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

When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong…

Robert Eggleton
"Rarity from the Hollow"

The important thing about an epic fantasy novel is that the reader must be exhausted at the end of it. They must feel that they have overcome as many obstacles in getting through the book as the heroes have in fulfilling the quest. So the book must be as difficult to read as possible.

* Rolling, followed by choking sounds. I don’t dare laugh too loud, the baby’s asleep! *

The Australian comedian Ian McFadyen wrote a satirical essay, "How to write a best selling fantasy novel", available at:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~imcfadyen/notthenet/fantasy.htm

Here McFadyen explains why these books are so awkward and hard to slog through:
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"The important thing about an epic fantasy novel is that the reader must be exhausted at the end of it. They must feel that they have overcome as many obstacles in getting through the book as the heroes have in fulfilling the quest. So the book must be as difficult to read as possible. To do this:

(a) Tell the story in incredible detail. Describe every day of the journey, how far they walked, what they ate, the weather, where they slept, especially days where nothing happens.

(b) Fill every dramatic situation with lengthy introspection. At every moment of crisis the hero must minutely examine his feelings, perceptions, identity, whether he left the gas on etc.

(c) Never take the easy way out of a crisis. For example, if the Wizard Guide holds great power, he will never use it to solve a situation."
——————–
The mystery explained! Big Fat Fantasy Novels are designed to be an ordeal. (I wish I was only kidding.)

-A.R.Yngve
http://yngve.bravehost.com

Um… I dunno, but you can try my website, which has plenty of SF novels and artwork and essays for free reading:
http://yngve.bravehost.com

-A.R.Yngve

When I read the books, I find the writing to be of high quality, the situations engaging and the characters delightful. The last two–I need to dig up the first one–were thoroughly enjoyable reads. But there’s a quality to them that would still classify them as YA in my mind. I struggle to understand why that is. It’s clearly not quality. So what is it?

These blog entries age pretty quickly. Once they’ve scrolled off the front page, they might as well never have existed. Since this is a topic that I’ve been interested in and expect to continue to be interested in, I started a forum on it.

Meet you there for coffee?

Best regards,

Alan

I have no formal policy as yet. Thoughts and reflections are appreciated.

Best regards,

Alan