Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Jaundiced-Eye-Florence-King/dp/0312039786/ref=pd_sim_b_3) has one of her better collections, in my humble opinion.
The review was spot-on and so were your responses to the whine brigade. The grimdark mode of fantasy confuses grittiness with grottiness (http://www.starshipreckless.com/blog/?p=4622), to say nothing of the virulent misogyny plus sloppy grammar wanting to pass as Elizabethan.
I agree with you on the grimdark mode, in general, though I confess I make an exception for Richard Morgan. Unfortunately Theft of Swords was trying to be a fun adventure in the Howard model. Done well, it could have been brilliantly fun. Done as it was...
Well. Lack of craft would have been enough on its own. Bonus failure-to-see-women-as-more-than-plot-tokens-and-rewards? That's just adding insult to injury.
(And thank you. I probably should have DNR'd to the commenters, but, well. Sometimes you have to push back a bit.)
The Tor review of Mark Lawrence was equally well-done, and solicited equivalent hand-wringing. Howard acolytes seem to have the emotional age of a tantrum-prone four year old boy.
Mentioning the position of women? Yeah, guaranteed to bring the tantrums.
(I am ungodly amused by the fact that Mark Lawrence himself replied to that review. Six months later, and linking to a blog post of his own entitled, "That book with all the rape." There's not really much one can say to that...)
The "women as humans" problem pops up with distressing regularity and vehemence in many self-labeled "progressive" communities: space enthusiasts, atheists, SF/F. The veneer sloughs off almost immediately and people exhibit baboon behavior (incidentally, humans have no biological alpha males -- and D&D practitioners can only aspire to the state/status by distant proxy).
Is It Something in the Water? Or: Me Tarzan, You Ape (http://www.starshipreckless.com/blog/?p=712)
Lawrence's tweets make interesting reading. He took it upon himself to inform Sullivan and all his followers that Sullivan had been "Bourked" by "THE RAGE."
This sort of thing is a prime example of why "Do not respond to reviews" is such a good general rule.
link here (http://twitter.com/mark__lawrence), here are the tweets in order.
On Jan 13, Lawrence notices that PoT has been left off a list of novels published in 2011. He tweets: Tor counterbalancing their 'for people who like this sort of thing' review by excluding PoT here? Hulick too... Prince of Thorns- not listed (along with Among Thieves) in Tor's 411 book spreadsheet listing all 2011releases Just thought they'd remember it having put out a savage review on the day of release also Prince of Thorns and Among Thieves were fairly noticeable releases in 2011 also Tor bid a considerable sum in the hope of publishing PoT themselves... ringing any bells Tor? :) ah, you probably missed the savage review Tor put out on release day then- that's why I'm surprised they forgot
A bit later, some people discuss your SH review, and he comments: they seem to specialise in that sort of review. I can assure you that same reviewer put just as much feeling into her Prince of Thorns review emailed (unsoliciated) to apologise for implying I was like Jorg- didn't change wording though I'd made no complaint at all - maybe she just wanted to get a rise out of me good to see Liviu (a chap who dedicated much of 2011 to (1/2) associating the word 'meh' to Prince of Thorns) has stood up for sanity in the comments (2/2)
He then tweets to Sullivan: you've been Bourked! Welcome to the club :) Sullivan: Okay @Mark__Lawrence Ya stumped me...What is Bourked. I don't run with the "cool kids". Lawrence: I DMed ya. Sullivan: Hey @Mark__Lawrence I'll take the 1621 positive reviews for that book and it's components over Bourke's opinions. Lawrence: I'd any one of those 1621 over THE RAGE :)
Had I inclination, I would be moved to comment about nursing hurt feelings and possessing the belief the world revolves around one's own self. But really. Nothing I could say would make the point more clearly than that.
(Savage review? Dude, please. What I said about Sullivan's book was on the sharp side, yeah. If you think the Tor review was savage, you've been very, very sheltered from criticism your whole life.)
(All right, hawkwing_lb, time to move on, for dwelling is unproductive.)
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 07:36 pm (UTC)Have you ever read Florence King? She used to write the same sort of amusing yet biting essays..
(I would have posted on DW, but I seem to have mislaid my password. )
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 07:45 pm (UTC)(Amusing, eh? I'm glad!)
no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 01:33 pm (UTC)Well. Lack of craft would have been enough on its own. Bonus failure-to-see-women-as-more-than-plot-tokens-and-rewards? That's just adding insult to injury.
(And thank you. I probably should have DNR'd to the commenters, but, well. Sometimes you have to push back a bit.)
no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 02:25 pm (UTC)(I am ungodly amused by the fact that Mark Lawrence himself replied to that review. Six months later, and linking to a blog post of his own entitled, "That book with all the rape." There's not really much one can say to that...)
no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 06:15 pm (UTC)Is It Something in the Water? Or: Me Tarzan, You Ape (http://www.starshipreckless.com/blog/?p=712)
Athena Andreadis, aka Helivoy
no subject
Date: 2012-01-15 06:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 08:11 am (UTC)This sort of thing is a prime example of why "Do not respond to reviews" is such a good general rule.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 09:42 am (UTC)...
...No, really, I got nothing. Except maybe this sensation of all my "Ever take this person seriously, ever," draining away.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:07 am (UTC)On Jan 13, Lawrence notices that PoT has been left off a list of novels published in 2011. He tweets:
Tor counterbalancing their 'for people who like this sort of thing' review by excluding PoT here? Hulick too...
Prince of Thorns- not listed (along with Among Thieves) in Tor's 411 book spreadsheet listing all 2011releases
Just thought they'd remember it having put out a savage review on the day of release
also Prince of Thorns and Among Thieves were fairly noticeable releases in 2011
also Tor bid a considerable sum in the hope of publishing PoT themselves... ringing any bells Tor? :)
ah, you probably missed the savage review Tor put out on release day then- that's why I'm surprised they forgot
A bit later, some people discuss your SH review, and he comments:
they seem to specialise in that sort of review.
I can assure you that same reviewer put just as much feeling into her Prince of Thorns review
emailed (unsoliciated) to apologise for implying I was like Jorg- didn't change wording though
I'd made no complaint at all - maybe she just wanted to get a rise out of me
good to see Liviu (a chap who dedicated much of 2011 to (1/2)
associating the word 'meh' to Prince of Thorns) has stood up for sanity in the comments (2/2)
He then tweets to Sullivan:
you've been Bourked! Welcome to the club :)
Sullivan: Okay @Mark__Lawrence Ya stumped me...What is Bourked. I don't run with the "cool kids".
Lawrence: I DMed ya.
Sullivan: Hey @Mark__Lawrence I'll take the 1621 positive reviews for that book and it's components over Bourke's opinions.
Lawrence: I'd any one of those 1621 over THE RAGE :)
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:33 am (UTC)Had I inclination, I would be moved to comment about nursing hurt feelings and possessing the belief the world revolves around one's own self. But really. Nothing I could say would make the point more clearly than that.
(Savage review? Dude, please. What I said about Sullivan's book was on the sharp side, yeah. If you think the Tor review was savage, you've been very, very sheltered from criticism your whole life.)
(All right,
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:41 am (UTC)