THE MT VOID
06/20/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 51, Whole Number 2385
Editor: Evelyn Leeper,
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Topics:
Fireworks at Bell Labs Holmdel (NJ) (comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)
METROPOLIS (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
METROPOLIS (film comments by Mark R. Leeper)
METROPOLIS by Thea Von Harbou (book review
by Mark R. Leeper)
Which Word Doesn't Belong? (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
"Adrift In Currents Clean and Clear" by Seanan McGuire
(audio book review by Joe Karpierz)
SOONISH: TEN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THAT'LL IMPROVE
AND/OR RUIN EVERYTHING and A CITY ON MARS
by Dr. Kelly Weinersmith and Zack Weinersmith
(book reviews by Paul S. R. Chisholm)
A CITY ON MARS: CAN WE SETTLE SPACE, SHOULD WE SETTLE
SPACE, AND HAVE WE REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH?
by Dr. Kelly Weinersmith and Zack Weinersmith
(book review by Dale Skran)
The One Ring (letters of comment by Robert Mitchell
and Steve Coltrin)
Leg Men (letter of comment by Hal Heydt)
This Week's Reading (JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH)
(book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
===================================================================
TOPIC: Fireworks at Bell Labs Holmdel (NJ) (comments by Evelyn
C. Leeper)
For those in central NJ, Bell Works (previously Bell Labs Holmdel,
and now a famous television series setting) will have their annual
fireworks display on June 25. For more details, see
<
https://bell.works/events/bell-works-annual-fireworks> [-ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: METROPOLIS (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Our movie-and-book group watched METROPOLIS (1927) this month, and
read (or tried to read) METROPOLIS by Thea Von Harbou. Whether it
was Von Harbou's writing, or the translation, I found the book
over-flowery and then some (and I was not the only one).
The film, however, is a classic, and rates a full column rather
than just a mini-review. Yes, it is at times over the top, but
somehow that works better in films. My first comment is that, at
the time, no on had seen anything like it. Huge sets, vast cast,
startling special effects--director Fritz Lang pulled out all the
stops. The catacombs include not just a hidden church, but
hundreds of recesses containing the bones of the dead. (There is
a striking mid-shot of Rotwang threatening the true Maria in the
catacombs where you see him with a skull from the wall behind on
either side of his head.
And everyone followed him, or at least showed his influence. The
mad scientist in THE BLACK CAT has gone one better than Rotwang
and not just had a bust of his dead wife, but had preserved her in
a glass case. Both Rotwang's wife and Poelzig's were named Hel.
Kenneth Strickfadden surely patterned the labs he designed for
FRANKENSTEIN and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on Rotwang's, but on an
even larger scale.
Did the hallucinogenic scene of the multiple eyes apparently
against a curtain inspire Salvador Dali's similar scene in
SPELLBOUND?
Interestingly, in OCTOBER SKY one sees a "reverse influence" (that
is, where Lang got his ideas from): the scenes of the coal miners
descending by elevator into the mines are based on real life, and
the same real life probably inspired Lang's depiction of his
workers in the elevators.
Was the creation of the false Maria the first example of identity
theft?
The main character, Freder, undergoes an epiphany not unlike that
of the Buddha: having been raised in sheltered luxury, he is
confronted by poor and starving children, and becomes converted to
a more egalitarian nature.
There are things that strike us differently now than they did the
audience then. "Yoshiwara" and its entertainers seem to be
representative of the "Orientalism" that was so common in the
first decades of the twentieth century.
Obviously, there is a lot more that could be said, but the best
thing is or you to see this film for yourself. There are a
variety of public domain versions floating around, of inferior
quality and truncated length. (This is a story in itself.) You
should look for either the 2001 restoration (124 minutes) or, even
better, the 2010 restoration (148 minutes). [-ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: METROPOLIS (film comments by Mark R. Leeper)
And here are Mark's comments from 1986, possibly written for a
science fiction convention:
My name is Mark Leeper and I am interested in film and I am
interested in science fiction and METROPOLIS is both, though
perhaps not of equal quality. It has been a common verdict on
this film that it is a towering piece of cinema visually, but that
the story is flawed. The year of its release Luis Bunuel called
it "a very good film and a very bad film glued together at the
stomach." It's director, Fritz Lang, claimed never to have liked
the film, saying it had a weak ending.
