[Gust Hubb]

So, I noticed (or believe I noticed) that Emancipor's family never makes a physical appearance throughout the first three novellas. Manci's wife does call out to Emancipor and seems to talk to and bed various people in the town, but we never see her other than Manci's imaginings.

Does anyone else suspect that the Luckless's family is actually dead? The kids are said to have worms (reference to Jhorliggs?) and we never see them or hear them. I would hazard that Manci is sending money back to an empty home....

[D'rek]

I think if they had symptoms of becoming Jhorliggs, people would've been a lot more panicked about the kids! I suppose anything is possible, but I would expect Mancy to have some sort of communication with his family to ensure that the money he sends is actually reaching them, too.

[Gust Hubb]

D, on 19 May 2011 - 11:30 PM, said:

I think if they had symptoms of becoming Jhorliggs, people would've been a lot more panicked about the kids! I suppose anything is possible, but I would expect Mancy to have some sort of communication with his family to ensure that the money he sends is actually reaching them, too.

But don't you think it's odd that we never see Manci's family?

[D'rek]

Gust Hubb, on 19 May 2011 - 11:37 PM, said:

D, on 19 May 2011 - 11:30 PM, said:

I think if they had symptoms of becoming Jhorliggs, people would've been a lot more panicked about the kids! I suppose anything is possible, but I would expect Mancy to have some sort of communication with his family to ensure that the money he sends is actually reaching them, too.

But don't you think it's odd that we never see Manci's family?

Their lack of identity is how Mancy himself pictures them, but that doesn't stop them from existing.

[Gust Hubb]

D, on 20 May 2011 - 12:49 AM, said:

Gust Hubb, on 19 May 2011 - 11:37 PM, said:

D, on 19 May 2011 - 11:30 PM, said:

I think if they had symptoms of becoming Jhorliggs, people would've been a lot more panicked about the kids! I suppose anything is possible, but I would expect Mancy to have some sort of communication with his family to ensure that the money he sends is actually reaching them, too.

But don't you think it's odd that we never see Manci's family?

Their lack of identity is how Mancy himself pictures them, but that doesn't stop them from existing.

Agreed. I guess my main line of thinking revolves around the next novella

Spoiler

with Bena Younger and her already dead mother. I imagine Mancy (sorry, been spelling it wrong as you know) doing the same thing as Bena Younger. I mean, there are themes running through these novellas that seem to keep popping back up (Jaghut and half-bloods, the power of blood as used by Korbal, etc), and I would like to know more about Mancy's family.

[Tatterdemalion]

I, for one, Gust Hubb, agree with you totally. Even back as far as Blood Follows alone I had a feeling they were dead and he was kind of nuts. Goes with his bad luck. And it seemed to take pains to avoid actually meeting his wife. Plus the kids with worms, etc. The Jhorligg potential connection and events

Spoiler

with Bena Younger also follow thematically.

It also makes for a great irony to his character - all his suffering and adventures are for nothing. I'll throw my hat into that ring for sure.

This post has been edited by Tatterdemalion: 20 May 2011 - 04:17 AM

[Urizen]

I'd say his family is alive and exist given the heavy implication that one of Mancy's dockhand friends is having an affair with his wife and might even be the father of the youngest kid

[Tatterdemalion]

Yeah, that's a good point. I recall that now.
Could be they are both just playing him for jokes, though too. But unlikely.

[Steel General]

Urizen, on 20 May 2011 - 09:55 AM, said:

I'd say his family is alive and exist given the heavy implication that one of Mancy's dockhand friends is having an affair with his wife and might even be the father of the youngest kid

I just finished reading the 3 stories, and was going to say the same thing. My take was that each of his dock buddies are the father of one of Emancipoor's kids.

[tiam]

Left my BH up my brothers so read the novellas oer the week.

I really like GH idea that the family are dead. It would add a dimension to Reese that would honestly blow me away, in a similar way to an event near the end of TCG. However unless we count those 2 dock friends hes got as imaginary aswell it doesnt seem likely. Its plausible that Mancy may have known the kids were not his and reminisces with his 'old buddies' about his family, neither of whom exist and the families dead.

However those dockhands help Mancy find the Suncurl and also sell the ship the nails from the tombs and barrows. Thats alot of interaction to really be able to brush over to make them imaginary. So up until them telling Mancy about the Suncurl it was entirely plausible that they were dead.

CRAZY THEORY

When Mancy returns back to lamentable Moll he will visit the tomb of his family, paid for by his exploits with B and KB. The money he was sending back was for the payment and maintenance of their tomb.

[Sapper JHall]

As I recall Subly, his wife, is in the beginning of Blood Follows. She gets pissed at him when he she finds out he gets fired from his job. Also his buddies have heard that his kids have the mange. Also as was stated above it is strongly implied his friend has fathered one or both of his children and is still with having an affair with his wife.