MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2638 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: Lavan vs Vanyel, Brightly Burning spoiler by =?iso-8859-1?q?Jasmin=20Haviland?= 2) Re: Lavan vs Vanyel, Brightly Burning spoiler by Kathy Wille 3) Re: Fantasy cats/Fire masters/char ages/forgetting/tylendel reference/MOC lifespan by "Layla Voll" 4) Re: Cat people FLUFF by "Roxanne Nolan" 5) Re: Cat's in Misty, Companions advice by "Roxanne Nolan" 6) Re: Draft Pool... by "Roxanne Nolan" 7) Re: Lavan vs Vanyel, Brightly Burning spoiler by "Roxanne Nolan" 8) Werehunter/Alberich Chosen by Aurora 9) Re: Griffon and Lavan Brightly Burning spoiler by "Layla Voll" 10) Re: Re-reading books by "Layla Voll" 11) Re: Fantasy cats/Fire masters by "Sorana Stargem" 12) Re: tylendel reference/ by Sarah Scrivano 13) Re: tylendel reference/Fire Rose by =?iso-8859-1?q?Sheridan=20Hoy?= ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 14:46:33 +0100 (BST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Jasmin=20Haviland?= To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Lavan vs Vanyel, Brightly Burning spoiler Message-ID: <20010712134633.66097.qmail-+AT+-web11603.mail.yahoo.com> --- Layla Voll wrote: > > b > r > i > g > h > t > l > y > b > u > r > n > i > n > g > s > p > a > c > e > > > >I don't agree. There was no indication that anyone except Lavan's > >companion > > >could control his gift. None of the other Heralds had ever seen the gift > >before >and had no idea how to teach him to control it. > > > I think Griffon deserves a lot more credit than he usually gets for being a > good, stable guy who manages to control a really freaky Gift *without* the > benefit of being Lifebonded to his Companion, or, indeed, being Lifebonded > to anyone. I mean, there's an idea that the Lifebonds are there to help > support people who might need it, and one of the reasons cited for Lavan's > needing that support is the nature of his Gift. I also get the sense that > Griffon's Gift is just as strong as Lavan's was, and, while Lavan needed his > Companion to control it, Griffon seems to be able to use it with or without > linking to his Companion. The main problem with Lavan was, for one reason or another, that his gift was 'emotionaly' induced. Griffon could call his gift just like anybody else. In a calm and focused frame of mind. Lavan had to get angry. I don't know about anybody else out there, but I find it VERY hard to stay in control of myself when I'm in a homicidal rage. So of course he needed an outside control. It was like... oh for the sake of argument, a gun. Giffon is a man using a gun. Lavan is just a gun. He needs someone to 'point' him. Without that control, he just starts shooting wild. And I think it is a great testament to his control that none of Valdamar's army got caught in the blast... I think. Feel free to correct me. But beside's the fact that Griffon and Lavan had the same gift, I think they have little in common. I thought he had more in common with Talia. Now imagine in book two when Talia's gift starts going funny that Kris were to die. She is only half trained and has no one around to train her. What would happen? Now imagine that instead of it being Kris riding circuit with her, it's Dirk. And he's killed when she should have been protecting him. What do you think would happen then? That's why I have a lot of sympathy for Lavan. Hope I didn't lecture too much... Hey! Wake up! I'm done now!! giggle Jessie ____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free -+AT+-yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free -+AT+-yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 09:20:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Kathy Wille To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Lavan vs Vanyel, Brightly Burning spoiler Message-ID: <20010712162025.98719.qmail-+AT+-web11204.mail.yahoo.com> I think that is the key there - Inner thoughts I am reading the Mage Storms today and with Karal you "hear" all his thoughts - ALL his thoughts! If you were listening to everything that went through my mind I would seem whiny and self involved as well. I think Lavan and Vanyel were so whiny is cause we knew them VERY intimately. I don't remember much of Griffon's inner dialoge but I think a normal person being given extraordinary responsibilty is bound to have the internal struggle. We are just hearing it all play out! Kathy > I definitely agree with Dax I think it was, > that > because we are party to the innermost thoughts > of > characters like Vanyel and Lavan, we get to see > all > the irritating foibles that we have come to > know and > love - like whining :) However, if they hadn't > had the > potential to cope with everything that might be > thrown > at them, I wonder whether the Companions would > have > Chosen them? ===== All the great things are simple! Many can be expressed in a single word: Freedom; Justice; Honour; Duty; Mercy; Hope and Love. ~Sir Winston Churchill (Paraphrased!) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 19:05:47 From: "Layla Voll" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Fantasy cats/Fire masters/char ages/forgetting/tylendel reference/MOC lifespan Message-ID: Sorana Stargem writes: >Heyla! > >Someone (deleted their name) mentioned a Fantasy panel where the authors >said that cats were off limits as far as doing nasty things to them goes >because they'd lose their audience right there. I'm wondering if what they >meant was that it couldn't be done very often, not that it couldn't be done >at all. That was me :) The panel was being asked to come up with general rules for fantasy writing, and one of the ones they came up was "no nasty things can happen to cats." I'm sure it was half tongue-in-cheek and half tired-writers-at-the-end-of-a-panel, but it certainly sounded like they got a lot more angry letters if they hurt cats than anything else. By the way, once someone (name deleted) came up with Tramp, I realized that there are a lot of decent dog characters in fantasy, like the wolves in Elfquest or Akela of "The Jungle Book." Tamlin asked what everyone thought about this quote {from Brightly Burning, but about Tylendal): >"...and only once, in all the history of Valdemar, had >one [Companion] ever made a mistake - and even then, >it was not in whom she Chose, but that she did not >help him when he needed her most, repudiating him in >her anger at what he had done." > >Personally, I always thought that it meant that Gala should have been >paying >a bit more attention to her Chosen after his twin's suicide in the first >place, and that there may have been another option open to her once >Tylendel >had called up the Wyrsa...but I don't know what it could have been. >Basically, she could have done something to prevent the entire mess if >she'd >just been more on the ball. There _were_ more people at fault than just >Tylendel (and Vanyel). I seem to recall Savil saying that she should have >had Tylendel talk to a mindhealer after his twin died. I agree. Back when everyone was blaming Vanyel for Tylendal's death, Savil tells Vanyel that it wasn't close to being his fault: she should have paid more attention, and Gala should have been paying more attention. Actually, *Lancir*, the Queen's Own should have been paying more attention -- Talia was always being "called" to people in need, and I'm surprised that Lancir wasn't called to Tylendal. Also, I think you could also read the Brightly Burning quote -- "she did not help him when he needed her most, repudiating him in her anger at what he had done" -- as meaning that Tylendal needed her most *after* he called the wryssa, and might have begun to realize what he had done. I mean, when Gala arrived, the harm was already done. Tylendal wasn't going to call up *more* wryssa, so repudiating him right there and then accomplished absolutely nothing. So I think she did have options: she didn't have to repudiate him, and could have tried to help heal him afterwards. >Fire Rose/The Serpent's Shadow spoiler; also, Brightly Burning spoiler (arranged in chronological order, BB first and SS second) >* >* >* >* >* >* >* >* >* >* >* >* Serpent's Shadow: >Amy said: "I've noticed mistakes too, for example: >In the Fire Rose Jason Cameron goes out of his way to >say and think that Fire Masters cannot stand to live >in the same city or area together, to the point that >it would be flat out war if they did. On the other >hand in the Serpent's Shadow which is based in the >same world with the same magic system not only do more >than one Fire Master live in the same city, they are >even married to each other. Its not that big of a >thing really I guess but it does show inconsistancy in >the world she has created.... > >That may not have been as much of a mistake as we think. I remember that >old >chinese Earth Master in Fire Rose saying that the Masters in his country >were taught differently than Jason was and so there wasn't as much need