Nevertheless, when it was released in Germany--60 years ago next
month--nothing like it had ever been seen before. By the time it
opened at the Rialto in New York, two months later, word-of-mouth
had spread so fast that a reported 10,000 people turned up to see
its at its United States premiere.
Films have been inspired by songs and by paintings; METROPOLIS was
inspired by a skyline. By 1924, Lang had made a number of
successful films including DESTINY, DR. MABUSE--THE GAMBLER, and
the popular SIEGFRIED and KRIMHELD'S REVENGE. Invited to visit
studios in the United States, he took a trans-Atlantic cruise.
Upon entering New York harbor he was struck by a skyline more
awesome than any he had ever seen in Europe. Inspired by this
sight and very probably influenced by H. G. Wells's three novels
of future class separation--WHEN THE SLEEPER WAKES, A STORY OF
DAYS TO COME, and THE TIME MACHINE--Lang and his wife (Thea Von
Harbou) began writing notes that Von Harbou forged first into a
novel and then into a screenplay which Lang filmed. The novel's
heavy religious symbolism was toned down for the film but in
neither the novel nor the film are Joh Frederson's reasons for
attempting to destroy his own city ever adequately explained.
In spite of plot problems, the film is a spectacle such as has
been rarely seen before or since. Over 36,000 people were brought
in to appear in the film. Many of the sets were built full-sized,
though state-of-the-art model work was also employed. The
production used so much electricity that for blocks around the
studio residents' lights dimmed whenever Lang was shooting. The
final film was 17 reels--about three hours--long, though later
re-edited many times. About an hour of the footage may well be
lost forever. As I said, January 10th will mark the 60th
anniversary of the release of METROPOLIS. Two months later and
considerably shorter, it premiered at the Rialto to crowds that
would make George Lucas jealous. Still, the film never re-couped
its enormous investment.
Lang followed METROPOLIS with THE WOMAN IN THE MOON (FRAU IM
MOND)--a film surprisingly accurate about many aspects of
rocket-powered spaceflight. It is said that to increase the
dramatic effect, Lang invented the concept of counting down to
zero. Lang's M is probably the most respected of all his films
and introduced to the screen Peter Lorre (as Hans Beckert, the
child-killer). In 1933 TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE continued the
adventures of the German "Napoleon of Crime." The film was,
however, banned by the Nazis for reasons that still seem rather
abstract.
Lang himself was summoned to Joseph Goebbels's office for what
Lang assumed was to be a reprimand. Instead Goebbels explained
that he and Der Fuhrer had seen METROPOLIS together in a small
German town. Both had been very impressed and were very anxious
to give Lang a position of importance in the Nazi film industry.
Lang promised to consider the offer, returned home, packed a few
belongings, and fled to France that same day. It would have been
only a matter of time before it was discovered that Lang's mother
was Jewish.
Von Harbou remained behind and did work in the Nazi film industry.
After escaping to France, Lang came to the United States. He
made many quality films here but he never again achieved the
stature he had had in Germany. [-mrl]
[Note: At some point after Mark wrote this, research showed that
Lang's story of leaving the same night was not actually true. But
it made a great story. -ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: METROPOLIS by Thea Von Harbou (book review by Mark
R. Leeper)
And finally, here is Mark's book review of METROPOLIS, reprinted
from the 10/09/85 issue of the MT VOID:
How long have I been intending to read Von Harbou's novel on which
the classic film was based? Well, I bought the book new in the
Ace Books edition and paid the cover price of 40 cents for it.
It's not that the novel itself is great. It is a relatively bland
dystopia. The concept might well have been one that H. G. Wells
would have approved of and one that would have fit into his future
history of WHEN THE SLEEPER WAKES, A TALE OF DAYS TO COME, and THE
TIME MACHINE. As those who have seen the film will know, society
has broken into a rich and powerful ruling class who live in the
city above ground and the workers who live in the bowels of the
city. The above city is an exaggerated view of the best of
Manhattan extrapolated into the 21st Century. That is not
surprising since the idea for the novel came from seeing the New
York skyline. In the book, however, Joh Fredersen, the ruler of
the city, gets New York stock exchange information from across an
ocean so the city of Metropolis is probably intended to be
European, though we are never told where. The city has three
layers with the machinery that runs the city in the middle layer
and the workers in the dismal, dark nether regions so deep below
the city that when the main character goes down he speculates that
it could not be much further down to reach the center of the earth.
