The Chain of Responsibility Has to Start Somewhere
I’m helping out with reviews at TangentOnline. They’re backlogged, so I’m just now reviewing the Spring ‘03 issue of The Third Alternative. Way in the back, in Peter Tennant’s review of Tideland, is the following:
On the cover, Terry Gilliam describes the book as ‘F*cking wonderful.’ Sorry Terrence, but you need to read more.
I am gratified to finally see people who write blurbs publicly held accountable for their endorsements.
Best regards,
Alan Lattimore
This first appeared at s1ngularity::criticism.
July 14th, 2004 at 3:06 pm
What strange, elitist logic would champion the flip remarks of someone who reviews books? Odd. Perhaps the chain of responsibility should start with book reviewers rather than someone who favorably blurbs a book because he or she just happens to like it. Nevertheless, any fool can write a book review, but pretty much no one can be Terry Gilliam except Terry Gilliam.
July 4th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Can’t I have my little happy dance? Please? Just a little one?
An endorsement should be just that. An endorsement. A recommendation. I, as a prominent entity with wide experience and many years in the field, am happy to bring this work to your attention.
I am an innocent. I don’t like it when “endorsement” becomes “product placement,” “branding” and “paid spokesperson.” If the readers don’t hold the authors of misleading praise to account, who is going to?
When I wrote this, I had picked one too many books touted by established writers in the field as somehow exceptional, only to discover the pages between the covers to be neither exceptional nor particularly readable. I am happy to for a difference in taste — some like hard SF, some like paranormal romance, you like your stuff and I’ll stick to mine — but I become belligerent when it seems clear the author of the endorsement not only did not read the work in question, but could not.
I admit I was unduly, unfairly, impertinently, and uncivilly pleased to finally see the author of an endorsement taken to task. I will also admit I have not read the work in question. Had I done so, it might be that I sided with Mr. Gilliam over Mr. Tennant.
Best regards,
Alan