Comments on: The Rift http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2002/09/14/the-rift/ Cheating on the Kobayashi Maru since 2001 Tue, 12 May 2026 07:39:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Jemima http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2002/09/14/the-rift/#comment-109 Tue, 17 Sep 2002 01:06:37 +0000 http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2002/09/14/the-rift/#comment-109 WJW does some nasty things to cities along the Mississippi, as if flood and earthquake weren't enough. I'll leave you to discover the fate of Memphis on your own. I'm not sure about that particular lake, but the book has oodles of information about the geology of the area. It'll make you want to move to a place built on bedrock... As for the racial issues, they're only a part of the story. The preacher is all for salvation for everyone, black or white, willing or unwilling. The later Klan sections are not the most successful part of the story, IMHO, but they're neither preachy nor unbelievable. It seems quite beyond WJW to do <i>anything</i> badly. WJW does some nasty things to cities along the Mississippi, as if flood and earthquake weren’t enough. I’ll leave you to discover the fate of Memphis on your own. I’m not sure about that particular lake, but the book has oodles of information about the geology of the area. It’ll make you want to move to a place built on bedrock…

As for the racial issues, they’re only a part of the story. The preacher is all for salvation for everyone, black or white, willing or unwilling. The later Klan sections are not the most successful part of the story, IMHO, but they’re neither preachy nor unbelievable. It seems quite beyond WJW to do anything badly.

]]> by: mike http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2002/09/14/the-rift/#comment-108 Sun, 15 Sep 2002 18:42:35 +0000 http://www.ficml.org/jemimap/wordpress/2002/09/14/the-rift/#comment-108 Thanks for mentioning this. I'll have to look for it. I'm a resident of Memphis and so this has some resonance for me, though all the race-obsessed characters seem daunting and off-putting. Does the book mention the formation of Reelfoot Lake in the 1811/12 earthquake? It was a valley that got connected to the Mississippi by the quake and began to fill up! Stories from witnesses say that the Mississippi *flowed backwards* for days. Pretty awesome stuff. BTW, Memphis is built on sand, swamp and mud. When the Big One hits, I expect it to slop over and fall down. Heck, our main power plant is built right next to the Mississippi! ;-) Take care. Thanks for mentioning this. I’ll have to look for it. I’m a resident of Memphis and so this has some resonance for me, though all the race-obsessed characters seem daunting and off-putting.

Does the book mention the formation of Reelfoot Lake in the 1811/12 earthquake? It was a valley that got connected to the Mississippi by the quake and began to fill up! Stories from witnesses say that the Mississippi *flowed backwards* for days. Pretty awesome stuff.

BTW, Memphis is built on sand, swamp and mud. When the Big One hits, I expect it to slop over and fall down. Heck, our main power plant is built right next to the Mississippi! ;-)

Take care.

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