This vision of the city is the only thing that really works in
either the book or the film. Joh Fredersen's son Freder is aghast
to learn how cruel the social system is. He is at the same time
smitten with Maria, a sort of social reformer whose religious
parables profoundly move the workers. There is just one more
major character and the only one of any real interest in the book.
Rotwang lives under the city in a mysterious old house. He is
part evil wizard and part mad scientist (the film only hints at
his wizardry and concentrates on the scientist). Enraged at the
loss of the only woman he ever loved to Joh Fredersen, he has
built a faceless soulless mechanical version of her. Joh
Fredersen convinces Rotwang to use the robot to bring about the
destruction of the city he runs.
That brings me to the real reason I wanted to read the book the
film was based on. The film, being a silent film, is short on
words. It never explains why the ruler of a city would want to
see his own city destroyed. The book is nothing but words.
Surely it gives a better explanation. Well, it does, but only
slightly. Fredersen tries to destroy the city and kill thousands
so his son can rebuild the city. End of explanation. One does
not expect well-motivated characters in a religious parable. And
time and again Von Harbou lays on religious symbolism so that the
reader does not forget this is a parable. Far more than even in
the film, virtually every aspect of the book seems aimed at making
a religious point.
METROPOLIS as a reading experience is only fair. As a device to
explain the basic illogic of the film it is all but a waste of
time. One might almost believe it was based on the film instead
of the reverse. By modern standards it is not much of a novel.
It is instead just an interesting curio of the film. [-mrl]
[I am not reprinting Mark's review of the Giorgio Moroder
METROPOLIS (on which he is not entirely negative), or of the
theater version staged in London in 1989 (on which he is). -ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: Which Word Doesn't Belong? (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Which word doesn't belong in this list:
allays, arrays, assays, aways, bays, belays, brays, clays, copays,
days, decays, delays, drays, essays, flays, frays, gays, grays,
hays, inlays, jays, lays, mays, nays, okays, pays, plays, prays,
rays, relays, repays, says, shays, slays, spays, splays, sprays,
stays, strays, sways, todays, trays, unlays, ways
The answer will be in next week's issue. [-ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: "Adrift In Currents Clean and Clear" by Seanan McGuire
(copyright 2025, Macmillan Audio, 4 hours and 8 minutes, ASIN:
B0DNR17F2K, narrated by Barrie Kreinik) (audio book review
by Joe Karpierz)
"Adrift In Currents Clean and Clear" is the 10th novella is Seanan
McGuire's "Wayward Children" series. The story fills in the
backstory of Nadya, the Drowned Girl who first appeared in
"Beneath the Sugar Sky" and is one of the longest tenured students
at Eleanor West's School For Wayward Children. Like many of the
"Wayward Children" stories, especially the more recent ones, this
is a story of acceptance of who you are and how to stay true to
yourself amidst people who want to change you.
Nadya was abandoned by her Russian mother, and ended up in an
orphanage. Nadya spent a very long time in the orphanage, mostly
because most visiting families would not adopt her because she was
born with only one arm. She was eventually adopted by American
parents who wanted the best for their new little girl. Aside from
the new clothes and shoes (among other things), her parents tried
to assimilate her into American life, including (and not
unreasonably) enrolling her in English classes. But more
importantly, they had her fitted for a prosthetic arm, which Nadya
felt she didn't need because she believed she was whole already,
the way she was born. She was used to having one arm, she became
efficient at using one arm, and being one-armed was who she was.
One day, Nadya went for a walk to the turtle pond (she loved
turtles) that she went to with her adoptive father. There, on the
back of one of the turtles, were the words we're all used to
seeing by now in a Wayward Children novella: "Be Sure". Nadya
reached for the turtle, and fell into the door that had
materialized there, through to the drowned world of Belyyreka.
There, Nadya is befriended by the humans, becomes part of a
family, and is eventually accepted into that world's society.
It's probably not too much of a spoiler to state that after
experiencing many adventures, she ends up at Eleanor's.
I won't go into any additional details about the story. I think
the discovery of those details should be left to the reader.
