Was re-reading _Issola_ last night, and was struck by an odd phrase on p.12: Addressing the reader directly, Vlad says/writes "Just to fill you in on the basics, in case we haven't met before..." That seems like a very odd thing for Vlad to say. I see three possible explanations. 1) It's actually an addition by Brust-the-translator, in order to help explain some info-dumping he's doing. Possible, but dull. 2) Vlad is writing an account for an unknown audience. Seems unlikely, given his level of parania, and the amount of important personal information he reveals. 3) Vlad's personal timeline doesn't always match up with that of Brust-the- Interviewer. Whatever method B-t-I uses to contact Vlad, it may involve some form of time travel. So the first time Vlad meets B-t-I may be the first time B-t-I meets Vlad, if you get what I mean. By the time he narrates _Issola_, perhaps Vlad has gotten used to B-t-I occasionally being ignorant of things that Vlad (from his point of view) has already explained. Alexx Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employers. alexx at carolingiaSPAMBL@CK.org http://www.panix.com/~alexx "The next day, the former Prime Minister accepts his first job since leaving the Executive Mansion; cleaning out the inn's stables. He notes that the two occupations are not, essentially, dissimilar."