Sleep No More, The Innocent Sleep, and the Death of Personality
Books That Burn
English - January 22, 2024 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.7 MB - ★★★★ - 10 ratingsBooks Arts Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
*This essay contains moderate spoilers for the first sixteen October Daye books, major spoilers for SLEEP NO MORE and THE INNOCENT SLEEP, and minor spoilers for Babylon 5 (S3 E4 "Passing Through Gethsemane").
INTRO (00:36)
When reading SLEEP NO MORE and THE INNOCENT SLEEP by Seanan McGuire (the newest October Daye books), I was struck by similarities in the ethical framework of these two books and certain aspects of the 1990's sci-fi show Babylon 5, particularly the way that changes in personality or memories are treated with relation to assumptions of personhood. I am certain that Seanan McGuire is also very familiar with Babylon 5 because one of her telepathic characters in the Incryptid series uses specific aspects of Babylon 5 as a framework for ethical telepathy.
THE DEATH OF PERSONALITY IN BABYLON 5 (01:12)
UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS (04:46)
MAJOR CHARACTERS (06:45)
Toby - Nickname for Sir October Daye, titular character of the series, changeling (fae mother, human father)
October - Toby’s current personality in SLEEP NO MORE and THE INNOCENT SLEEP, remembers a different history from Toby of the first sixteen books
Tybalt - Cait Sidhe (cat fae), Toby’s husband (October doesn’t remember him)
Amandine - October’s mother
Simon Torquill - Daoine Sidhe, Amandine’s husband, October’s father (not by blood)
Titania - One of the queens of Faerie, cast the illusion which created October from Toby and distorted many people’s memories
Quentin - Daoine Sidhe, Toby’s squire in the previous books, currently squire to someone else
August - October’s sister, daughter of Amandine and Simon
Stacy - Toby’s friend from childhood, recently removed by Titania
PLOT HIGHLIGHTS (07:47)
TOBY VS. OCTOBER (09:57)
WHY TITANIA DOESN'T THINK THIS IS HARM (11:17)
WHY OCTOBER WANTS TO REMAIN (13:06)
THE RIDE AND TITANIA’S ALTERATIONS (14:04)
TITANIA'S TRAP ON THE RIDE (16:19)
ETHICAL PARADOXES - PERHAPS UNSOLVABLE (17:42)
THE RESOLUTION (22:00)
A MASSACRE OF MINDS (25:00)