PaxAee
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Regarding spirits in the World of the Five Gods: Are spirits more common in areas where the majority of the population follow the Quadrene faith, since they are more likely to reject the Bastard? Or do the other 4 gods "pick up the slack" so to speak?
Lois McMaster Bujold
If by spirits you mean sundered souls, perhaps a little to both. The gods in general prefer to take up all the feasible souls they can, sort of the opposite of the old Calvinist "theory of the Elect", where only a tiny fraction of the absurdly virtuous (by Calvinist standards) go to heaven, all others rejected.
As we have seen, the Quadrene divines find ways to stack the deck against reporting souls gone to the fifth god, er, demon-god, but that's hardly the same thing.
As we've also seen, souls of the dead come with a best-by date, after which their deterioration renders them unable to meaningfully assent. But it does build in a short buyer's-remorse period where one might get over one's first embarrassed rejection of a god or gods. Or not, as may be.
Ta, L.
If by spirits you mean sundered souls, perhaps a little to both. The gods in general prefer to take up all the feasible souls they can, sort of the opposite of the old Calvinist "theory of the Elect", where only a tiny fraction of the absurdly virtuous (by Calvinist standards) go to heaven, all others rejected.
As we have seen, the Quadrene divines find ways to stack the deck against reporting souls gone to the fifth god, er, demon-god, but that's hardly the same thing.
As we've also seen, souls of the dead come with a best-by date, after which their deterioration renders them unable to meaningfully assent. But it does build in a short buyer's-remorse period where one might get over one's first embarrassed rejection of a god or gods. Or not, as may be.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Natalia Panina
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hello, Lois! First of all I want to thank you very much for the Vorkosigan Saga. I read it first more than 20 years ago, in Russian. I just swallowed it overnight and hunted down all published books written by you. Right now I am reading Miles's story for the fourth time and can't sleep if not finish it overnight ))) My question: do you ever feel scared or stumbled when starting a new story? How do you manage?
Josh
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
For people starting to follow your work in the 80s, would they have been able to read Aftermaths in the Far Frontiers publication before Shards of Honor was officially published? I'm about to dive into your work and am entertaining the idea of starting with Aftermaths, but only if the above is true.
Ari
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hi Lois, We just had a bottle of this before noticing the name. Have you seen it before: https://goo.gl/images/ZwG5Yq ? From their website it looks like their and your choice of names are of a similar vintage, too. (Apologies if you've been asked this too many times before -- I can't find a way to search the questions.)
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