Since I was still feeling kind of cranky, I decided to re-read Janet Kagan’s Mirabile, on the theory that maybe I’d feel right at home with another cranky person. Worked just fine; it remains a good comfort book. I think my favorite bit is “Getting the Bugs Out”—I loathe mosquitos, and they are all too fond of me. (And how did I miss that this was a fixup the first time through?)
And one more low-stress piecemeal re-read about which I have nothing more to say, just to note that I read it again now.
I also re-read this one recently. The prose was richer than I’d remembered, which was a nice surprise. I still prefer Hellspark, though, which I think has a more heft and is more complete in its treatment. Both cry out for sequels, at any length, but that seems terribly unlikely…