First Final

Every saga has a beginning, and this one begins four weeks ago, when my editor sent me a three-page, single-spaced revisions e-mail and a copy of the ms. for what is now Across the Great Barrier that was full of comment balloons.

It didn't arrive.

We didn't realize this for a week, because I was being restrained and not asking "Where the $#%@& are the revisions requests you promised me on Monday?" and he was being restrained and giving me time to think about them because they were fairly...