Catherine Nemeth
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
If the Bastard’s Hell isn’t a place, but the process of a soul being stripped of all personal information and being boiled down into pure chaos, and demons are said to have escaped from the Bastard’s Hell, does that mean that demons come from the souls taken in the death miracle that find a host before dissolving into nothingness? If that’s the case, perhaps Quadrenes have some justification against the Bastard?
Lois McMaster Bujold
No.
The demons are a controlled leakage from the Bastard's hell, or hand, to balance the life in the world between the cold death of ice (stasis) and the hot death of fire (chaos.) Too much of either is bad.
The underpinnings of this theology _really_ are not based upon that of our Earth historical religions, and trying to draw 1:1 parallels between them will frequently go awry. (Though given the wild variety of human-devised religions through history, I am willing to be better advised.)
All information being lost, the source of one blob of chaos is not distinguishable from any other blob of chaos -- soul-plasma as it were, or quark soup. Entirely interchangeable.
Ta, L.
No.
The demons are a controlled leakage from the Bastard's hell, or hand, to balance the life in the world between the cold death of ice (stasis) and the hot death of fire (chaos.) Too much of either is bad.
The underpinnings of this theology _really_ are not based upon that of our Earth historical religions, and trying to draw 1:1 parallels between them will frequently go awry. (Though given the wild variety of human-devised religions through history, I am willing to be better advised.)
All information being lost, the source of one blob of chaos is not distinguishable from any other blob of chaos -- soul-plasma as it were, or quark soup. Entirely interchangeable.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Mitali
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I just reread The Curse of Chalion (for the 4th time!). I noticed that in Curse, the temples are said to be four-lobed, with the Bastard's altar housed in a separate tower, whereas in the Pen & Des books, the temples are five sided. Is this a difference because of the different time periods of these books? Or is it an Ibran-only fashion? Possibly because of the Roknari (Quadrene) influence on the Ibran peninsula?
Margaret Coleman
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Lois, given that you are done with the saga of Miles, Cordelia, and all the other wonderful characters whose lives (we imagine) continue, would you ever consider passing the baton (or the pen/keyboard) to another writer? Giving the characters and their offspring the opportunity to continue and those of us who enjoy them the opportunity to witness what they become?
Aubria L.
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I just want to say I am new to your whole body of work and I am thoroughly fascinated with the Miles Vorkosigan series! I just started reading the first book in the series after I followed the recommendation of another author I enjoy! I am already on bk 5 after mere weeks! Just marvelous! Thank you so much for sharing your creative and ingenious mind with the world! Which of your series do you suggest I read next?
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