I really suffered from the lack of Gideon through most of the book. And I was just plain confused for most of the book, as well. But I am not a careful reader, and some of this was my own damn fault. Over on my own DW page, I listed the fairly short number of things I actually understood. I am definitely reading these again. And I do think that the Gideon-sized hole at the center of the narrative works really well, if you aren't rushing. But I was rushing, desperate to see if Gideon showed up again. I need to slow down and savor HtN, I think.

It really is very much a middle book, isn't it?