Way back when Wotmania was young-ish and I got tired of waiting for RJ to come out with a new book, I really got into the fantasy genre. Spent a lot of time in specialist fantasy bookshops. Found Erikson.

After the second and third books in the Malazan series - Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice - I found that everything else in the genre tasted flat, insipid and so derivative.

Cyberpunk - especially Richard Morgan - helped a bit, with liberal additions of House of Chains and Midnight Tides. But come the end of Midnight Tides I abandoned the genre.

Moved into crime fiction. Did most of them. Mrs. Druid is also partial to crime, so we have built up a lot of books in the past two-three years.

Collectively, we have found a mutual preference for crime novels set in locations other than New York, London and other gritty places. Think the Donna Leon Commissario Brunetti series set in Venice; think Don Winslow's books set in San Diego and Mexico (I cannot recommend Winslow's "The Power of the Dog" too highly), think Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri series set in Laos - whimsical fun.

Then along came Stieg Larsson. Like most right-thinking people I have an aversion to buying volume one of a trilogy then having to wait...and wait...and wait. So I left them alone. Until early December when finding myself in an airport bookshop with nothing to read. Bought the second at the airport bookshop on the way home. Mrs Druid bought the third.

The effect of the Millenium Trilogy? All the other crime stuff is now tasting flat, insipid and so derivative.

So brothers and sisters. Beware! Read Erikson and Larsson at your peril. You may never be able to read another word in their respective genres if you do. While you are contemplating, seems a good idea to avoid these wicked, evil if skilled authors with Scandinavian names altogether...Erikson...Larsson...mmm?

I must to non-fiction go, I fear. But wait! What is this I see? Gardens of the Moon by some guy called Steven Erikson! And this time I will know what he is talking about!