this novella's a breezy, engaging read, but it's principally a sketch and insufficiently developed to justify, in my view, the accolades it's getting from most reviewers. the story seems to me to exploit (and not so originally) a very basic, primitive fantasy. there's a somewhat neat twist towards the end, but still, it's pretty much a fluff piece, as i read it. this man can write, no question, but this is a light, not deep, book, whose impact dissipates quickly.