Going too far???

I wasn't going to respond to any of this, but this thing has reached proportions that I can't really ignore.

I have no desire to say much on the subject, as pertinent arguments have already been flying all over the internet concerning this story. If you are a fantasy fan and have any sort of presence on fantasy-related message boards, you must certainly have heard of this.

If not, here is the review which started the controversy. To make a long story short, the reviewer in question did not care much for Scott Lynch's debut. As it turns out, the hype surrounding the release of The Lies of Locke Lamora raised her expectations to such a level that it made it well nigh impossible for her to get into the tale. For some unfathomable reason, that reviewer picked up Lynch's debut hoping that it was the second coming of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

In my own review of The Lies of Locke Lamora, I warned people to not believe the hype. Just enjoy the book for what it is -- a terrific and entertaining caper. Scott Lynch is not the new Robert Jordan or George R. R. Martin. He's not the second coming of J. R. R. Tolkien. He's the first Scott Lynch. Period. And that should be good enough for everyone!

That the reviewer hated the book, I have no problem with. Enjoying a book is a very subjective experience, and we are all looking for different things when we sit down to read a new novel. On his LiveJournal, Scott himself explains how a classic like Dune is loved and despised in equal measures among scifi fans. So the fact that this woman never could get into the story doesn't mean much.

When she claimed that reviewers who had immensely enjoyed it had probably been bribed by the publishers, however, she went too far. The fantasy/scifi community, although globe-spanning with the internet, is a relatively small world in and of itself. And reviewers with little or no integrity could not last very long. I have a lot of respect for Jay Tomio, Rob Bedford, and a number of other reviewers. And some fans hold me in the same regard. There is no way readers would respect and trust reviewers like us if we tried to forcefeed them crap. So that woman's groundless claims are ridiculous.

As for bribes, other than ARCs and finished copies and interviews, I have never received anything else from a publisher. When I visited my contact at the Random House building in NYC a couple of weeks ago, he offered me coffee. An offer which I immediately declined, showing him the sort of moral fibre I'm made of! Bribes!?! This ain't Hollywood, babe! I, for one, would never attempt to fool those men and women who read my blog every week, looking for something good to read. If I don't like a book, that's the way it is. I won't go out of my way to mud-sling an author and his or her work. But I will not, under any circumstances, tell my readers that something's great if it's not. Accordingly, I'm persuaded that the other reviewers I have come to rely on share my view on this. We might not always agree (heck, Jay and I can't even agree on why we liked the same book!), but their opinion counts when the time comes for me to read something new.

As one can expect when a bomb like this explodes, it generated a lot of responses. Those interested in reading some of them can look here. The funny thing about this little mess is that this woman made such ludicrous claims to encourage people not to buy Lynch's book. But this controversy has reach such proportions that readers who had no desire to pick up The Lies of Locke Lamora will now do so. Just to see what the dispute is all about.

So Scott -- if you are reading this -- when you get that royalty cheque and you're shopping for that new convertible, remember to send her a thank-you note, perhaps even a signed copy of the novel!;-) And why not a copy of Terry Goodkind's Faith of the Fallen, just for good measure. That way, she could see what real crap is all about!

P. S. If any of you guys are receiving bribes for your reviews, could you please let me know where to apply to become part of this program!?! Wouldn't want to miss out on this!;-)