[Cor]

Thanks for the recommendation, I looked into it and The Malazan Book of the Fallen sounds like something I would tear into. I will add Erikson to the list of authors I know I need to try, up near the top along with David Eddings, Stephen R. Donaldson and so many others I am going to stop now. That is why reading is the best pastime one can have, there is always something wonderful waiting for you out there.

To return the favor, whilst browsing the forums, I saw someone who mentioned that Sandkings was the first Martin that they ever read and could not remember where they found it(I think this conversation was in 06-07, hold on I'll check)...
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I couldn't find the post in question, but apparently you sir have recently posted a list of the Hugo winners so it seems likely that you are already aware that two of GRRM's short stories (Sandkings and The Way of Cross and Dragon) appear in The Hugo Winners volume 5. Regardless, all 5 of the Asimov edited anthologies are: full of award winning 15-80 page stories, an excellent way to find new authors, and (most importantly) available on the internet for less than $5. (that's American dollars by the way, not seashells or whatever you crazy Aussies use for money)

Oh, and in the unlikely event that someone here hasn't read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle they ought do so immediately, as it is concentrated awesome, and sits among those stories like Dune and SOI&F that I cannot imagine someone could read and not love.

Cheers Mate