However, I will say this. While the themes of the story are
consistent with the rest of the novellas in the series (especially
the more recent ones), my personal opinion is that this story is
filler. It's well written, the characters are well-developed and
interesting, and the story is (also in my opinion), better than
several of the more recent entries in the series. We really don't
need Nadya's backstory to appreciate the overall arc of the
"Wayward Children" series. That's quite possibly the old
curmudgeon in me, saying "Get on with it already--advance the
storyline", and more importantly, get us to the end. I feel that
the series has been drawn out a bit longer than necessary, and the
messaging in general feels too heavy. Don't get me wrong.
McGuire's message throughout the series is necessary and spot on.
But when the series becomes a delivery system for the message,
rather than a delivery system for a good story (and of course,
that may be the point, I suppose), I begin to lose interest.
Will I read the next (and remaining, no matter how many there are)
novella in the series? Of course I will. I've said before that
I'm a completist, and I am certainly interested in where McGuire
is going with this, if anywhere. And, honestly, reading a novella
that I may or may not enjoy will not take as much time as reading
a full length novel that I may or may not enjoy. So, no matter
how long it goes, I'll follow it to the end. [-jak]
===================================================================
TOPIC: SOONISH: TEN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THAT'LL IMPROVE AND/OR
RUIN EVERYTHING and A CITY ON MARS by Dr. Kelly Weinersmith and
Zack Weinersmith (book reviews by Paul S. R. Chisholm)
Dr. Kelly Weinersmith (born Smith; biologist, science enthusiast)
and Zack Weinersmith (born Weiner; cartoonist, science enthusiast)
have written two excellent books.
SOONISH: TEN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THAT'LL IMPROVE AND/OR RUIN
EVERYTHING (2017) made predictions about eleven advances in the
next few years or decades. The first one, cheaper access to
space, was already underway as the book was finished. Some of the
less-soon include bioprinting and brain-computer interfaces. The
Weinersmiths have done their research, and supply many details
about what things might happen in the near-ish future and what
things are pretty far off.
All in all, the authors are carefully optimistic about what
mankind can accomplish. I wouldn't call them techno-pessimists or
even (a surprisingly loaded term) techo-realists.
Techno-hopeful-but-patient?
A CITY ON MARS: CAN WE SETTLE SPACE, SHOULD WE SETTLE SPACE, AND
HAVE WE REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH? (2023) continues their
thorough consideration about what the future might bring.
The writers describe how even a devastated Earth would be more
hospitable than orbital habitats, the Moon, or Mars. The first is
extremely vulnerable to unhealthy amounts of radiation; the second
and third are covered in dangerous material (highly abrasive
silica dust on the Moon, perchlorates in Martian soil). Legal
issues are very unclear. (Chapter 12 is titled "The Outer Space
Treaty: Great for Regulating Space Sixty Years Ago.")
Low gravity is a constant concern throughout the book. Our
experience with microgravity raises concerns. Could Martian
settlers have grandkids? Consider potential mothers born and
raised in low gravity; would they develop strong enough bones and
muscles to safely give birth? There is literally no data.
They don't call for giving up on space. We should expand the list
of things humans can do well in space, and do those things. (That
list gets shorter as robots become more capable.) We should
investigate the long-term effects of living in low gravity. We
should still learn how humans in space could live with cosmic ray
exposure. We should still visit Mars.
The Weinersmiths aren't pessimistic about long-term habitation in
space. They only worry about doing so in the near future, a
couple decades or less. They argue it would take several decades
or longer to truly understand the risks and the opportunities.
Until then, Mars really ain't the kind of place to raise your
kids, and "cold as hell" doesn't begin to cover it.
To quote from a negative review on Amazon: "the book is well
written, it’s humorous, and they’re probably right about
everything.... This book, while undoubtedly correct, is just sad
and depressing."
Yeah. Much as I'd like to, I can't argue with the Weinersmiths'
conclusion.
I'd be happy to debate this with others who've read one or both of
these books. [-psrc]
===================================================================
TOPIC: A CITY ON MARS: CAN WE SETTLE SPACE, SHOULD WE SETTLE
SPACE, AND HAVE WE REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH? by Dr. Kelly
Weinersmith and Zack Weinersmith (book review by Dale Skran)
The ever-growing list of books aiming to slow a purported "rush to
settle space" has gained a reluctant newcomer. I say reluctant
because the first text in the book is:
"To the space-settlement community. You welcomed us and you
shared your wisdom. Also, your data. We worry that many of you
will be disappointed by some of our conclusions, but where we have
diverged from your views, we haven't diverged from your vision of
a glorious human future."
