Chapter 109

In this chapter, Capital Sam basically smooth talks his way on to the Spire of Ice. Well, he smooth talks Allison's way on, they won't let Capital Sam on, he's got some history of troublemaking and the guy who's guarding the way is really not wanting any of it. They jabber at length, like sword fighting but with words. Eventually the guy agrees to let Allison on. It happens after C.S. mentions taking the man to "The Curtain." I guess this is sort of like the seafaring people's version of The Big Rock Candy Mountain.

I really liked the part where Capital Sam looks around at some phantom audience, baffled. You could totally see someone doing that, you know? I like writing where you can picture what is happening in the scene.

Chapter 108

This chapter is all back story about the boat they are going to try and steal. It's pretty long and I bet not much of it will end up being major to the storyline, so I'll just give you the highlights:

* The Spire of Ice used to be called the Astrolabe

* For a while early on, the boat was infested with a parasite called Strain 17 that killed anyone on board. But not anymore.

* The boat has been around for a while, changed hands a few times. First Eleanor Jickett, then a group called the Kalaallit, then someone we don't know, then James Diamond, who turned it into a "pleasure barge." (Hooker boat).

Interesting side note for scholars: Strain 17 was also the name of a short story by this same author. You can Google for it. It was about a test tube baby who got thrown in the ocean. I don't think the two things are meant to be specifically related though, it's probably just that he only has room in his head for but so many ideas.

Chapter 107

Allison then meets a fisherman named Capital Sam. (Make sure you read that right, the first few times I was reading that as CAPTAIN Sam.) The rest of the fisherpeople are scared of Allison at this point, but I think he sees her as a kind of project or challenge. He offers his assistance in helping her locate The Black Bee. He says they should try to steal and commandeer a boat called The Spire of Ice, and then they can use that to go find the Black Bee.

Captain Sam is not exactly what you'd call With The Times, he refers to people as darky or pansies. Not cool, IMHO.

Chapter 106

OK, interesting: the local fishermen seem to have developed some sort of mythology around Hugo and Frank Muto and what happened out there on the boat.

Allison talks to some more fishermen to find out what the Bee is. It's the Black Bee, Frank Muto's boat. A bunch of dialogue between the fishermen ensues. They refer to Frank as "Mutt" and Hugo as "Master Billy" and they talk a bunch of gobbledygook about mutiny and the cold, deadly embrace of the sea. At which point Allison starts freaking out and stomping on one of their necks and screaming at them to tell her where Hugo is.

Only slightly confusing thing for Chokeville experts to write their doctoral theses on: The Black Bee was also the name of the dirigible that little girl, Junie Woolford, flew around town. (Ch. 58-60)

Chapter 105

Hi everyone! It turns out that shape we saw coming out of the ocean was FRANK MUTO (If you remember, Delia's dad, the girl who Hugo put in a coma, so her dad wanted to kill Hugo, which is pretty much what put the whole adventure in motion in the first place.), and Frank Muto is carrying his own foot, and he has hooks and fishing poles all stuck in his body. Bleh.

Allison asks him where Hugo is. Frank says that he tried to kill Hugo but they fought and Hugo overpowered him and threw him overboard. And he must be lying, because that goes against what we read in Chapter 80. (Back then what we read was that the chain got caught around Frank's foot and that is why his foot came off, as Hugo was going overboard.) Well I guess he's not really lying, just not telling her the whole deal.