It is all about the characters and one of the things that keep me drawn to Brian's books are the characters. I agree with his assessment ... sometimes it takes too long to become involved in books and the reader will lose interest. I stopped reading books by Tom Clancy because in one of his 1500 page behemoths, the story itself did not really get started until after page 400, the rest all being background. Another author that I have met and communicated with told me you need to get the reader hooked almost from page one. Brian hooks me, creates characters and situations which I can understand and relate to, and that is why I read his books.