8 a.m.

I'm writing a formal plea to Melanie Rawn.

You see, I've been waiting for the third book in her Exiles series to come out since I was 11. This series is one of the better examples of good literature to be found in the fantasy genre. It's set in a post-apocalyptic-war era, where families have been divided based on the purity of their genes. Since after the war it was very difficult to have normal children, the society is female dominant-- women's roles as child bearers were essential to the perpetuation of the race, so are now viewed in an almost sacred manner. Men have taken on what would be a typically "female" role, and the resulting gender switch makes for a fascinating read. She has created a world with an incredible amount of detail and scope, and manages to make several good points regarding gender equality through this framework. I was hooked then, and when I go back and read the two books currently in the series, I find I still am.

Melanie Rawn is happily among the living-- I periodically check. Shehas written several other novels, and keeps promising that the third book in the series will come out, but so far no luck. I assume she has some sort of epic writer's block, which is not surprising considering the way the second book ended. There are a lot of ways the series could end, and I am not sure that I would be able to choose the best way without a great deal of consideration.

However, I believe a decade of consideration is enough. Mrs. Rawn, if you are reading this, please hear your loyal reader's plea. There's only so much waiting I can handle before I go insane. The publication date Amazon has for January 2009 gives me no hope-- I remember when that date was for 2002, 2005, and so forth.