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ToxicFrog posted:I was really hoping the spiders would win, but also didn't see a way for them to do so that didn't contradict the overall theme of the book, so I was very pleasantly surprised at the end. Just finished Children of Time and have not read this thread at all, so going way back for this quote reply. The spiders did win. They had humanity on its knees and could have killed them all. I’m still mulling over the ending, but it’s arguable the spiders enslaved humans just as they enslaved ants. The last few pages did a bit to soften that and true mutual acceptance is consistent with the theme. But it’s not necessarily as pat as the author (I think?) wants it to be. How is the sequel? I’ve seen mixed reviews. Look Sir Droids fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Nov 28, 2019 |
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Nov 28, 2019 20:36
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Doctor Jeep posted:IIRC it's specifically said that the spiders implanted into humans the same virus/whatever that the humans implanted into them, which gave them a concept of "this being is like me maybe I won't kill it", while they domesticated (enslaved?) the ants not through messing with their dna but through figuring out how their pheromones worked and manipulating their perception that way You are correct and I get that, but when it was being explained what the spiders released in the ships air system, and how Kern advised them to kill humans, it was said what the spiders really wanted was to “control” humans like they had learned to do with ants. Domestication is a fair characterization, but my interpretation from the book is that the ants were also an uplifted species. Uplifted by the nanovirus. Either way, then it’s arguable spiders domesticated the humans. Point being, humans did not come to accept spiders of their own free will. It can be interpreted as heart warming or sinister what the spiders did. Obviously heart warming is the author’s intent. Look Sir Droids fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Nov 28, 2019 |
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Nov 28, 2019 21:17
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team overhead smash posted:Imagine that you could release a magic virus that destroyed racism and caused people to judge each other on the content of their character, not the colour of their skin. Would that be sinister and count as people not accepting each other of their own free will? That’s exactly what I find interesting about the ending. It’s a good philosophical question that I’m not sure was intended since it gets handwaved as having no downsides.
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Nov 28, 2019 23:32
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