David Guymer's Blog - Posts Tagged "reviews"
Ratings from Writers
This month, with a great push from the numberless soldiers of Black Library command, saw the release of Dan Abnett’s I Am Slaughter, the first in a 12 month, 12 book series, The Beast Arises (http://www.blacklibrary.com/the-beast...)
Although only books 1-5 have been officially announced, if you were to pop over to Amazon you’d learn pretty quickly that I’ve written The Beast Arises 6: Echoes of the Long War, and have thus been lucky enough to read books 1-5 quite some time ago. Reading books well ahead of their release is something of a perk of the gig, but not being able to tell anyone about it (except in the most obtuse and annoying of codes) or update my ‘currently reading’ status on Goodreads is a definite downside. As an author, being a functioning social media addict is something of a given.
So, it was with long overdue satisfaction that I finally got to stamp my 5-star seal of approval on the first book and be about my way.
At least until I started to receive a couple of comments on my Facebook profile suggesting that perhaps I should be rating this book, or others like it, at all. Now, there was nothing impolite or inappropriate about these comments, and the guys in question are good fans, and it got me honestly thinking about how I, as a writer, review books.
Here, for instance, is a 4-star review of Guy Haley’s Baneblade left by Gav Thorpe:
“A thoroughly enjoyable read. A great blend of 40k madness with a more traditional sci-fi approach that doesn't feel laboured, in some ways more reminsicent of Rogue Trader days with its bizarre but slightly hard-sci-fi-ish world. The story trots along nicely, the setting is wonderfully evoked and the pay-off whilst not a shocker is nicely done.
One star dropped because there was just a couple of chapters around the midway mark that dragged a bit, particularly with the back story, and the ending was a bit too drawn out for my liking without quite concluding a couple of the sub-plots (felt more like an epilogue than a final chapter). Aside from this, overall really good pacing, cool characterisation and some moments that had me really, really gritting my teeth and hoping things were going to turn out differently...”
Well in favour, then, clearly, but with a few minus points picked out, just the same. It certainly sounds like Gav’s honest opinion.
I’m not in the habit of writing reviews, myself. In fact the first I did was for Blaise Maximillian: Bitter Defeat by Matthew Sylvester. It was self-published and he needed the reviews to boost its profile (bonus plug here).
I’m a geek though, and I like to rate things.
I’ve long had something of an unstated code that if I wasn’t totally taken with a book written by somebody I know, then I just wouldn’t rate it at all. It’s impolite, mainly. You wouldn’t go around giving public two-star ratings on the performance of the people around you. Even if you wanted to. The reviews I do give, however, are always honest. A 5-star is a 5-star. A 4-star is a 4-star. And to be completely honest, I do tend to like more stuff than I dislike.
But I’m still wondering if there’s a way I could or should be doing this better. I still haven’t really adapted to the semi-public status of published author. Should I be rating Black Library works at all? Or at least series like The Beast Arises in which I have a stake? I gave a rating to Gotrek & Felix: the Anthology, for instance, on the basis that there were nine other great stories in it on top of mine – was that wrong?
I don’t know, but I’m hoping for a few comments on what you think is right and what you, as readers, would like to see.
Although only books 1-5 have been officially announced, if you were to pop over to Amazon you’d learn pretty quickly that I’ve written The Beast Arises 6: Echoes of the Long War, and have thus been lucky enough to read books 1-5 quite some time ago. Reading books well ahead of their release is something of a perk of the gig, but not being able to tell anyone about it (except in the most obtuse and annoying of codes) or update my ‘currently reading’ status on Goodreads is a definite downside. As an author, being a functioning social media addict is something of a given.
So, it was with long overdue satisfaction that I finally got to stamp my 5-star seal of approval on the first book and be about my way.
At least until I started to receive a couple of comments on my Facebook profile suggesting that perhaps I should be rating this book, or others like it, at all. Now, there was nothing impolite or inappropriate about these comments, and the guys in question are good fans, and it got me honestly thinking about how I, as a writer, review books.
Here, for instance, is a 4-star review of Guy Haley’s Baneblade left by Gav Thorpe:
“A thoroughly enjoyable read. A great blend of 40k madness with a more traditional sci-fi approach that doesn't feel laboured, in some ways more reminsicent of Rogue Trader days with its bizarre but slightly hard-sci-fi-ish world. The story trots along nicely, the setting is wonderfully evoked and the pay-off whilst not a shocker is nicely done.
One star dropped because there was just a couple of chapters around the midway mark that dragged a bit, particularly with the back story, and the ending was a bit too drawn out for my liking without quite concluding a couple of the sub-plots (felt more like an epilogue than a final chapter). Aside from this, overall really good pacing, cool characterisation and some moments that had me really, really gritting my teeth and hoping things were going to turn out differently...”
Well in favour, then, clearly, but with a few minus points picked out, just the same. It certainly sounds like Gav’s honest opinion.
I’m not in the habit of writing reviews, myself. In fact the first I did was for Blaise Maximillian: Bitter Defeat by Matthew Sylvester. It was self-published and he needed the reviews to boost its profile (bonus plug here).
I’m a geek though, and I like to rate things.
I’ve long had something of an unstated code that if I wasn’t totally taken with a book written by somebody I know, then I just wouldn’t rate it at all. It’s impolite, mainly. You wouldn’t go around giving public two-star ratings on the performance of the people around you. Even if you wanted to. The reviews I do give, however, are always honest. A 5-star is a 5-star. A 4-star is a 4-star. And to be completely honest, I do tend to like more stuff than I dislike.
