Castle Dreams

19

Again with the Greek stuff, this time by way of Joyce, which makes the allusion not only charming but adds layers of meaning as well.

20

Very clever notion. This novel is rife with clever notions. At times it borders on being too clever by half. But at least it is not a dull book. There is quite a good deal of dull stuff being published these days in the fantasy genre. Droves of dragons, Celtic swordswomen, elves, magic blades, and the rest, all with titles like Sword- wanker. Witchflinger, Dragonsdong. Dragonwhacker, Spellmacher, and worse. Honestly, it’s enough to make you puke into your flagon of mead.

21

A Latin phrase for a farmer who raises pigs and overfeeds them.

22

The author has obviously skimmed a few books on nautical lore and just as obviously does not know what any of these terms mean.

23

From a poem by Geraldo Rivera. The quotation preceding is from a poem by Burt Reynolds.

24

Yet another snippet of verse by a TV personality, this one from Oprah Winfrey.

25

Your guess is as good as mine.

26

This is a self-referential textual allusion, a device much favored by “postmodernist” writers. This is by far the cleverest touch in the book; but it is by no means original.

27

If Ed McMahon has written any poetry, it is to date unpublished, although rumors abound that there exists a holograph manuscript of something called The “Heerrrrre’s Johnny!” Cantos. By the way, this is the last footnote. I’d like to extend a thank-you to the footnote staff for a job well done. Nice work, people.

28

Sorry, one more thing. The publisher has requested clarification of this in-joke. The comment about the block of worthless Lucite is a clear dig at the annual Nebula Awards, given by the SFWA (the Science Fiction Writers of America) for the best published science fiction of the year. The artifact itself is a transparent rectangular block in which has been suspended traces of an unspecified glittery material in a vague pinwheel configuration, thus suggesting the astronomical. That the author has never won a Nebula should not be taken as an indication that this sardonic aside results from any bitterness on his part; nor should it be taken as a comment on the frauds and scribblers who have inexplicably captured this award in years past.

29

Of course the second Mahler symphony bears the traditional subtitle “Music for Dead People.” Sorry. This will be the last footnote. Promise.

30

Tierra del Fuego is not a nation. It is a group of islands owned partly by Argentina and Chile. The struggle for Tierra del Fuegan independence, however, goes on.