The book in question is A CITY ON MARS: CAN WE SETTLE SPACE,
SHOULD WE SETTLE SPACE, AND HAVE WE REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH?
by Zack and Kelly Weinersmith, who previously published the
well-received book SOONISH.
As part of the community that welcomed the Weinersmiths--Kelly
attended the National Space Society (NSS) Space Settlement
Workshop in November 2021, and Rod Pyle, the Editor-in-Chief of
the NSS flagship magazine AD ASTRA, is listed as having made a
significant contribution to the book--I'm indeed a bit
disappointed. But my greater disappointment is that the NSS is
apparently not making the case for space settlement as well as it
should. A CITY ON MARS points out a few holes in our arguments
that we have left open, and it falls on us to close them. The
Weinersmiths have done us a favor by pointing them out.
A full response to the points raised by the authors would require
a book, or perhaps many books, so the scope of this review must be
limited. This isn't the best book to give someone to inspire them
to build a human future in space. The overall tone is downbeat
and the logic often less than airtight. My particular annoyance
is the insistence of many authors, including the Weinersmiths, on
spilling vast amounts of ink over how bad zero gravity is. Let's
admit it now--zero gravity is terrible for human bodies, and no
serious advocate of space settlement suggests zero-gravity space
settlements.
Although the Weinersmiths present a reasonably good history of the
Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Agreement, they appear to lack a
solid understanding of why the latter is the ultimate poison pill
for space development and settlement. Having a U.N. agency manage
space only makes sense if your goal is to prevent space
development and settlement from occurring. Something like the
Moon Agreement won't result in a slowing of space development--it
will result in the end of space development beyond Earth orbit.
Another misstep lies in an over-focus on Mars as a settlement
destination combined with a dismissal of free-space settlements
that appears to be based on the authors' inability to understand
how large objects might be constructed in space. Some NSS leaders
have been focused on this topic for years, but the organization
has not made a truly convincing argument to the public at large.
Let's hope the advent of A CITY ON MARS will inspire engineers to
rise to the challenge of demonstrating construction techniques for
large, mile-sized space structures. I note in passing that
although the section Part II--Spome is weak overall, the
discussion about the Moon as a location for settlement does an
excellent job of explaining why, although not the top destination
for settlement, there's a strong case that the path to our space
future may be situated there.
It was with disappointment that I discovered that behind the
Weinersmith's anti-space solar power arguments was none other than
Casey Handmer, who has been tilting against space solar power for
at least the last decade. I have written a point-by-point
refutation of Casey's arguments on the NSS blog, but our failure
to convince the Weinersmiths suggests just how far the NSS has to
go to persuade mainstream scientists that it's feasible.
Widespread skepticism about space solar power has resulted in
essentially zero investment in a scientifically proven technology.
Meanwhile, untold billions are funneled into fusion research with
only incremental progress demonstrated to date.
On the other hand, A CITY ON MARS is well worth reading for space
advocates. There's some excellent research here, and I learned a
good bit. It should come as no surprise that the best chapters
are the ones with a biology focus, given Kelly Weinersmith's
professional background as an expert on parasitic worms. Part
III--Pocket Edens is also notable, and Section V--The Paths
Forward has considerable food for thought on various attempts to
get around the Outer Space Treaty and the possible pitfalls space
settlements might face in becoming sovereign.
The authors' greatest fear appears to be that the Artemis Accords
will lead first to a gold rush on the Moon, and then to actual
great-power conflict in space. They seem astonished at the
popularity of the accords, and no doubt are even more concerned
today as the Accords have continued to gain signatures, including
from all the major European space powers, much of Latin America,
and India. The Artemis Accords are a ray of hope in the bleak
"space law" landscape, which as envisioned by the creators of the
Moon Agreement will ensure we never leave Earth. This may be the
greatest challenge to the NSS--to continue to support the Artemis
Accords while making the case that safety zones won't lead to
land-grabs or warfare. The NSS has started the work of creating a
framework for investor-friendly "benefits-sharing" based on
resource reservation, and the Weinersmiths's critical analysis of
this approach will be helpful in guiding our future work. So,
let's get to it. The space settlement future is waiting, but it
will only happen by dint of our hard work today.