But I’m still wondering if there’s a way I could or should be doing this better. I still haven’t really adapted to the semi-public status of published author. Should I be rating Black Library works at all? Or at least series like The Beast Arises in which I have a stake? I gave a rating to Gotrek & Felix: the Anthology, for instance, on the basis that there were nine other great stories in it on top of mine – was that wrong?
I don’t know, but I’m hoping for a few comments on what you think is right and what you, as readers, would like to see.
Catching up with the 'in' crowd
A few months ago I finally caught up with what tens of thousands of people have been doing for years and started to read the Horus Heresy series. I’d dipped in here and there. My editor, Laurie, had told me that Know No Fear was a good point to jump in so I’d read that. For a bit of background reading for Last Son of Dorn I’d read Prospero Burns. For my current sparring partner/work-in-progress Iron Hands novel, I’d read Meduson and the Primarchs. But I hadn’t yet made the commitment. In fact, not reading it had become something of a battle-worn badge of honour, in the same way that refusing to listen to the *right* kind of music had been at school. Nevertheless, I’d clearly been tip-toeing towards this precipice for some time now, but the final shove came at Warhammer Fest when that man Laurie again pulled me aside to talk about an exciting future project, which hopefully you’ll get to hear about soon.
So that was it then. I’m in.
The journey so far...
Reading a series like this with writer brain engaged (does it switch off??), I can almost feel the authors upping their game. I saw it firsthand with the work I did on the End Times, and got close enough to smell the fear-sweat of it with the closure of the Gotrek & Felix series – you just can’t dissociate yourself from the knowledge that what you’re working on is *important* to a *lot* of people and that you are *not* permitted to f^*k this up. More on writing Slayer in next week’s blog. Here lies the evidence for the benefit of a few sleepless nights, because the first four books in the Horus Heresy series have been awesome.
With one big commitment however, there comes one even bigger.
Authors love reviews of their books. It helps to spread the word and it helps us to connect with our readers and know what they’re thinking, which I’d imagine is what readers want to so really it’s win-win. For all that however, I almost never write reviews. As I embark on my grand Horus Heresy adventure, I’m resolved to start mending my ways and writing reviews. Not just for this series, but for every book I read from hereon. I feel I owe it to the writer (especially as I’m not always... um... paying for Black Library books) and to my own readers whom I pester to write reviews of my books.
Like I’m about to do now.
Please go and review my books. On Amazon. On Goodreads. Anywhere. Please…
Here are my reviews of the Horus Heresy series so far:
Horus Rising) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
False Gods) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Galaxy in Flames) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Flight of the Eisenstein) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
At first I was a little wary, nervous perhaps that people would judge my writings based on my inelegant two paragraphs of after-action scrawl on Horus Rising. But I got over it. And now I actually rather enjoy it. For Flight of the Eisenstein, I even got so into the idea of doing a review at the end that I took notes!
I’d love to read some comments from people who regularly write reviews or even professional book bloggers on their ‘process’.
Now though, before diving headlong into Fulgrim, I’m taking a short break from all things Black Library to catch up on some other reading that I’ve left abandoned for too long. I’m half way through part 1 of the Regeneration Trilogy, I have a hankering to read Robert Harris’ Fatherland after something I read in the newspaper at the weekend, and I’ve had my heart set on Sharp Ends by one of my favourite authors, Joe Abercrombie, ever since I heard about it. Plus I have my Gemmell Awards Reading List to get through before the end of September.
Look out for reviews!
So that was it then. I’m in.
The journey so far...
Reading a series like this with writer brain engaged (does it switch off??), I can almost feel the authors upping their game. I saw it firsthand with the work I did on the End Times, and got close enough to smell the fear-sweat of it with the closure of the Gotrek & Felix series – you just can’t dissociate yourself from the knowledge that what you’re working on is *important* to a *lot* of people and that you are *not* permitted to f^*k this up. More on writing Slayer in next week’s blog. Here lies the evidence for the benefit of a few sleepless nights, because the first four books in the Horus Heresy series have been awesome.
With one big commitment however, there comes one even bigger.
Authors love reviews of their books. It helps to spread the word and it helps us to connect with our readers and know what they’re thinking, which I’d imagine is what readers want to so really it’s win-win. For all that however, I almost never write reviews. As I embark on my grand Horus Heresy adventure, I’m resolved to start mending my ways and writing reviews. Not just for this series, but for every book I read from hereon. I feel I owe it to the writer (especially as I’m not always... um... paying for Black Library books) and to my own readers whom I pester to write reviews of my books.
Like I’m about to do now.
Please go and review my books. On Amazon. On Goodreads. Anywhere. Please…
Here are my reviews of the Horus Heresy series so far:
Horus Rising) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
False Gods) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Galaxy in Flames) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Flight of the Eisenstein) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
At first I was a little wary, nervous perhaps that people would judge my writings based on my inelegant two paragraphs of after-action scrawl on Horus Rising. But I got over it. And now I actually rather enjoy it. For Flight of the Eisenstein, I even got so into the idea of doing a review at the end that I took notes!
I’d love to read some comments from people who regularly write reviews or even professional book bloggers on their ‘process’.
Now though, before diving headlong into Fulgrim, I’m taking a short break from all things Black Library to catch up on some other reading that I’ve left abandoned for too long. I’m half way through part 1 of the Regeneration Trilogy, I have a hankering to read Robert Harris’ Fatherland after something I read in the newspaper at the weekend, and I’ve had my heart set on Sharp Ends by one of my favourite authors, Joe Abercrombie, ever since I heard about it. Plus I have my Gemmell Awards Reading List to get through before the end of September.
Look out for reviews!
