Last of the First. Oh, where to begin. This was a great 4-book tale. I enjoyed the inclusion of the short story from Tales into From the Forest. I was jumping up and down by the third book yelling, “Marry her already!” Fortunately, that did happen. I was a trifle disappointed with the “cliffhanger” regarding Saryalth. I was expecting her to show up with Hyysaal and telling him that her mother was taken by the Forest. I assume it happened sooner or later. Would have liked to learn about Hyrsaal, too. Hard to remain in the Mirror Lancers when you’re the brother-in-law to the Emperor. What superior is going to upbraid him if he messes up (which he probably would not)? A great ending to a great series. I know people will beg for the founding story (I was one of those), but your explanation of why you should not was sufficient for me. Now if you wanted to do a story of the past before any of the others, I would suggest a story from the dissidents’ point of view. The conflict is already in place for you.

I very much appreciate your comments and support. Alas, there are so many possibilities for another Recluce book, and, assuming that I can write another one, no matter which possibility I choose, some readers will be disappointed. Obviously, I’d prefer to have the time to follow all those storylines, but in a world as large as that of Recluce, that’s just not possible, especially since I’m no longer the proverbial “spring chicken,” but I’ll do what I can.