[Suzerain of Sheol]

You know, I think you have a good point above, about people reading genre as escapist entertainment (perhaps even as an "escape" from literature...). It makes it somewhat counter-intuitive to discuss genre in literary terms like we are, and, yes, makes struggling over a "literary" genre novel an effort that a relative few will appreciate, even if one is successful. Though, I'd like to think there's a growing trend towards maturity in fantasy over the last decade or two.

And reference, of course, how Erikson says he never claimed to be writing escapism. It's so true. :P