NextRead

SF Signal gives Before They Were Hanged by Joe Abercrombie 4 1/2 stars saying, ‘I’m not usually a fantasy fan, but Before They Are Hanged is one of the rare books that I didn’t want to put down and pulled out to read whenever I could’, which us usually a good sign that a book is working for you.

Coincidently Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist’s Provisional Top 5 includes Joe Abercrombies’s Last Argument of Kings.

SF Signal stopped reading The Yiddish Policmen’s Union by Michael Chabon. I don’t think you can tell if you’re going to like something if someone else thinks it drags. You really do have to read a few pages and see if you gel. There a quite a few authors that I don’t meet minds with. After you get past the style things then you can move onto if it’s actually worth reading. Seemingly SF Signal wasn’t gripped enough?

Reading Matters has reviewed Digging Up the Dead by Druin Burch and gave it 4/5 stars saying, ‘The picture of Astley that emerges from this rather in-depth but beautifully written biography is an enormously complicated man, arrogant but caring by turns, who loved to take risks but made sure to cover his tracks when it counted most’, I’ve read some of it and I’d agree that it is in depth and fascinating though may be a tag gruesome from sensitive types. (Can there be that many about with programmes like Chuck, BONES, CSI being shown daily?)

The Wertzone has a review of Shadow Gate by Kate Elliot, mentioned in my May Round-Up and it looks like Book Two keeps things moving that at the end you want to pick up the next one straight away. The Wertzone also has a review of Book One, Spirit Gate.

OF Blog of the Fallen has a wonderfully intriguing post about Debuts and hype. I do think that I’m a little strange in the proportion of debut authors that catch my eye. Funnily four out of the six books at the top of the review pile are debuts. Most have received some form of hype otherwise I wouldn’t have been sent them. What’s the phrase about being obscure? Reading is all about gaining a fan base and when you have that, though you might be a slave to them, you have a selection of people that will buy your next book.

Though if you have only a small book you might need to write something more appealing to a wider audience to gain more readers and perhaps piss-off your loyal readers… Michael Marsall Smith has had a reinvention crossing the great genre divide and is a postive example of gaining a wider audience by changing your writing and audience.

It’s also hard to get people to try new things, be it tv shows, music or books so anything you can do to get them interested is a positive thing surely? And hopefully they’ll want to read the next thing by that author.

Of Blog of the Fallen also continues their thoughts in series of posts about reviews. This one is, So what goes into making a review a “good” one? I read a lot of reviews and the more you read them the more you choose who you listen to. At least that’s how I work. Here’s my comment on the post:

Thanks Larry, and everyone, for lots of food for thought.

Mark has a good point about writers being reviewers. I don’t think that egos do on the whole get in the way. The majority of print reviews in the UK papers are written by authors as they are seen as having the calibre to understand and evaluate work. I have a 2:1 degree in Creative Writing and experience in evaluation and criticism of the works of others.

So I’d consider my self qualified if push came to shove but I’ve never claimed any real agenda with my reviews or my blog apart from championing the books I liked, mentioning the books I don’t enjoy and why and informing people of all the wonder books they have to choose from. Oh and pointing them to other peoples opinions. I don’t think you can really just take one persons word for it.
I do give as honest as I can reviews, which is hard when you are self-editing, without venturing too much into analyse which is more criticism (in the complete sense) than a review.

Yep, and you’re not going to see too many negative reviews from me either. If I can make it to the end I’ll like it enough to review it which has to make it a 6/10 at least unless the author really messes up the ending. There are too many books to read books that you’re not enjoying – being challenging doesn’t mean that I won’t read it. I don’t go for easy reads I just won’t go for books that lack at least one driving factor to read keep reading. And if they’re making my inner editor shout there is no hope.

Final mention of the OF Blog with a review of Zoran Živković, Twelve Collections and the Teashop and I’m kicking myself for missing out on the review copy of this one. And I’ve put too much on the credit card this month…seriously otherwise I’d order it. Damn!

Sci-Fi Chick has an unlucky number on her reading pile.

Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist already has a provisional Top 5/10 for 2008 with only half a year to go! Does anyone know if The Edge of Reason by Melinda Snodgrass is getting a UK release anytime soon? Oh and I’ll have to order The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia

Oh and some more thoughts on Hyping of books courtesy of Pat and Simon Spanton, a shaper of the UK publishing scene being an editor at Gollancz. After reading the original review I’d say that the focus was more on buzz/noise surrounding the publication than the book itself. I’ve left more thoughts in the comments on the post.

Fantasy Debut, as usual has a great selection of debuts plus it’s just over a year and week old! How fab is that!

Lawrence of The Gravel Pit has moved to Count Zero (sounds explosive). Good luck, looking forward to seeing what the move brings.

John Self at The Asylum couldn’t finish a book…offers some good insight regardless.

The Steel Remains get’s another interesting, not so positive review at Books What I’ve Read.

Fantasy Book Critic as always is packed with stuff. A review of Mind the Gap by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon stood out because it’s my kind of book and I’ve seen it anywhere else! How does that happen?

The we have the June Spotlight. The biggie for me has to Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley, a sequel to Winterbirth, I reviewed quite badly (that’s me and not that book, which I quite liked in the end.) Reviews have already appeared at Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review, and The Book Swede. I’m also liking the look of The Dark Ones by Anthony Izzo. I have review copies of The Gone-Away World by Nick Harway and Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan calling, shouting in fact to be read. So I’ll have to choose after finishing The Lost Boys by James Miller, which is strange and intriguing so far. Oh and I have a copy of Superpowers by David J. Schwartz. Three debuts, I think

Conrad Williams gets an interview and a review. Robert like Midnight Never Come. Superpowers he feels was a good, but not great effort. I’m still looking forward to seeing how fiction handles something that only seems to work best in comic books.

Chris, the book swede has reminded me that I need to pick up The Solaris Book of New Fantasy especially for the Mark Chadbourn short story.

There’s a post I want to read later called Science in our Fiction. Good question, where does science end and fiction(fantasy) begin? I’m inclined to say make it up as long as it makes some sort of sense. I’m probably very wrong in saying that. Ok, I’m really wanting The Edge of Reason to get a UK release after reading another review.

Grasping the Wind has a positive review of The Court of Air by Stephen Hunt, which has its US publication this month. I really am going to have to take this off the shelves and actually read it to make up my mind! There is also an interview. More good stuff about Midnight Never Come (am I helping to over hype it and set myself up for disappointment?). I really have to get round to reading the guardian’s Charles Stross interview.

The Fantasy and Book Lovin’ Book Review has a review of Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie. Another series I need to read.

WJ Fantasy Reviews has fallen in love with Karen Miller whilst reading Empress. Now that’s impressive writing

And finally Christopher Fowler has 5 Things I Do TO Avoid Writing My Next Novel.

I’m not going to say how long this has taken to do, and read, but I need to post these things more often. Lots of fun. I hope there aren’t too many mistakes as I’m too tired to proof read. Lazy I know.