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Funny / Awake in the Night Land

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For a book set in a very bleak setting, it still manages to have some funny moments.


  • Some of the horrors of the Night Land have rather odd names, like "The Country Whence Comes The Great Laughter" or "The Slowly Turning Wheel".
  • The Mostruwacans, who are the scholars devoted to studying the things of the Night Land, argue over whether there is one hooded figure or two watching the entrance of the House of Silence. From the angle of the observatory it is possible to see only one, but one of the scholars of ages past had once the impression of seeing the figure nodding, which made him postulate that there is a second figure. This is a very heated discussion and the factions even have names: Monoianitorianists for those who think that there is only one hooded figure and Bianitorianists for those who think that there are two.
    • Later on in the book, a character, who was close to the House of Silence, is set to be executed. Before the execution a Mostruwacan comes and asks which of the two theories is correct. It turns out that Bianitorianism was correct.
  • In "Cry of the Night Hound", Polynices tells to his sister Antigone about his plan to domesticate some Night-Hounds. Then they are interrupted by a laughter echoing from The Country Whence Comes The Great Laughter. She notes this as better than any answer she could give.
  • Antigone spent a month in complete darkness inside a cave. How does she know the time if it was pitch black and she had no clock? "You are too young to ask that question, child. When you are old enough to wed, your wife will explain it."
  • "The Last of All Suns" has the ever cheerful Huc-Huc Pounce, until he is eaten by dire-worms, who is only mentioned a couple of times, but can make you wish to actually see him.
  • In "The Last of All Suns" there is a scene in which the other characters attempt to explain to a caveman the workings of a black hole.
  • In "The Last of All Suns", the protagonist's companions explain how they know their ship is moving at near light-speed, through analysing the apparent rapidity of dissipation of galaxies seen through the viewport. The protagonist still cannot comprehend their technical explanations. The one who understands it and manages to explain it to him via a simple analogy? The Neanderthal caveman.

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