I love how complicated this book is, and how simple. I love how it rejoices in directly environmental description, thought so strange an environment! It feels like I could explore a real place, reading it--somehow it feels very real, if that makes any sense. Even though the work is almost tertiary (creative-scholarly-creative), deriving part of its complexity from its participation in the chronicles of Narnia! I find your comments on Clarke's characters excellent--they prompt me to think more about potential corollaries such as Uncle Andrew, Emeth, and Susan. I wonder who the corollary would be to Clarke's Other?