This note does not contain major spoilers for the book.

Seemed like time for a reread, and the most expedient course seemed to be the Baen Webscription service. I got a good, clean, HTML version of the book for $5. Dropped it into iSilo, hotsynch to the Palm, and read away.

Since the copy I read last was an advance proof, there might have been small differences. I saw nice little touches I don't remember from before, but I also don't remember that much detail from most of my book reading; the versions might have been absolutely identical.

Having been reading a bit of the discussion on rec.arts.sf.written lately, seems like a number of people are thinking of this as a lesser book. I dunno. The threats, both personal and political, are right up there at the top. Miles takes risks, earns trust, displays ruthlessness, learns things, all those good clever things we know and love. And wins by doing them, just barely. (Look, it's unnatural for a person to win so often, but it'd be boring if he failed and died.)

And I like the quaddie society a lot, and I still love the description of the various quaddie zero-g ballet numbers.