>From: Steven Brust <skzb at dreamcafe.com> >And permit me to put in a special recommendation for the Aubrey/Maturin >books of Patrick O'Brian, which are...well...just read them. The first one >is called _Master and Commander_. I second this nomination. They are wonderful, and there are like 18 of them so you can just keep reading and reading.... I also picked up a great collection of incredibly dark short stories by O'Brian called The Rendezvous and Other Stories. Little humor, different subject matter, it is good to see an author you enjoy stretch his legs, so to speak. brad