Okay, the novel is too surreal for quick summary, but there’s a major problem in there that I can’t figure out. Dr. X has “adopted” a quarter-million unwanted Chinese female babies and educated them using the Primer. Nell, meantime, has been reading Primer stories about the adventures of “Princess Nell”, including how she learns computer programming and whatnot. Along the way, Princess Nell meets up with the Mouse Army, who then swear to serve her, making her a Queen.
In the book’s “real” world, the quarter-million girls suddenly show up and rescue Nell from the Fists of Righteous Harmony, and swear allegience to her, calming themselves the, wait for it, Mouse Army.
Why would they do that?
I thought Dr. X had fallen in with the Fists and become one of their senior administrators. Had he lost or given up control of the quarter-million girls to the point that they were willing to massacre Fist combatants and swear allegiance to non-Chinese leader (Nell)?
My take: Dr. X was a double, or possibly triple, crossing sleazeball. Dr. X was on Dr. X’s side only. Everyone else was just a tool he used for his own power trip. It is made fairly clear early on that he was not really sympathetic to his partners.
I was under the impression that Dr. X was using the book as a cheap out to properly educate the youngsters. He may not have known what the book was exactly telling these kids, namely that there were going to be part of the mouse army.
That said, the girls fought the Boxers (who are not exactly controlled) to get Nell out of the danger. It wasn’t like they went on to to utterly defeat the Boxers.
Can’t help much with the OP but just wanted to chime in that it was a great book - and this isn’t my genre. I was just sort of too blissed out & dazed by the end to care that it was confusing…
Well, he didn’t know they would turn out to be an army did he? I thought that was a by product to whatever changes the engineer guy (sorry I’m terrible with names) made to that version of the primer.
Wasn’t Dr. X really after the seed?
That’s what I was thinking from about page 25. In particular years seem to zip by, the engineer guy just disappears with the drummers for ten years, Nell will practice with Dinosaur (or the mouse - Dojo?) for years at a stretch. I’m not complaining it just confused the heck out of me. I read the book over three days and I swear it gave my brain the bends when I finished it.
I gave up on this book first time because the character we start with (gawd I’ve forgotten his name too!) the one getting the head-gun upgrade was so unsympathetic. Some dopers persuaded me to try again
BTW y’all read the Artificial Kid? It’s got some similar themes.
And anyone else here who would really like to be a Vic?
