Kevin's Watch

Those blurbs at the start of books, quotes from newspapers and reviewers, saying it's the 'new Tolkien' etc.

Any reader will probably be influenced by them. It's a way of finding new books that might interest you. They're (in a twisted sense) the reason I read TCTC, a review of a computer game compared it to 'Tolkien and Donaldson at their best'.

But I've just been let down badly! One of my fave Irish authors is Colin Bateman, and on the most recent one I've read, a few reviewers compared him to Carl Hiaasen. Never heard of CH, but in my local 2nd hand bookstore I spotted a couple of his books and thought I'd give them a go. Spent the last 2 weeks wading through 'Skinny Dip'.

What a disappointment! The blurbs on skinny dip should read along the lines of 'colin bateman without the sharpness, the wit, the character development, the plot , nor the unputdownableness, but set in america so it must be good!'

Anyone else had good or bad experiences?

Good, mostly. I used to be into that Wheel of Time guy... what's his name? Jordan? (Haven't read them in a while.) Anyway- I was browsing through books and came across some book called 'A Game of Thrones' with a blurb on the cover from Jordan praising it. So I gave it a chance, realized that Martin is 100 times the author Jordan is (in my opinion), and I haven't read Wheel of Time since.

Also, Donaldson's supporting of Erikson is what pushed me and made me finish Gardens of the Moon, and I'm pretty happy with that decision too.

I don't think news articles or reviewers persuade me to buy a book or not, but praise from another I respect certainly can.

I never thought much of Carl Hiassen; I read maybe three of his books, and he's basically a knock-off of John McDonald (Travis McGee books). He got real old real fast for me.

I like Carl Hiaasen's books. Black humour. Don't think I've read "Skinny Dip" but love Native Tongue, Double Whammy, Stormy Weather, Sick Puppy, Skin Tight, and probably a couple more.

--A