The recent comments on Mieville got me thinking.... Which new author (first published in the last couple years) do you think is most likely to become a great? I'm really impressed by Jo Walton (I already mentioned she's one of the three names I buy in hardcover). Check your local libraries for her King's Peace/King's Name duology (Arthurian fantasy with a few twists). Her most recent _Prize in the Game_ isn't a bad starting point either (gives the backstory of a few characters before they show up in the other books; well, half the backstory: she's still writing _Breaking the Ward_). [That reminds me: I still haven't written my discussion of the similarities between _Prize in the Game_ and _Paths of the Dead_.] Jasper Fforde _The Eyre Affair_ and Garth Nix _Sabriel_, _Lirael_, and _Abhorsen_ are quite good too (look for Nix in Young Adult). Not deep, but fun. Better stop before I run out of punctuation............... --KG