Do you guys read reviews on Amazon, or Goodreads?
I do – not only those for my books, but also those for other people’s books.
I try and write a few reviews, too – feedback is important, and it’s good to try and help spread the word about good books.
So, yesterday, I was waiting for dinner time browsing a few amazon reviews, and I chanced upon a thing that sort of scared me.
No, really, I was scared.
I’ve just had the opportunity of browsing a copy of Philip Parker’s Himalaya, and I’m absolutely impressed.
The subtitle – The Exploration & Conquest of the Greatest Mountains on Earth – gives a good idea of what’s to be expected.
But the quality of the volume is surprising.
The book, published by Conway, is an absolutely gorgeous, one-stop reference on the geography and history of the Himalayan chain, featuring concise but nicely varied chapters on the major topics and a selection of great images.
Mountain climbers provide extra contents by remiscing on their experiences, while specialist authors cover geology, geography, politics and related topics.
The foreword is by Peter Hilary.
Himalaya is available both in hard-copy and in digital format – but I guess a color-able ereader or a tablet are indispensable to appreciate the graphic contents of this book.
Singapore is a city franchise.
Nanotechnology is replacing some areas of standard technology (there is a fantastic liquid personal computer).
There is an Afterlife, which conforms to the standards of Chinese tradition – a feudal paradise , a highly bureaucratized hell.
Gods and demons interact directly with humanity.
Detective Inspector Chen of Singapore Three police department deals with crimes on the border between the two worlds.
Now, someone is killing teenagers, kidnapping their virtuous souls to initiate them into prostitution in the alleyways of Hell.
And it may just be the tip of a very dangerous iceberg, in a plot full of political collusion and interdimensional speculations.
Snake Agent is the first novel in the series featuring Inspector Chen by British award-winning author Liz Williams.
The story is an unusual, heady mix of science fiction, urban fantasy, horror and thriller, reprising the classic “buddy movie” motif, when Chen joins his infernal counterpart , the Seneschal Zhu Irzh, a humanoid enough demon (whith something of the mantis) who is also on the trail of criminals.
Mystical combats, exorcisms, investigations – there’s it all, and then more.
The first Detective Chen novel is very well written, original, funny, with characters that are multi-faceted enough to transcend the obvious limitations imposed by the adoption of certain clichés.
Highly recommended.
You may have noticed a Goodreads Widget appeared in the sidebar here on the right, last week.
I’m not a great Goodreads user – after the initial “feeding frenzy”, the two days solid spent recording all the books I read and listing all the books I’d like to read, I sort of drifted away, and in the last few months I checked my account maybe once every three weeks.
What caused me a certain surprise was finding out, last Thursday, that not only all of my free ebooks are listed in Goodreads, and have quite good ratings, but even my recent short story, Tyrannosaurus Tex, which went on sale through Amazon ten days ago, is there on Goodreads already, and has a great rating!
And I even have four (count’em, four!) self-proclaimed fans of mine.
I have got fans on Goodreads!
And they’ve been there – reviews, ratings and fans – since goodness knows when.
And I did not know about’em!
It certainly never came to me the idea of doing a vanity search, and on Goodreads of all places.
And my fans, and my highly positive reviewers… well they did not even drop me a line!
And it’s weird, because the web is such, right now, that I’m painfully aware of my negative reviews – because having given you a good thrashing, they’re quite happy to let you know about it.
And at the same time, my fans and those that like my work are too shy to get in touch with me.
So I’m taking a moment to send out a belated Thank You, Guys!!
I do not have many readers – but this is fine, as I’m just starting out in the ebook arena, and hopefully more will come.
But as I have a small numbers of readers, it seems to me like a good opportunity for getting to know them.
Because without them, of course, my stories and essays are meaningless, lifeless, useless.
I’ll have to find a way to cure my fans of their shyness.
Any suggestions?
The comments section is always open…
I promised a short review of Corey Walden’s The Effect Of China On Korea And Japan In Pre-Modern Asia, a short (14 pages) Kindle text that was free until a few days ago, and now goes for about one buck.
The ebook is essentially a long article describing, well, the effect(s) of China on Korea and Japan in Pre-Modern Asia.
As an introductory text on the topic, this is fine – but I find it ultimately very lightweight.
It would be nice as a magazine piece, or as the introductory chapter of a far longer and detailed text.
It’s a good starting point, it can be read in one hour.
Is it worth a buck?
YMMV.
Sure some pointers to further readings would have been greatly appreciated
Karavansara 