(Shrug) Fandoms all get wankers as well as saner if equally obsessive wonks (says the ultimate Tarvek wonk). But Tarvek really did manage to generate outright chittering hatred from some folks, and a LOT of people who were sure from the very start that what they thought they saw was the only possible interpretation. Some were, shall we say, both partisan and very rude about anyone who suggested that there might be more going on?

The thing is, I do think I see what happened; the Fs were trying so hard to present mysteries and do a slow developing plot, relationship, and thematic line that they were unable to reckon with the real-time responses of fans who were seeing it in page at a time peep-show format, who adored Gil, and who were making some very false assumptions about the form and genre conventions that would pertain. The result was that many, many people left no room in their textual processing for the eternal question mark, or the new fact that might adjust their thinking. And many fans love nothing better than to cheer for their team.

The novel is letting them try to compensate for the blindness and factionalism that did grow up.