Thursday, September 13, 2007

My Review System

Since this is my first review here let me layout my rating system. I use a standard 1-10 scale. Anything 9 or above is something I consider a must read for fans of the genre. A 7 or 8 generally means I thought the books lacked a few things or could have done some things better but that I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others. A 5 or a 6 generally means I found the book to be just "OK". It was enjoyable in parts but there were some things about the book that either failed to draw me in or I found severely lacking. Like the numbers imply it's a 50-50 book. A for or 5 is something I'd recommend to hardcore fans but not for those who don't read a lot of of SFF. Lower than a 5 is basically a book I found so uninteresting and and so lacking that I had trouble finishing it.

Just as there are very few books that will get above a 9 from me. There are even fewer that will get less than 5. Some of that has to do with my being a fan of the genre that I'll find enough redeeming qualities to finish it. Or that I have enough respect for the craft of writing that I appreciate the authors attempts flawed as they may as been. Some of it has to do with limited time and budgets. Unless I can get to a point where I am reading advanced copies from the publisher the books I will read and review are books that have positive reviews from others. I'm not a masochist or independently wealthy. Like almost all readers I spend my time and money on those books I have expectations of enjoying. That said let's review some books.

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