Having finished the previous book, and considering that I'm still working on Self-Made Man (Fascinating, but depressing! Also, the cause of a mild disagreement with my friend J., who said "Well, I just don't think that men and women are that different!" and then I had to really bite my tongue so as not to say "WHAT A RIDICULOUS THING TO BELIEVE! ON THE ORDER OF THE MOON LANDING DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!!") and The Alchemist (which I'm actually enjoying a lot more than I thought I would, considering the terrible anxiety I have about new-age/magical realism novels.) I have moved on to The Religion by Tim Willocks. It's about Hospitallers in the 1560s. Or. Something. I haven't gotten very far yet. It's set on Malta.

The Amazon reviews worry me a little, as the user comments are split about 50/50 between "TERRIBLE!" and "BETTER THAN JAMES CLAVELL!"

And, you know, not being a huuuuuuuge Clavell fan, I worry that I may have made a poor choice. Hmmm.