She hardly expected the visitor. She was in good health with good doctors, and she wasn't old. But there it was, interrupting her a quarter of the way into Ancillary Justice: the Reaper. "Listen," she said, "just let me finish this book and I'll go quietly, okay? You don't want me to throw a fuss, do you?"

Death shook its head and beckoned.

"Now? Okay, how about a deal. I hear you like those. So, read the first thirty pages of this." She pulled the Game of Thrones off a shelf and handed it to Death. "If you can put it down without finishing it after that, fine, I'm yours. Otherwise, I get to finish my book."

Death sat and read silently. She went back to reading. She was getting hungry when she realized Death was still reading.

"Here," she said. "I have to go out. If you finish that before I get back, here are the rest."

A week later, Death came to her while she was working on Ancillary Sword. "All finished?" she said. "If you liked those, try the Wheel of Time. Here." She pulled another stack from her bookcase.

She lived another forty long, healthy years.