[Dragaera] two comments on Liavek

[Philip Hart]

I've recently read the last three Liavek collections, of interest here 
because of the SKZB stories and the work of people in his circle and 
otherwise influential.  When I read the first two volumes many years ago 
I didn't understand how good the Pamela Dean stories were, and I had not 
yet come to consider John M. Ford one of my favorite writers (his novella 
"The Illusionist" in the Liavekverse _Casting Fortune_ is perhaps the 
best thing he ever wrote).  I find their combined work (and an intertwined 
story by Patricia Wrede) to be unusually rich and moving; I've been 
reflecting on the concluding story for several weeks now.  I know that 
story cycles are a fairly popular form of non-genre novel, but perhaps 
not so much in sf.  Anyway, I was wondering if SKZB might write one but 
then realized he had in _Tiassa_.

Liavek readers will find this of interest:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/09/28/car_mechanic_to_the_rescue_invents_device_to_help_women_give_birth.html
Everyone will enjoy the video.