to >avoid each other. IIRC, The Serpent's Shadow takes place in India and so >the >way they teach magic there may allow two Fire Masters to become close >enough >to get married..... But, I should say that I haven't actually read >Serpent's >Shadow yet and I'm guessing based on the information from that old chinese >guy. Serpent's Shadow takes place in England. However, the Fire Master in question does say that it's a pretty passionate, volatile marriage, and Peter comments that he'd hate to see their fights. So, I agree, I don't think it's as much of an inconsistency as it seems. Layla _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 08:23:21 -0700 From: "Roxanne Nolan" To: Subject: Re: Cat people FLUFF Message-ID: <008701c10b2e$76b10b80$793427d0-+AT+-unicorn> FLUFF ROTFLOL!!!! I think I am going to print your reply and give it to my cousin. We live right next to a huge concert venue and every summer we get lots of tourists coming here exclaiming how quaint the town is....and it is a very small town, not city. Very agriculturally centered. They are mostly amazed that things like cows still actually exist *sigh*. And they do a lot of crop damage by trying to pitch their tents in farmers fields. I swear they have no brains. My cousin owns the only local grocery store and she gets a lot of the two brain cell tourists. Your response will make her laugh! *S* Roxanne ----- Original Message ----- > FLUFF ALERT > > As a (on occasion) tourist (even though I don't have a clue where you are) > I would like to apologize on behalf of those whose parents should have been > neutered and (as dog breeders say) placed in a pet home. We are not all > self-centered bigots with only two active brain cells. > BTW my dogs love all the sheep that get lobbed around here. They have them > neatly herded up in a corner where they (the sheep) baa quietly all night. > Restful actually. > > FLUFF OVER > > Which kind of leads me to a question that has been bothering me for > years......WHY do all sci-fi/fantasy authors seem to be cat people? I mean > really. Not just Misty-Anne McCaffrey, Tanya Huff, heck even David Weber is > a cat person. Dogs are so much more cuddly and protective too. And loyal. > Or am I just too sensitive? The ONLY dogs I can remember reading about in a > fantasy novel are the ones Kerowyn uses for relaying messages. As near as I > can tell those are whippets or Italian Greyhounds (Misty???) and rather > goofy. Yeah a dog will do lots of things for food. Okay anything anytime if > the bait is right. But they do things for love too. Cats don't. As far as > cats are concerned people are just there to open the cat food and change > the litter box. If they had thumbs they wouldn't need us at all. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 08:56:11 -0700 From: "Roxanne Nolan" To: Subject: Re: Cat's in Misty, Companions advice Message-ID: <008801c10b2e$77ce6260$793427d0-+AT+-unicorn> LOL, I have got an exception to that one....remember how Gwena was trying to push Elspeth onto her predestined path? Roxanne > That goes back to what I am trying to remember about Companions not butting > into their Chosens' lives. I *wish* I could remember where that part > is. Maybe it was Dirk and his Companion, on the trip to the border to meet > Kris and Talia. I'll have to find that if I get time. Anyway, I don't > think it's so much *not listening to* their Companions in most cases (the > Lores & Jenna thing aside), as it is that the Companions believe in the > free will of their Chosens, and that they have to live their own lives and > make their own mistakes. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 09:56:49 -0700 From: "Roxanne Nolan" To: Subject: Re: Draft Pool... Message-ID: <008901c10b2e$79042340$793427d0-+AT+-unicorn> I've actually never heard of Werehunter. Is that a book by her a collection of stories. Any info would be appreciated. Would love to read about Alberich being Chosen!! Roxanne ----- Original Message ----- > You're right, Alberich was Chosen while he was still > in Karse. I don't want to spoil the story for those > who haven't read it yet, buy the actual telling of his > being Chosen is told in "Werehunter". ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 17:19:19 -0700 From: "Roxanne Nolan" To: Subject: Re: Lavan vs Vanyel, Brightly Burning spoiler Message-ID: <00cc01c10b34$21f083e0$793427d0-+AT+-unicorn> > b > r > i > g > h > t > l > y > b > u > r > n > i > n > g > s > p > a > c > e > > I think Griffon deserves a lot more credit than he usually gets for being a > good, stable guy who manages to control a really freaky Gift *without* the > benefit of being Lifebonded to his Companion, or, indeed, being Lifebonded > to anyone It was always my understanding that Lavan's gift was more powerful than Griffons, which might be why he didn't need to be lifebonded to help control it. Roxanne ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 18:25:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Aurora To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Werehunter/Alberich Chosen Message-ID: <20010713012524.88453.qmail-+AT+-web13506.mail.yahoo.com> Actually, the story in which Alberich is chosen is also in Horse Fantastic, which is out of print. Werehunter is a collection of some of Misty's short stories. You can find it in about every third bookstore, still. (Well, at least where I live...) ~Aurora --- Roxanne Nolan wrote: I've actually never heard of Werehunter. Is that a book by her a collection of stories. Any info would be appreciated. Wouldlove to read about Alberich being Chosen!! Roxanne ----- Original Message ----- You're right, Alberich was Chosen while he was still in Karse. I don't want to spoil the story for those who haven't read it yet, buy the actual telling of his being Chosen is told in "Werehunter". ===== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It is not a fairy tale - it is true." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 02:27:21 From: "Layla Voll" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Griffon and Lavan Brightly Burning spoiler Message-ID: Becca writes: {me} > > I like Griffon. I think the guy deserves more credit. > >Yeah, I agree, maybe we should start a Griffon fan club. He was so cool, >and never gets enough credit. He did save Valdemar in the fisrt battle. If >it hadn't been for him Hardorn would have won, and Valdemar wouldn't be >there anymore. He should be a hero! I know! Elcarth calls him the "unsung hero" of the battle of wherever they were, and I was thinking -- hey! Wasn't the chief Bard right there when it was all happening? Wasn't he the one who told Griffon to find the Mage? What's this guy doing all day that he doesn't have time to write up a quick song or two? >Anyway, there's more comparing Lavan and Griffon below the Brightly Burning >spoiler space: > > > >b > >r > >i > >g > >h > >t > >l > >y > >b > >u > >r > >n > >i > >n > >g > >s > >p > >a > >c > >e > > Becca: >Often times no matter how solid and stable a person is, they can >still be freaked out by potentially dangerous things. Especially the ones >that are life threatening. dirk did a good job of making his gift seem >totally controllable. And, as others have pointed out, Lavan's Gift and Griffon's Gift awoke in very different circumstances. Griffon didn't actually kill anyone with it. I suppose killing someone first thing when your Gift goes off makes a difference in whether you view it as "potentially dangerous but controllable," versus "really freaky and dangerous." > > I've honestly only skimmed Brightly Burning, for various reasons, > >Just Curious, but what reasons? Mostly that I got sidetracked by other books. I got Brightly Burning, read through the first couple chapters, put it down, wandered off. Picked it up later, skimmed into the middle where we met Pol, loved Pol, loved the couple of chapters with Pol, figured I should start from the beginning. No Pol, no Collegium, lots of whiny Lavan, lots of bullying, lots of poor isolated kid. Not my favorite kind of story -- might as well read Oliver Twist or Stephen Fry. Not getting to interesting part about Collegium any time soon. Time to go to bed, put book down, started reading other book in the morning, probably because Brightly Burning is hardback and paperbacks are easier to carry around. Never got back to Brightly Burning. Still in large pile of "books I mean to read some day." Layla _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 02:56:25 From: "Layla Voll" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Re-reading books Message-ID: Starshadow writes: >I was just re-reading Oathbound, and for some reason, it jsut never occured >to me how young Tarma and Kethry are. It that Kethry is only 19 and then >while Tarma is sleeping Kethry thinks to herself that Tarma looks even >younger then she is. It is amazing what really important things you miss >in >a book until the...oh...7th or 8th time you read it. Go fig. I was just >curious what important facts other people just didn't get until they >re-read >the books several times. > Mostly what I get on re-reading is recognizing people the first time they show up in a walk-on part, and making connections. Like, Dirk's first appearance in "Arrows of the Queen" has all kinds of bells and whistles and you *know* he's going to be important, but Kris's first appearance is just a cute story about some "high-born Trainee", and then a chance meeting in the library. Or seeing Devan the Healer beginning as a relatively new Healer in Arrows of the Queen, while by Arrow's Fall he's one of the senior Healers, being called in to help with Talia's Healing not just because of their previous connection, but also because he's considered one of the best. Also rereading the Orientation/Introduction scenes is different knowing that in six or seven years, Griffon and Davan will together defeat the demons in the big battle at the end of Arrow's Fall. And I only just realized that it's Davan who is the FarSeer that Selenay used in conjection with Alberich to See what will happen in the borderlands, and that she has to use the relatively young and inexperienced Davan because her usual go-to guy for FarSeeing (Kris) was just killed. Layla _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 04:20:23 From: "Sorana Stargem" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Fantasy cats/Fire masters Message-ID: Heyla all! Layla writes: >That was me :) The panel was being asked to come up with general rules for >fantasy writing, and one of the ones they came up was "no nasty things can >happen to cats." I'm sure it was half tongue-in-cheek and half >tired-writers-at-the-end-of-a-panel, but it certainly sounded like they got >a lot more angry letters if they hurt cats than anything else. Ah. That makes it much more clear, thanks. :) Context can be so important... > >Fire Rose/The Serpent's Shadow spoiler; * >* >* >* > >That may not have been as much of a mistake as we think. I remember that > >old > >chinese Earth Master in Fire Rose saying that the Masters in his country > >were taught differently than Jason was and so there wasn't as much need >to > >avoid each other. IIRC, The Serpent's Shadow takes place in India and so > >the > >way they teach magic there may allow two Fire Masters to become close > >enough > >to get married..... But, I should say that I haven't actually read > >Serpent's > >Shadow yet and I'm guessing based on the information from that old >chinese > >guy. > >Serpent's Shadow takes place in England. However, the Fire Master in >question does say that it's a pretty passionate, volatile marriage, and >Peter comments that he'd hate to see their fights. So, I agree, I don't >think it's as much of an inconsistency as it seems. Oh, England. I wonder why I'm remembering India...I did read the inside cover of the book, but I'm waiting until it comes out in paperback before I get it. Does anyone know if India was mentioned in the inside cover? Stars light your path, Sorana Stargem Herald-trainee, %-+AT+-"May God stand between you High Priestess to the Goddess%-+AT+-and all harm in all the of Unicorns, %-+AT+-empty places you must walk" Goddess of Flions, %-+AT+- -- Susan Ivanova Knight of Amber and Marigold,%-+AT+-"Don't dream it, be it." Knight of the OOUH %-+AT+- -- Dr. Frankenfurter http://www.angelfire.com/wa/mylagoon/index.html _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 00:02:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Sarah Scrivano To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: tylendel reference/ Message-ID: <20010713070233.38710.qmail-+AT+-web11006.mail.yahoo.com> --- Layla Voll wrote: > Tamlin asked what everyone thought about this quote > {from Brightly Burning, > but about Tylendal): > >"...and only once, in all the history of Valdemar, > had one [Companion] ever made a mistake - and even > then, it was not in whom she Chose, but that she did not help him when he needed her most, repudiating him in her anger at what he had done." > > Actually, I always got the feeling that he blocked Gala out; he was to ill to go out to Companion's Field after his brothers murder & I always assumed that since no reference was made to her that he was blocking any attempt by her to mindtalk with him. > >Personally, I always thought that it meant that Gala should have been paying a bit more attention to her Chosen after his twin's suicide in the first place, and that there may have been another