Didn't Uncle first appear in Crystal Soldier? And Dosty or whatever her name is, one of the pod who developed self-awareness and whom Cantra and Jela took to the Uncle? And again in Crystal Dragon? That struck me from the time Theo met the Uncle and his female assistant. Are they clones of clones of clones of the original, or made practically immortal by the fancy auto-doc?

Hopefully, all will be made clear in Ghost Ship and other stories of interest. It must be fun to make all these different people and places into a coherent overall background. Do you have a lot of this in your head, or is it bit by bit, and some pure luck?

If this is a closely guarded secret, please tell me to butt out. Otherwise, I'd love to know.

One of your older admirers,

Joan C