I hadn't seen the shortlist before; that's how out of touch I'm getting. I think Sam Jordison's doing Halting State a bit of a disservice when he describes it as `a 350-page exploration of the economics within the virtual worlds of computer games.' It's a lot more complex than that. You know I loved both Halting State and The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I'd be hard pressed to put a Rizla paper between them. Which probably means Brasyl will win.