople is to sanctify the world.

Andrew wrote: "Tania wrote: "Hello!!!!

What was the conexion between Namono and the emperor? The question is based on the profound feelings of loyalty Namono shows and also caring the emperor shows for her."

Th..."

Thank you for your answer. I had the feeling there was a strong Conexion between them, plus it feels this "bond" allowed some of the outcomes of the story. Sending Namono and trusting her with blind eye... it's almost pure.

I was not aware there was a book 2. Certainly will read it too

Andrew wrote: "Fonch wrote: "Andrew wrote: "John wrote: "Andrew wrote: "As a result, the Hugo Awards suffered a major hit to their credibility. I personally think they have become a bit of a joke."

I personally ..."
When I wrote that comment, I didn't do it so much thinking about the abuse of minors that has become a plague. You only have to look at what has allegedly happened on an island and where a certain rapper is allegedly being judged and whose progress I follow by certain youtubers or content creators. I made the comment (although child abuse is also one of the consequences of the Sexual Revolution, you only have to look at the collusion of the members of May '68 and Woodstock with child abuse), but when I talked about it I was thinking of what G.K. Chesterton said about a new religion, or ideology that would promote desire, and prohibit fertility. It should be remembered that in the 60s neo-Malthusianism gained new momentum with Paul Ehrlich's "Demographic Bomb", what it denounced is that certain science fiction writers sold out to pansexualism and contraception, including abortion. In this list you could put Harry Harrison, and Arthur C. Clarke as well...
I know the case of Moira Greyland, Marion Zimmer Bradley's daughter, from having read it on Facebook to some friends of whom she is also friends: L. Jagi Lamplighter, Declan Finn, or Richard Paolinelli. I was disgusted by the stories of Marion Zimmer Bradley, always the same, transvestite women disguised as men, because the males do not stop succeeding with Celtic and pagan motifs. On top of that, she teased J.R.R. Tolkien, accusing him of being sexist for not taking Eowyn out anymore. Thank God I don't have the pleasure or, rather, I have the joy of not knowing Walter Breen or he is the Moira´s Greyland Father.

Regarding Ursula K. Le Guin I have read the first two of her Tales from Earthsea saga and, PPlanet of ExileI know that she was fascinated by Taoism and anarchism and, I know her more from the films of the Earthsea saga. I really like Golo Miyazaki's even though no one else likes it. I didn't know that story, but I did read something very similar, the aliens in Mary Doria Russell's "The Sparrows" did the same thing. This woman was also obsessed with contraception and birth control and, therefore, she stopped being Catholic and converted to Judaism. As I am a historian, the Professor (Manuel Alfonseca) and I have talked a lot about Ursula K.'. Le Guin ´s father Alfred L. Kroeber and, I have a focus more in the line of Will Durant and Professor more in the line of Arnold J. Toynbeeand, we agree on the good opinion we have of G.K. Chesterton, Christopher Henry Dawson and Hilaire Belloc.

LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being. She knew what was going on in sci-fi and was disgusted by it. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas was her statement of principle on the matter---at least that is how I interpret it.

Few books have disturbed me in the way Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" did. There was something so utterly....empty about it. Treasonous, really. I could not escape the conclusion that he endorsed the program of the so-called Overmind and its servitors, the Overlords. I try not to overuse the word "satanic," but in this case, the shoe fits.

Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being. She knew what was going on in sci-fi and was disgusted by it. The Ones Who Walk Away from ..."

I didn't read it, but another one that looks like a very evil book is "Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison and, among my black beasts are Michael Moorcock China Miéville, and Philip Pullman. Although the latter are more than science fiction are fantasy. Some that look dreadful John Brunner and some of Robert Silverberg.

Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being. She knew what was going on in sci-fi and was disgusted by it. The Ones Who Walk Away from ..."

I've just read the last book from the Earthsea cycle. The first trilogy pleased me, there's a lot of virtue and insight if you're willing to peel the worst facets of Taoism. For me, it became like a fantasy series informed by the best part of Stoicism. Whoever, the last three books indeed felt more political and less morally virtuous.

I want to ask the author (and Professor Manuel, too) about two things on the science fiction side of the novel. First, the Lucifer particles, are they real, possible, or is there any scientific basis for them? And second, the viability of St. Michael's shield planned by Sarah. I can't say the explanations in the novel convinced me, but I know little about the scientific side of this question.

Emmanuel wrote: "I want to ask the author (and Professor Manuel, too) about two things on the science fiction side of the novel. First, the Lucifer particles, are they real, possible, or is there any scientific bas..."

This is a great question!

The Lucifer Particles were based in part on an actual, as-yet-unexplained cosmic phenomenon, the "oh-my-God particle" (). The TLDR is that it was a cosmic ray orders of magnitude more energetic than others with no ready explanation for how it could even happen.

The St. Michael's Shield project was based entirely on this whitepaper from the European space agency on how to create an artificial magnetosphere on Mars: .

