Spoiler Space * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I just finished The Lord of Castle Black. It seems that one thing I can count on from Brust's books in the last few years is that I'd put it down and say "Well, I didn't see THAT coming." I was a bit surprised at the way that Morollan just sort of "moved in" on his family estates. I'd gathered from the previous books, especially Issola, that he was in a territorial war against another Dragonlord that had moved in on his ancestral lands during the Interregnum. Maybe there's more to the story than the business with Kana, but overall it wasn't at all how I'd thought the story would be told. I noticed that the ballroom of Castle Black is described very similarly to the interior of the temple. Maybe Morollan eventually did decide to go that way instead of changing it into a library. The most interesting development to my mind was the description of the relationship between Sethra and Tukko. Especially his addressing her as "young one". I suppose we'll find out more about this in due time. Morollan's acquisition of Blackwand was just a bit anti-climactic. The prophecy didn't surprise me,as I'd expected some sort of quest. What I hadn't expected was Sethra handing Blackwand to him and saying "Here you are. Go have fun playing with the other Dragons." I dunno, maybe I'd gotten too much into the epic quest mode of thinking and was expecting something more like _L'Morte d'Artur_ with appropriate magical stuff occuring around the acquisition of Blackwand/Excalibur. One question that comes to mind - Has Morollan actually fulfilled the prophecy? Saving the Empire is something that can take a lot of forms... With Zerika being a principal character, I suppose it shouldn't be suprising that the mixed-marriage theme should figure predominantly into the story. Maybe more gets said about this in _Sethra Lavode_. It's difficult to equate this with any sort of real-world situations. The Houses of Dragaera are more than just a kind of state-sponsored racism. (Elde Islanders, after all, seem to survive just fine without any worries about genetic mixing.) They're also part of the mystical underpinning of the world. If the Houses fell apart instantly and everyone started inter-breeding with everyone else, then Bad Things could potentially happen to the world. As for the ending, I'm having a hard time convincing myself that it would have gone like that. I have to remind myself that these are the equivalent of kids who have just graduated high school or junior college and who are doing something impulsive along the lines of stealing a car and driving west to see the ocean. Brashness of youth and all that. Even so, I have a difficult time with the idea that Kyttran would go along with an idea that directly violates all of his personal beliefs and upbringing. Ibronka we assume is carried away with passion like Piro. Roanna, well, the truth is that neither she nor Ibronka underwent enough character development to judge what she'd do or why. I generally found myself judging them by their House, not by their personalities. Roanna is just along for the ride. I was amused by Dortmond's cameo. Apparently he really is a career soldier. Scott Schultz scott at cjhunter.com