> > My personal feeling is that the Vlad-period references to "Paarfi romances" > > are jokes put in by Brust, on the theory that the amusement value was > > worth the anachronism. I assumed that Paarfi has written more "historical romances" than just the ones Brust has translated. Hence, Vlad and Cawti were reading some of his older works. :) Chris "The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce." ~ Oliver Wedell Holmes, Sr. - "Over the Teacups" (1891)