You can find my 90-page response to A CITY ON MARS at
<
https://nss.org/wp-content/uploads/NSS-JOURNAL-Critique-of-A-City-on-Mars.pdf>. [-dls]
===================================================================
TOPIC: The One Ring (letters of comment by Robert Mitchell and
Steve Coltrin)
In response to Evelyn's comments on The One Ring in the 06/13/25
issue of the MT VOID, Rob Mitchell writes:
I'm not a Tolkien scholar, but I've read a fair amount of his
works including his Letters. The answer to "how does the Ring
work" is basically, yes, it corrupts, but it works much more
readily on characters with weak moral compasses and a lust for
power. Smeagol was corrupted almost immediately because of his
avarice (Deagol had already given him a birthday present, so when
TOR was found, it was greed that made Smeagol demand it). Boromir
resisted TOR for some time, perhaps aided by the grounding
presence of Gandalf, but once the Fellowship was in crisis,
Boromir's loyalty to Gondor overrode his initial pledge. It
wasn't for personal gain or power (at least that's what he told
himself), but rather a desire to bring a powerful weapon to his
beleaguered home. As for Sam, first, he didn't have it long.
Second, his is the purest spirit in the whole story, which is also
why he could so readily give TOR back to Frodo. One could ask,
then why not let Sam be the Ringbearer? I think Tolkien wanted
Frodo to represent the common person--basically decent and
empathetic, but unable to resist TOR in the end. I doubt even Sam
would have the fortitude to resists TOR's influence at Mt.
Doom--it certainly didn't want to allow itself to be destroyed!
What I'd like to know is why didn't TOR affect Tom Bombadil? Lots
of theories about that one! [-rlm]
Evelyn responds:
I think choosing Frodo rather than Sam as the Ringbearer is
basically classism on Tolkien's part. Sam is subservient to
Frodo throughout THE LORD OF THE RINGS; he only pushes back on
Frodo's orders when Frodo tries to deny Sam his subservience
(e.g., tries to go off without him). [-ecl]
And Steve Coltrin writes:
[Evelyn wrote,] "First we have Deagol who finds TOR. Almost
immediately, Smeagol murders him for the Ring. So both of them
seem to have been corrupted by merely being in the presence of
TOR." [-ecl]
How do you see D\'eagol as having been corrupted, esp. given that
he had the Ring for about ten seconds? Sure he wanted to keep the
Ring, but that's not unreasonable given that he found it. I read
the passage as the Ring deciding that Sm\'eagol would make a more
suitable host (and, as it turns out, probably having been wrong).
[-spc]
Evelyn replies:
You're probably right. I just seemed to remember that Deagol put
up more of a fight to keep TOR. [-ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: Leg Men (letter of comment by Hal Heydt)
In response to Joe Karpierz's review of THE TAINTED CUP in the
06/13/25 issue of the MT VOID, Hal Heydt writes:
[Joe Karpierz wrote,] "Dinios Kol (Din for short) is a new
apprentice investigator assigned to Investigator Anagosa Dolabra
(Ana, as you might guess)." [-jak]
What immediately comes to mind from that description of the pair
is Nero Wolfe and Archy Goodwin, Wolfe's "leg man". Or if you
prefer an SF reworking of that pair, Randall Garrett's Marquise de
London and Lord Bontriomphe. [-hh]
===================================================================
TOPIC: This Week's Reading (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
I'm not sure if I ever read JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH by
Jules Verne (many publishers), but I am currently listening to an
audiobook of it (done on The Drama Pod podcast). At one point the
narrator(*) says they had been in the tunnels forty-seven days
before they got to the Central Sea. Given that the rule-of-thumb
is two to two-and-a-half pounds of food per person per day when
hiking, each would have to be carrying 100 pounds of food, plus
all their ropes, lamps, and other gear. And that's assuming that
they weren't carrying enough for what was supposedly a trip of
about 4000 miles. Estimates vary, but assuming a middle number of
20 miles a day, that would be 200 days each way, or 400 days
total, so 800 pounds of food each.
I don't think so.
(*) This audiobook is an example of accent-blind casting. The
narrator is supposedly the nephew of someone with a thick, almost
ludicrous, German accent, yet the nephew's accent is pretty
clearly African-American. [-ecl]
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Evelyn C. Leeper
evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com I am the most spontaneous speaker in the world
because every word, every gesture, and every retort
has been carefully rehearsed.
--George Bernard Shaw
MT VOID, 06/20/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 51, Whole Number 2385
Re: MT VOID, 06/20/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 51, Whole Number 2385