> > > There's a scene in my head that occurs after the end of Issola. Funny, I've got the same scene in *my* head :-) > > > Mild SPOILERS for Issola > > > > > > > > > [scene snipped] > This scene, while fun to think about, wouldn't appear in the book, because, > of course, the audience already knows what Vlad's got, and that's a false > payoff. Not necessarily. After all, you don't need a "payoff" in the first chapter so much. And it *would* be a handy way to explain the current situation to the unfortunate reader who has not yet delighted in reading _Issola_. OTOH, the fact that more than one person who _has_ read _I_ has such a scene in their head may lead to SKZB not writing it out of sheer authorial perversity :-s Alexx Alexx Kay Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employers alexx at world.std.com http://world.std.com/~alexx Nothing is as inevitable as a mistake whose time has come. [Seen on a Nancy Button, http://www.nancybuttons.com/]