droonfang

droonfang reviewed a book.

“TAGS: Para Fic
SETTING: Lansin Island, UK (off Cornwall? fictional?)
CONTENT: The story and its message were fine, but I struggled with some of the "Brit" issues I often see. It's disappointing that many Brit authors don't always aim to "go int'l."
It was a quick...”

“TAGS: Para Fic
SETTING: Lansin Island, UK (off Cornwall? fictional?)
CONTENT: The story and its message were fine, but I struggled with some of the "Brit" issues I often see. It's disappointing that many Brit authors don't always aim to "go int'l."
It was a quick read with a fairly simple intent; a somewhat touching ghost story.
CHARACTERS: They were fine, though nothing really remarkable. Although I really liked the revelation of somewhat backward Gavin's secret, out-of-character talent.
WRITING: This was a problem for me...as many Brit-written books are. Sometimes Brit English reads like errors for an American, still, even though I've read many. I tried to overlook that, but I still clipped 31 errors in 595 LOC--pretty bad. List available.
Then there was the over-the-top attempt to write strong Cockney dialect that became more than annoying to read. As well as the annoying Brit author penchant for ignoring what I call "the rules." The rules being: use double quotes for dialogue, NOT single, and use a period after Mr., Mrs., etc. Single quotes make dialogue MUCH harder to read, and the lack of periods is just...distracting.
Excuse me for asking, but if you want to publish U.S., please use U.S. writing "customs."
[Is this as simple a fix as using the "replace" function in WORD? But I'd guess that's how apostrophes sometimes turn double. [sigh]]
FORMAT: The typeface select and justification looked fine.
MISC: What can I say...I love lighthouses. That got this a read.
COPY: Kindle ebook--free.”

droonfang rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

droonfang finished reading a book.

droonfang reviewed a book.

“TAGS: Scifi
SETTING: Space, aboard Hyperion
CONTENT: I'll never know. I reached 47% (LOC 291 of 611) and had already marked 15 errors. But the main point is, I had just marked 4 sentences nearly in a row of incorrectly written dialogue. It's not the first time I've...”

“TAGS: Scifi
SETTING: Space, aboard Hyperion
CONTENT: I'll never know. I reached 47% (LOC 291 of 611) and had already marked 15 errors. But the main point is, I had just marked 4 sentences nearly in a row of incorrectly written dialogue. It's not the first time I've seen it...and I simply cannot read a book written like that, it's too distracting.
What I mean is this:
"Look at all that rubble." Says a nasal voice...
"But it's so ugly." Snorts the purple one...
Obviously, use of an INCORRECT period at the end of the spoken part and a capital to begin the descriptive part breaks one sentence into two incomplete sentences! And this wasn't the first example of this type of gross writing error.
I'm not disappointed, because the story was going nowhere for me. It was all vague and 'mysterious' and I had no clue what was really happening. The author spent too much time on trying to sound descriptively brilliant...I was getting little character or real 'story.'
CHARACTERS: Little idea. The writing was breaking the story into POVs of a few, but I learned little about them...not even enough to keep them straight hardly, or figure out what was happening.
WRITING: Guess I disclosed that it's awful, already. I didn't mention the use of dessert for desert though, twice...
One should know how to write correctly technically, before publishing, one would think?
FORMAT: Typeface select was fine but fully justified. And, again, the dreaded double-spacing...please don't use it, just to make your reader turn more pages and make it seem longer?
MISC: No, my complaints aren't done. This is another example of shill/bogus reviews at Amazon trying to lead other buyers astray. Out of 18 4 and 5 star reviews, 9 are those one-review-wonders, suspect as shills...friends, family, paid? "Well-written, lush word play, well crafted sentences?" THAT'S misleading...or they don't know English either. My apologies, but this 'disturbs' me...that proper English is being lost...or people are intentionally lying to mislead and assist in the ripoff of others.
COPY: Kindle ebook--free...thankfully.”

droonfang rated a book.

• Rated 1 stars