>>Tekla is my absolute favorite, it's gritty, heart wrenching and reminds us that life can really suck. I believe it makes the good times in Jhereg and >>Yendi all the more sweet. It also spoke to me personally, as I had gone through a similiar situation myself and could sympathize. This is the book that >>made Vlad "real" to me. >Teckla is brilliantly written, realistic and I >REALLY dislike it. I have >and will continue to occasionally reread it, but >I really don't like it. >Sure it's real, but if I wanted reality I >wouldn't be reading fantasy. And >yes I hate it because I can identify it very >strongly. It speaks to me of >the breakup of my first marriage. When I read >it, I have to skip over the >scenes between Vlad and Cawti. >Mark I understand. I cannot watch "Mystic River" again because it's just too depressing. For some reason I can reread books that are depressing and I love the way the gut twisting depression sweeps over me. Maybe it's because I can put the book down and introspect and be thankful for the joys in my own life. Maybe it's the comisery of another human being, even if they are fictional. Who knows, Teckla just seems to "fit" in the series and the series would be paler without it(IMHO). -- John D. Barbato, O.D.