Jerry Friedman writes: >--- Jason *Jaxel* Axelrod <jda3 at njit.edu> wrote: >> I never read CFSBG >... >To me, it's probably SKZB's most moving book. you forgot a word ("slow") :) >_Athyra_ might >be in the same league. However (I'm not going to give anything >away, but the criticism I'm going to make could conceivably >lessen your enjoyment of _Cowboy Feng_, and if anyone wants to >argue with me, they may find spoiler space useful), In addition to finding it a complete snoozer, I also found the plot entirely unmemorable, so don't think I can manage to argue much of anything about Feng's. It's possible that on re-read, it improves -- certainly, _Tekla_ (by my money, Steve's second slowest book, though I've heard claims that the Satan thing competes in this category as well; didn't notice it when I read it, though) improves significantly on re-read, especially once you realize two things about it: It is the first part of a novel (the second part being Phoenix). It is crafted to move like, well, a Tekla. But there is an art to that. However, I found Feng's sufficiently painful the first time that I've yet to repeat the experience, I'm afraid. (kinda like the Titan board game). -- Joshua Kronengold (mneme at io.com) "I've been teaching |\ _,,,--,,_ ,) --^--him...to live, to breathe, to walk, to sample the /,`.-'`' -, ;-;;' /\\joy on each road, and the sorrow at each turning. |,4- ) )-,_ ) /\ /-\\\I'm sorry if I kept him out too late"--Vlad Taltos '---''(_/--' (_/-'