Comments on: Voices of the Dead

By: Leanna Renee Hieber

Leanna Renee Hieber — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:07:18 +0000

It IS monetarily useful, however, if we’re compared to wildly commercially popular authors. I’m totally going to start saying that Stephenie Meyer, Stephen King and J. K. Rowling have given cover quotes for your next book.

By: World Wide Wednesday: Minotaurs are the new Vampires! | Fantasy Literature's Fantasy Book Reviews

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:32:26 +0000

[...] Sykes doesn’t mind being compared to other authors – but he wants to be judged on his own merits! The comments are just as interesting in this case as the blog post itself, since a few well-known [...]

By: LianeMerciel

LianeMerciel — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:21:09 +0000

(grumble snarg, I meant to quote Scott Lynch’s “It’s an especially unhelpful comparison when it’s “[debut author in their 20s] is no [experienced author who's been doing this for years or decades].”” up there.

Oh well I am bad at the Internets.)

By: LianeMerciel

LianeMerciel — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:19:46 +0000

I’m totally biased, but… I KNOW.

I mean, yes, there is that rare and wondrous prodigy who can withstand such comparisons (such as, um, you).

But for the most part, noobs are noobs. I’m sure as hell a noob. I _know_ I suck relative to people who have been doing this longer than I’ve been alive and are at the top of the field. That’s how it’s supposed to be! The world would be a sad sad place if people could do this for 30 years and not be any better at it than I am.

/rant for today.

By: Jared

Jared — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:27:44 +0000

Adrian has made sense with every comment. It is lazy reviewing, but, outside of that context, only human. Comparing book a to book b is shorthand and, in most cases, used positively.

I also think it is honest – readers will like one book more than another, and as long as they’re being up front about it being their own personal taste, that’s perfectly acceptable. It is ok to like… I dunno… (no safe comparison, is there?)… L. Ron Hubbard more than Jane Austen.* But that’s it… I personally like L. Ron Hubbard more than Jane Austen. (And let me tell you, Austen was no Hubbard).**

I suppose adjectives like “better” are where the knives come out…

*That’s not actually ok.
** Thank god.

By: sam

sam — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:28:03 +0000

It’s true. I fear I shall never achieve that particular aspiration until I have a picture of myself looking thoughtful in a business suit as if to say: “Look at me readers, I am a very professional man, despite the fact that I’ve had to offer ‘got distracted looking at myself in the mirror’ as an excuse for not finishing my latest book six times now.”

By: Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:21:34 +0000

Your abject failure to be me is, and will always be, your greatest shortcoming, Sykes. It’s the elephant in the room in any review.

By: DanielChuter

DanielChuter — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 11:52:10 +0000

Weren’t fast enough Mr. Lynch.

By: Ros

Ros — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 11:40:35 +0000

Comparing one author to another is shorthand, and it ca be lazy. But I use it sometimes on reviews because people are wondering who else they’ll like in a similar style to their favourite authors. It’s the basis for all these recommendation systems on Amazon and elsewhere, and I’m sure it helps some people find new authors.

But it is frustrating, especially when so many comic fantasy authors get called the next Pratchett, and then accused of not being the next Pratchett, and so on. It’s no substitute for proper analysis.

By: Adrian Faulkner

Adrian Faulkner — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:40:17 +0000

I agree, if it’s a critique by someone ‘professional’ (i.e. someone either paid to write it, or running a serious blog or fanzine) then such comparisons are lazy.