Ah, and here we are in November, a few frosty mornings to hint of things to come. I've been fortunate these last three days, I've had time away from the day gig, and time enough to sit and do nothing but read. It was fortunate timing all around. We had a busy week last week, for a variety of reasons, so the three days recovery was a delight. I finished three books these last few, two by L. E. Modesitt and one by Seanan McGuire. The two by Modesitt were the latest in his Recluce series, now closing in on 30 years running and 21 books at time of writing. I've read most of the rest of Modesitt's books; I picked up The Towers of the Sunset in Waldenbooks way back when, and have been keeping, more or less, since. I enjoyed this latest cycle in the Recluce series, Modesitt's going back and thinking through some nuggets of the series that appear to have been on his mind for a good long while. The hints have been there, at least. From these, I've learned to let those things that look like they dangle, unresolved, age well. I've known of it, that this is one of the joys of a series, the idea that you as writer get to go back and look for the clues you've left yourself. These last three in Recluce, Mongrel Mage through the Mage-Fire War, are a good example of that. In fact, the whole series is a good example of that. That said, if you're interested but don't know of Recluce, I'd suggest a few different starting points instead of these last three books. The Magic of Recluce, The Towers of the Sunset, Fall of Angels, or Magi'i of Cyador would all be good starting points. Just be wary, if you're the type who gets hooked on intricate, long-running series, and you haven't already read Modesitt's works... well. You're in for a treat, dear reader. Seanan McGuire is, by comparison, newer to me as a reader, though she too has a fair list of works to dive into. I've got Discount Armageddon and a couple others of her books sitting on my shelves, and I've read at least a few of the stories she's published with Lightspeed Magazine and a few other places. In this case it was one of McGuire's newer ones, a standalone called Middlegame, that caught me, and how. What did I learn? The joys of the occasional inside joke (red right hand, ahem...), pace and the joy in it. Don't stop to explain, that moment will come. Most of all? Go for it. Get tangled up in the idea and let it run. And since Middlegame is a standalone, I don't have to give any warnings in terms of diving into a new series. Middlegame is a treat.