Joe Kessler’s Reviews > The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe > Status Update

I love it when speculative fiction authors make up new idioms to suit their invented cultures, and "water long lost to the sea" (in place of "water under the bridge") is particularly beautiful.

"She reopened the book and began to read, but an aged man in violet robes so old they had faded to lavender entered the room and castigated her for touching the books. Despite the differences in language, age, and sex, his tone was a mirror of that of Uneshyl Pos, the librarian at the Women's College; for all librarians are the same librarian."

Thank you Kij Johnson for introducing the word "clowder" into my life. I didn't know how much I needed that until now.