I don’t think that the topsiders are as rational as they think they are. They killed a human survivor simply because he had a birthmark, which is in no way a mutation, and they actually consider survival as a human itself as a mutation worth destroying. The topsiders are EXTREEME xenophobes. They may avoid going to the Great Green simply because of some minor mutation in the plants. They would probably love to destroy it, but it seems to be beyond their reach.
With all this conversation on the length of this particular story arc, I’ve gotten curious. Does anyone have the date that the whole “Endtown” story began? I’ve been following it from the beginning (and I have all the books; so far), but I never thought to take notice of the actual length of this whole incredible journey. It just seems like a part of my life now.
I disagree. Times change, tastes change. Many artists (including Shakespeare) were unappreciated in their time and only became “Great Masters” with the passage of time. Some things become classics as they age, and some just vanish into the fog of history; and nobody knows which is which at the time. Look at Peanuts; simply drawn and hardly intellectual; but now an endearing classic. I think that you are being far too hasty in your judgement of Mr. Neathery’s work.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.