The Fall (The Rift, Book 1), by Robert J Duperre
[This book has no back cover copy]
The Fall
The bigger problem, though, was the tone of the writing.
The narrative frequently lapses into a lecturing, disapproving tone which I found thoroughly off-putting. The implication is that ancient civilisations were good and modern ones are bad; and that ancient knowledge was insightful and inspiring while modern technology renders our civilisation crass and insensitive. This, coupled with a stereotypical, somewhat dismissive view of today’s South American culture gave the book an unsympathetic and judgemental edge which made me reluctant to read on.
If the writer could introduce more variety of tone, could learn to not present things in such a black and white way, and could manage to be more sympathetic to his characters, then this book would be significantly improved; and once he manages that a scrupulous copyedit would resolve the book’s other issues. Whether this would be enough to change this from an ordinary predictable read into an exciting and interesting one, I’m not so sure. I read eleven of this book’s three hundred and thirty nine pages.
The Self-Publishing Review 
I’m surprised there was no back cover copy. How can casual browsers tell what this book is about?
I was astonished that eleven pages read would suffice for a book review. It must have been very bad indeed!
I find it amusing that someone who doesn’t know how to use a colon thinks they can spot punctuation problems.
John wrote, “I was astonished that eleven pages read would suffice for a book review. It must have been very bad indeed!”
John, you might like to read my How This Works page, which you’ll find here:
It’s not always about how bad a book is; sometimes the problem lies with a lack of adequate revision. Not always, though.
Oh Really write, “I find it amusing that someone who doesn’t know how to use a colon thinks they can spot punctuation problems.”
I find it amusing that someone who leaves sneery comments on my blog hides behind a false name and a spammy website address to do it; and I see nothing wrong with my use of the colon in this piece. Have a nice day, Mr Really!
Have you ever tried to write a book? Probably not. You get outraged, but I don’t you have ever attempted to write something yourself..
He is right, you don’t use your semi colons the correct way! I see the same thing when I look at your writing. Not to be a troll, or anything of that assortment.
I’ve written a few, Mr Butikofer. I stopped counting after the first thirty or so were published, though, so I can’t give you an exact number.
Thanks for your advice. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to stop by. And no, I didn’t think you were trolling at all. As if I would.
*snerk*
You have a nice day now, Mr B.
You too. Hope you have a nice day. It’s very hot outside. 🙂