Emmanuel wrote: "Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being. She knew what was going on in sci-fi and was disgusted by it. The Ones Who ..."

I have a soft spot for Taoism, because Taoism was part of my own journey back to the Church. Of all the world religions and philosophical systems, I think it contains more of what we would recognize as Chrisitan truth. It pre-dates Christ and comes from a non-theistic culture, and yet a careful reading of the Tao de Ching uncovers many parallels with our own faith. At least that is my view.

Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being."

In the foreword to The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula LeGuin declares herself an atheist.

Manuel wrote: "Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being."

In the foreword to The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula LeGuin d..."

Yes, but a principled atheist. They do exist.

A nearly extinct species.

Andrew wrote: "Few books have disturbed me in the way Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" did. There was something so utterly....empty about it. Treasonous, really. I could not escape the conclusion that he endorsed the program of the so-called Overmind and its servitors, the Overlords. I try not to overuse the word "satanic," but in this case, the shoe fits."

Without doubt, Clarke endorsed that program. It's not only "Childhood's end," it's also "2001 a Space Odyssey," although in a more cryptic form.

More information about this in my review of Clarke's book The Lost Worlds of 2001, which is here: /review/show... and in this post in my blog: , where I mention "Childhood's end."

Andrew wrote: "Emmanuel wrote: "Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being. She knew what was going on in sci-fi and was disgusted by ..."

I was reading the four books of Confucius, including the one written by his disciple Menzius which for me is the best and seemed to me closer to Christianity than, for example, Buddhism. It is true that the historian Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez de la Peña is more critical of Confucius, but he liked Menzio very much. It certainly does not surprise me that Matteo Ricci S.J. R and his successors had a better image of the Confucianists than of the Buddhists with whom they had had to fight in India and Japan. Of Lao Tzu I know little. I know that it predates Confucius and less mundane and more transcendent, but I don't know the differences between Buddhism and Taoism. I have become a critic of Buddhism thanks to G.K. Chesterton (Mea culpa). In any case, the West takes from Buddhism what it wants, ignoring and not complying with the precepts that they do not like, as if it were an all-you-can-eat buffet. It is an elegant way to cover people's unbelief and cover up their horror vacui.

Andrew wrote: "Manuel wrote: "Andrew wrote: "LeGuin was not a Christian, so far as I know, but I do believe she was a principled and moral human being."

In the foreword to The Left Hand of Darkness ..."

I admit that none of the books I have read to Ursula K. I have given Le Guin more than three stars. There are authors that I like much more than her without detracting from her literary gifts, which I am sure she has. This is what I have said in my post that there are many people who, in order to cover up their lack of faith or their religious indifferentism, opt for religions that offer them the same, but with better packaging. The worst is the New Age.

Manuel wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Few books have disturbed me in the way Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" did. There was something so utterly....empty about it. Treasonous, really. I could not escape the conclusi..."

Here is a video of mine with a review of 2001: A Space OdysseyArthur C. Clarke, the bad thing is that it is in Spanish and has no subtitles. Arthur C. Clarke writes very well, but his message seemed sinister to me, especially the first half of the book, especially Heywood Floyd's part on the moon.

"The Process" in the book resembles the transhumanist goals. How aware was Mr. Okpara of what it was trying to achieve? It is clear in his conversations with Channing that he did not know many things.

Mr. Okpara comes off as a sympathetic character after all.

Mariangel wrote: ""The Process" in the book resembles the transhumanist goals. How aware was Mr. Okpara of what it was trying to achieve? It is clear in his conversations with Channing that he did not know many thin..."

I think that Mr. Okpara was only partially aware of the group's goals, though for most of his life he was content merely to play his role.

That changed with Thiery, who became like a son to him. Often it is the case that wicked people lose their nerve when faced with the sacrifice of someone close to them. Conscience came late to Okpara, and via an unexpected route.

Andrew wrote: "Mariangel wrote: ""The Process" in the book resembles the transhumanist goals. How aware was Mr. Okpara of what it was trying to achieve? It is clear in his conversations with Channing that he did ..."

I learned from Jurassic Park Michael Crichton to fear the crazy philanthropist millionaire more than the mad scientist ;-) . I think that in the world we live in is very realistic. From G.K. Chesterton I received a lesson in distrusting plutocrats and Eastern religions.

I was thinking about Namomo. Is she truly Catholic? I remember reading about her being a sort of nun, but what about her order? Is it religious? Does it have vows?

She is Catholic, yes. Everyone in the bureaucratic appartus of the Empire is.

How devout is she? I'd say....not especially. She certainly believes in God, but she is like many Catholics today whose belief is "comfortable." It doesn't necessarily inform her decision-making on a day-to-day basis.

She is someone who likes to have a clearly defined enemy to fight. And she is highly territorial and protective of those she loves----hence her spirit animal being a hippopotamus! lol