Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte

[Drunk Monk]

I ws just starting to get into it when it was all "and here's a sample 1st chapter from the next book". I felt set up. Too much was left unresolved. It wasn't a book so much as a pilot. I found some of the descriptions repetative. The kid was always sleeping 'like a dormouse'. Everything kept coming back to Flanders, but only a few of those references contributed much to the development. The frozen pond eyes (not sure if Viggio is up to that part). The fights were good, and I think it'll make a great movie.

How many are there in this series anyway? I guess I'm not really into serials anymore.