Two farts does not a flatulence problem make

R. Scott Bakker discusses the PW review for Disciple of the Dog (Canada, USA, Europe) in this post:

Disciple, I suppose, could be described as a put-upon, down-on-his-luck investigator who tries to get his own back by continually ducking sideways. He takes the back way home. More and more it’s starting to look as though Disciple of the Dog will be every bit as put-upon and down-on-its-luck as its namesake character. The Publisher’s Weekly review has found its way to Disciple’s Amazon page. It begins, “The cleverness Bakker displayed in his Prince of Nothing fantasy trilogy (The Darkness That Comes Before, etc.) is lacking in this suspense novel introducing Disciple Manning…” In other words, it starts with a dismissive tone. “Clever” is the word people use to describe things not quite as profound as they are: I should know, since this is how I use the term all the time myself! The review then lays out the shape of the plot before ending with: “A crude, off-putting hero with a flatulence problem may leave few readers eager for a sequel.”
Had to break for a laugh…

Too fucking funny.

[...]

It really is a game of chance with every book: not only does it need to reach the right reviewer, it needs to reach them in the right way at the right time. Reviewers are almost as heterogenous in their make-up as the general population of readers. So if you game expectations the way I do, self-consciously try to rub against the grain of certain sensibilities (in the case of Disciple, the kinds of micro-proprieties that people use to cobble together the moral character of people they meet), you are bound to get smacked. All I can do is shake my head, shrug my shoulders, and hope the next roll of the review dice doesn’t come up… craps.

[...]

Click on the link above to read the full piece.

I finished Disciple of the Dog the other day and I enjoyed it. Not as much as Neuropath, but it is a good read for sure. Having said that, Disciple Manning will certainly rub some people the wrong way, and I'm persuaded that Scott is well aware of that. The novel is a bit short, though. I wouldn't have minded an extra 50 or 75 pages to give the story more meat. But all in all, Disciple of the Dog scratched that itch.

Damn, I only recall a single fart, so I guess I missed the other! :P