option open to her once Tylendel had called up the Wyrsa...but I don't know what it could have been. > >Basically, she could have done something to prevent the entire mess if she'd just been more on the ball. There _were_ more people at fault than just Tylendel (and Vanyel). I seem to recall Savil saying that she should have had Tylendel talk to a mindhealer after his twin died. > > I agree. Back when everyone was blaming Vanyel for Tylendal's death, Savil tells Vanyel that it wasn't close to being his fault: she should have paid more attention, and Gala should have been paying more attention. Actually, *Lancir*, the Queen's Own should have been paying more attention -- Talia was always being "called" to people in need, and I'm surprised that Lancir wasn't called to Tylendal. > They do mention somewhere in the first Talia book that not all of the Monarchs Own had empathy as a Gift the way Talia did. > Also, I think you could also read the Brightly Burning quote -- "she did not help him when he needed her most, repudiating him in her anger at what he had done" -- as meaning that Tylendal needed her most *after* he called the wryssa, and might have begun to realize what he had done. I mean, when Gala arrived, the harm was already done. Tylendal wasn't going to call up *more* wryssa, so repudiating him right there and then accomplished absolutely nothing. So I think she did have options: she didn't have to repudiate him, and could have tried to help heal him afterwards. > Perhaps she did try to reach him; there's no way of knowing. But the Heralds with Minspeech as a Gift can choose to block out their Companions if they choose to do so (there is mention of Talia's bond with Roland being so close that she can't block him out, but I would think that this is rare). I would have assumed that Gala, like Savil, thought that Tylendel was grieving in his own way for his twin. If she was blocked, there would have been no way of telling what he was going to do and when he actually did call the wyrsa, I have the feeeling that Gala was incredibly shocked and angry. Also, perhaps Tylendel changed so much while recovering that he really wasn't the person that Gala had chosen. If Companions look for honesty, empathy, loyalty and compassion, perhaps she didn't learn until it was too late that Tylendel's loyalty came first to his brother (above the Heraldic Circle even) and that he could have no compassion for those who killed him; in which case he wasn't the person that Gala thought she had Chose. She then Chose to sacrifice her life to kill the wyrsa because being a Companion does not necesarily make one an Adept able to call them back. Sorry for the long post; thought I'd plant some food for thought for random sheep to eat. :) Till next time Sarah S. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 00:35:32 +1200 (NZST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Sheridan=20Hoy?= To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: tylendel reference/Fire Rose Message-ID: <20010713123532.61618.qmail-+AT+-web11003.mail.yahoo.com> Heyla listsibs, Sarah Scrivano wrote: Actually, *Lancir*, the Queen's Own should have been paying more attention -- Talia was always being "called" to people in need, and I'm surprised that Lancir wasn't called to Tylendal. Good point, although I don't think that Lancir had Empathy, and he certainly didn't have a strong Mindspeaking Gift - I believe Lancir stayed behind when the Tylendel's Gate was taken down, and they couldn't contact him to help with Vanyel because they didn't know where he was. Actually, that brings a question up - wouldn't that other Companions have know where Lancir was because they should have known were Taver (?spelling) was? I can't remember the exact text - my LHM books are in NZ and the £*E&$*& library system over here only has Magic's Price - actually, they only have one of the Arrows trilogy, 2 of the Storms trilogy, one Serrated Edge novel, and nothing else! BTW, I haven't read either The Fire Rose or Serpent's Shadow - what are they about? How different are they from other Misty books? Wind to thy Wings, tamlin PS BTW, is Misty's secretary still on the list? _____________________________________________________________________________ http://messenger.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Messenger - Voice chat, mail alerts, stock quotes and favourite news and lots more! ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2638 **********************************