On Fri, 12 May 2006, Shawn Burns wrote: > > [mailto:dragaera-bounces at dragaera.info] On Behalf Of Philip Hart > > > > There's a CIA officer named Brant Bassett in the news of late > > - he was active in what's been called the "personnel bloodletting" > > in the agency the last few years and he's mixed up in the > > prostitution/poker/corruption controversy that's beginning to > > hit page 1 and just took down the #3 guy (and possibly the #1). > > Oh, and he's known as "Nine Fingers". > > > > Wow. Just like Frodo. (After returning from Mordor, Frodo opened a brothel > in Bag End called "The House of the Rising Silmaril." It's been the ruin of > many a poor dwarf, and Gimli (son of Gloin) is one.) Oops, seem to have posted to the list about LOTR, not the Vladiad. For those unfamiliar with the latter, it's a long-running series about a man working as an assassin for and within a corrupt and shady organization while trying to find himself. Oh, and he had to parry a sword with a finger, or caught a burning coal, or had an accident with a slammed door, or ... The books are written in a variety of streamlined styles and are well worth checking out.