Let's see if we can make this a little easier...

You mean the 19th, right??

So sorry to hear that!! :( I hope you find something else soon.

Sorry to hear dude. Hope you find a new job soon.

Sorry to hear that. I hope you find something soon.

FUCKING WITCHES!!

Or Kayla Meyers is messin' with us.

Yes, sorry. I meant the 19th. Today. Where is the talkage? ("29" was the page to read through - my badness)

Thank you Rain Man! ;-)

Sooooo..... where do we start? :)

I don't know. Anyone have any thoughts on this first bit of reading?

Well i'm re-listening to the assigned reading, after having read it a few nights ago, and i must admit that Prologue-Death from Below is my one of my favorite chapters/episodes that Scott has ever come out with.

OmG I have the earth core book. I'm gonna read along! Did I read there's a kindle version? Late to the party as usual ... stupid job. No AC means no sleep in the Chicagoland area this spring/summer. Happy almost hump day! Miss you all! x

1) I think Sonny is like the hermits you read about in any epic fantasy series, he hates civilization and the people in it, but he's still curious. So as a result he is a modern day-olden way prospector.(if that makes any sense) 2) I think that Dennis wouldn't have given it to him if he hadn't asked. So more so I think that Dennis believes that Sonny could actually do something profitable but at the same time sense the evil/badness and be done with it soon enough to escape with his life. 3) This one seems obvious to me, if the land holds a sense of foreboding and it can be sensed then it would make for a suspenseful environment (not meaning just the land but the events leading to and involving its presence). As for Sonny I believe that's just part of the paranoia that develops with hermit-esk individuals. 4) In reference to the Greed involved I believe that it is completely plausible that all this and more could occur, especially if it was possibly the wealthiest vein on the planet. 5) *raises hand*

1. The beautiful thing about curiosity is that it is unique to individuals. You may be curious about how something works, but not give a shit who put it together. While connecting with people may help you solve your curiosity, it may not be the way you choose to satiate your craving for knowledge. Some curious people may believe that relying on anyone else to satisfy what you are curious about is cheating (like looking up cheat codes on video games) and may never feel satisfied with someone's help. Which  may in turn cause them to shy away from people.

2. I love your analogy. "This is nasty. Try this" HAHA. I believe that validation of what he was feeling would drive Dennis to share the information. I know if I felt something like that, I would want someone to verify that I wasn't losing it.

3. I believe that people like to cling to superstitions to help them believe that they are protected against the bad and pushed towards the good. For instance, many athletes are superstitious. If a Wide Receiver wears his "lucky socks" and catches 10 passes for 200 yards and 2 TDs, those socks are going on the next game too. Clearly the socks had zero to do with his success, but belief is part of confidence, and confidence is key to success at anything. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you have a lucky charm on you when you go somewhere dangerous and you make it out alive, you can bet that charm is going back there with you should yo have to go back.

4. Money makes the world go around. How many politicians, CEOs, etc... get caught red handed doing something terrible? You honestly think that nobody else knew about their indiscretions? They are profitable for business, so those in the know keep it quiet. The Jerry Sandusky case is a perfect example. Allegedly the knowledge of what was going on was passed up the ladder to the top of Penn State University, but the fiscal damage that would have been done if that got out caused the horrible, horrible indiscretions to be swept under the carpet.

5. HAND RAISED, Horshack style "OOH OOH MISTAH KOTTAH!!!" Aging myself with the Welcome Back Kotter reference but some will get it, and the rest can google "Horshack" Getting feelings like that when reading is the sign of tremendous writing. And tremendous writing is why we are all here on Scott's website, discussing amazing works with complete strangers.

Keep it coming. I love this!

JB

 

JB - I like your perspective on both the point of curiosity and on Dennis the Deadhead sharing the information on The Silver Spring. I think your assertion of Dennis wanting to verify he wasn't losing it is a succint way of putting it.

Oh my goodness! I remember Welcome Back Kotter. Only just, but still it's familiar. Showing our age indeed :)

BigJohn - you bring up an outstanding point. Sonny's backstory would be incredibly interesting to know but I think you're right about it never seeing the light of day. 

Oh and one other note for anyone interested in jumping in the conversation:

Chapters 5 – 9

Here are your discussion topics for this week’s reading. Remember it’s not necessary to respond to all of them… if you want to just answer one that’s fine. It’s all about the discussion. Also any other discussion topics are welcome!

1) Angus Kool is introduced as being a genius with an attitude. Kool had earned his third Ph.D. at age 20 and was named EarthCore’s top scientist and head of research division within a year of working at the company. Mainly his attitude seems to be driven by his sense of superiority based on his intellectual achievements. He does not respect common people, stating that they weren’t smart enough to see the big picture. He does not respect his boss or his company owner. Is this justified or is he just a flaming asshole?

2) Sonny finds old newspaper articles about Jebidiah Jessup mining in the region of the Silver Spring. In the novel Nocturnal, we run across the characters of Jebidiah Ericksonm, Alder Jessup and Adam Jessup. Discuss the possible connection, if any.

3) Greed vs. Curiousity: Continuing on this theme, several characters recognize that the Silver Spring site is unusual. Sonny knows there is something not quite right with The Silver Spring find based on past reports of miners/explorers being murdered or going insane. Angus is quoted as saying, “The whole damn thing strikes me as strange. We’ve got a potential platinum deposit with no standard indicators that one should exist, and we’ve got what appears to be a world-record cave system.” The caves lead down to the main deposit chamber which is just under three miles below the surface, yet the current world’s record is just over two miles. Is it greed or curiosity that is driving Sonny, Angus Kool and Kirland to mine this site despite all the “unusualness”?

4) Kayla Meyers: We learn loads of information about Kayla Meyers in these chapters, particularly her preferred torture methods, her training specifications from the NSA, and her reason for dismal from the NSA. Knowing this information (and the fact that the majority of us here are not qualified to diagnose her) what do you think she is suffering from? Revenge? A mental disorder? A predilection for pain?

5) We learn that an identical knife like that found at The Silver Spring in Wah Wah, Utah was found in the Andes and outlined in an article in National Geographic entitled Cerro Chaltel: forgotten underground metropolis. Discuss conspiracy theories.

Remember: This week we are reading chapters 10 through 13.