Debut [not a] Review: The Electric Church by Jeff Somers
Title: The Electric Church
Author: Jeff Somers
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 20 September 2007
Price: £9.99
Review Copy
Normally I put down books that I don’t enjoy, stick it on the little list on the sidebar and move on. But there has been a lot of hype for The Electric Church so I can’t really just let it drift off.
It all comes down to a question of style (examples of Somers writing can be found here and here) and a matter of taste (mine and not Somers). And Somers prose style is not to my taste. I found it a little cold and more tell and little show.
But it’s probably just me because as mentioned in a previous post it has already got some good reviews.
I’m afraid I didn’t get past the first 30 pages so I there is not a lot more I can say but it’s not for me 
I have this happen from time to time. I actually had a hard time with “Crystal Rain” but I forced myself to finish because I could see that it was a good book, just not my style. I gave it a good review because there was nothing I technically find fault with, but passed the sequel on to someone else.
I’m not sure where I’ll fall where “The Electric Church” is concerned. The plot sounds interesting to me but it is different than what I usually read. We’ll see…
Has not happened to me yet as a reviewer, but it’s happened to me plenty of time as a regular reader. I never did get through Gibson’s Neuromancer.
It’s a bit of a dilemma really. I could struggle through something just to finish it only to give it a foul review because I didn’t enjoy it. Or move on to another book that I might enjoy.
I think there is a difference though between books that aren’t my taste and books that are my taste but are weakly written/plotted/conceived. Like From a Buick 8 not the best Stephen King but still readable.