Wednesday, August 4, 2021

The problem with reviews

I get asked for book reviews, with some amount of frequency.

I don’t blame anyone for asking me, or asking others, to review their book. Now that I’m an author I empathize with that sentiment, quite deeply. All authors want and need readers, and reviewers. More than money, or at least on equal footing, writers crave readers who enjoy their work. They seek validation that their work is good, and connects with a reader on some emotional level. And most want others to write about their book.

But please know that when I get your email, it makes me wince, and hurt a little inside, as reviews present many problems to the reviewer. Here are a few:

They’re a huge time commitment. Reviewing a book requires you to read the book (you better read it; “reviewing” a book because you know the author is unethical), and read it closer than you might if you were reading for pure enjoyment. Then comes the writing. To write a review of any substance requires some degree of planning, and thought, and care. You can certainly go the route of a four-five sentence capsule of what you liked about a book, and there is a place for those, particularly on Amazon. But I think careful reviewing is an art form. An honest review should do more than breezily sketch the plot and end with “I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Robert E. Howard.” A good, earnest review should teach you something new about the book, or the genre, and place the author in a community of like authors. There should be some indication of the style and manner in which the story is told. In short, a good review is itself an art form, and takes time to craft properly.

Related to the above, reading something new must always close other doors, possibly to something better. Years ago I wrote a post for Black Gate on the problem of the glut of fantasy in the market. An intractable problem facing new writers is the weight of history, and the hundreds of thousands of authors that have gone before them. In my middle age is it apparent that I will NEVER be able to read all the books I want to. Right now I’m barely managing a book a week, which puts me at 52 books a year. At age 48, I might have another 40 years of life in me, if I’m lucky… that’s a little over 2,000 books, at best. A sobering thought. My time is finite and I want to spend it well. Should I read a new book by an unknown author, or should I read the Poul Anderson and Fritz Leiber and Michael Moorcock titles I haven’t gotten to yet? Or re-read a beloved old classic?

The moral quandary of reviewing bad books, or books you don’t enjoy. What if you don’t like a book, either one you’ve sought out, or one you’ve been asked to review? Do you write the review, or say nothing? Do you write a (semi) dishonest review, focusing perhaps on a few things you found OK, while leaving out your valid critiques? I still think of this brilliant review of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind, a highly regarded book which I detested. Like a surgeon Adam Roberts dissects his problems with that book, comparing it unfavorably with The Children of Hurin, released at the same time by the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien. Roberts’ review is perhaps a little arch in places but it’s not mean-spirited. I find it illuminating, with much to teach us about the potent spell good fantasy can place on the reader, and the importance of being taken out of the modern world. Some might object to this line of criticism. If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all. I do believe there is a time and place for that sentiment, but I also believe that good critique serves a valuable function. The problem is that I don’t think most authors want to hear it. And I’m not sure I want to write it, as I don’t like hurting anyone’s feelings.

...

Now that I’ve spent some considerable digital ink expressing my deep reservations of the book review enterprise, believe it or not I do want to do more reviews of new works—as I am able. I want to support the sword-and-sorcery community, and there are many worthy publications and authors and titles that deserve the exposure and the commentary. I’ll mix them in as I can.

5 comments:

  1. Rats, I just sent you twenty book fantasy series. It is like The Wheel of Time only not as pity.

    Okay, joking aside, it is probably better either to not review or to review only books you like. Better to promote the good. And of course, if you write a negative review it might turn out to be the next "Ooh those Awful Orcs" or "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd." Those being two essays by Edmund Wilson (on Tolkien and mysteries respectively) that have come to live in infamy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You've hit on many of the reasons I'm not doing reviews very often these days. Aside for Real Life commitments, that is.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I completely understand, Brian. I seldom do reviews, and when I do, it's usually a classic book that perhaps hasn't had the attention it deserves. That's also one reason I have a difficult time finding authors for the Candid Conversation in Sexy Fantastic magazine (and before, for Literary Wonder & Adventure Show). I have little time to read due to the huge workload of my own art and writing, running Dream Tower Media, and especially Sexy Fantastic magazine. I've actually found an author recommended by someone or praised by the traditional publishing establishment and then disliked their book intensely. It can be very awkward if one has already established contact (Hey, if someone was nominated for a reward, the book must be good, right? Not so.).

    I feel exactly the same about The Name of the Wind. I thought it was unimaginative, with mediocre writing, and came off almost like the script to a Hollywood movie. But people praise it as if it is great literature, like Nabokov. In the end, I suppose it's mostly a personal opinion and taste, but I'm amazed at how many people I have found who share the same negative opinion of certain huge fantasy best sellers. They are, at the very least, overrated. I suspect current readers have not read enough of the classics of great literature to know what good writing actually is.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks all... again I'll do some reviews as I'm able, but they are a substantial commitment. No 10 book series thanks!

    Robert: The Name of the Wind was a head-scratcher... I could not reconcile the praise it was getting with what I actually read.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love this post. It's so freaking true.

    ReplyDelete