Don't get me wrong; this collection is far less sexist than, say, typical Frank Frazetta. And, obviously, fantasy art is expected to portray people who are beautiful and heroically proportioned. All good and well.

But it would be nice if it didn't seem to always pander to the fantasies of teenage boys. We twentysomething women like fantasy, too, and buy it in spite of the bimbo covers. But chances are, more of us would buy more of it if we saw our fantasies being portrayed.

For instance, one of Ciruelo's paintings portrays a blond, virtually naked nymph hiding from a hunting party. She's also ankle-deep in snow. Brr! Wondering if men really think about this sort of thing, I consulted an older friend, a professed Sensitive Guy who actually owns a copy of Sleepless in Seattle. He looked at the picture and nodded gravely, admitting that yes, while cross-country skiing he'd had similar fantasies of finding naked women in the snowy woods.

Conversely, I have never once daydreamed about freezing my tits off in a snowbank while waiting for a wandering barbarian to find me. Issues of temperature and clothing aside, most of us women have at one time or another dreamed of being seduced. But we also dream of seducing, and of kicking butt. There is a serious lack of feminine butt-kicking in Luz. Some of Ciruelo's ladies are armed, yes, but they're never actually doing any fighting. They're just decorative.

And I think publishers should share the criticism for this. Ciruelo is a commercial artist, and market forces temper his creative vision. He paints what publishers think we want to buy. If we think this vision is limited, it's up to us, writers and readers alike, to expand the definition of the genre.