Before I sat down to read it, I was doubtful I'd enjoy it. I read it as soon as it appeared and wish every Twainian would read it. I liked it then, and like it upon reflection, and might even read it again someday. It conforms to HF only in plot, and it's a carefully crafted fit. The tone, however, is darker and Pap more menacing than in HF. This seems appropriate, and reinforces the feeling that the book is pulling back the curtain on the grim social truths that are just below the surface in HF. But I've always thought HF was a darker, grimmer, more heavily ironic novel than any critic has ever had the guts to admit, and that the "problem with the ending" much ado about not much. I'm completely baffled that anyone would be startled or upset to learn that Huck's mother (in this book) is explicitly black. It makes perfect thematic sense to me. I guess if I had to find a flaw I'd say that some of the syntax in the dialogue was distracting for me, but that's something so minor I might not notice it on a second reading. I read it in two sittings, which is rare for me these days, with so many time commitments. Now I do wonder how my next reading of HF will be influenced by having read this book. Kevin Mac Donnell Austin TX 78730