Kejero...
I am afraid I will have to take issue with one of your statements. Rhianna may or may not have 'star status' on this forum, but her writing is not going to be cut any slack for the obvious reason that we will all compare her with her father who is one of the best writers in the world right now.
I thought the name to be a coincidence when I read the novella, and I liked it. Had I known, I would undoubtedly have expected more from her, which would certainly have been very unfair, but nonetheless.
There are certainly many reasons to praise Alrik without knocking Rhianna. As you say, I doubt many of us could claim to have had our poems published in any kind of professional capacity, let alone in an internationally released computer game. That is a major achievement of which Alrik should rightly be proud.
Alrik's poems added mood to the setting - and yes, were good. I never once got the impression they were created by a tyro, and I read a lot of them. Nobody who did not know would think Alrik's poetry was the work of an amateur, I am sure.
Just a few thoughts <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
