I’ve been plowing through books lately. I can tell, because the last Y review was only about a month ago. So that’s pretty cool? I’m torn about the current one. Safeword was fun all the way through, and fast to read in the way that this series is far more than any of the others that I read. It had interesting plot developments, necessary and meaningful character growth, and the usual spotlight on how women run the world just as well or as badly as men do, once given the chance. But at the same time, it felt a lot more like a transition book than anything else. I know you have to do that sometimes, and it’s not like I enjoyed the momentary events any less than usual. But I’m always left feeling a little bit dissatisfied, if I can’t also find something obviously interesting to talk about after the fact. And other than a couple of cool spoilery plot turns, that is exactly what I have right now. Oh, well.

Point of interest, though. There was discussion among the characters about how much time has passed since the men all died and since Yorick, Agent 355, and Doctor Allison have been traveling toward Allison’s lab in San Francisco. And said timespan is completely unbelievable to me. On the road for over a year, and only into the Mountain timezone? I understand that society has broken down, such that gas is rare for cars and trains and so forth, and such that it’s dangerous for everyone, and extra care has to be taken to keep the last living male mammals safe from that danger. So if they told me they’d been on the road (counting train hitching sometimes, mind you!) for 4 months, I’d be fine with that. 6, and I’d shrug and let it roll off my back. 12 to 18 months, though? I can’t bring myself to believe it. If it took me more than 6 months to walk from Boston to Los Angeles, even having to beg and forage my own food, I would be amazed. (I mean, I might fail to forage and starve, I guess? But that’s outside the scope of my complaint.)