Michael Selden's Blog, page 9

On Book Ratings and Reviews——What am I really rating?

I just saw the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, and it was a horrible romance. I mean there was no sex in it at all, therefore I’m giving it one star.

or,

I just read “To Kill a Mockingbird”, and there was hardly ANY action in it. It was boring, a horrible action book—I’m giving it one star, even though I didn’t actually get past the first few chapters.

 

These may not sound familiar, but if you browse through reviews of different books, and I do now and then, many of the low ratings come from perspectives like these. Someone is expecting to read a particular kind of book and they’re disappointed when it doesn’t match their preconceptions, or they expect EVERY book to be the kind of book they like. The truth is that there are many kinds of films and novels, and each one is trying to accomplish something. Maybe it’s entertainment through pure action, or maybe it’s trying to make the reader think.

 

It’s useful to actually read the book description and , if possible, sample text from the book. Books fall into different genre, from romance to scifi to drama to mystery and so forth, and within each of these there is still a spectrum of sub-genres and types. Insisting that one flavor  (lots of action and shooting or lots of gratuitous sex) be imposed on every book read leads to a kind of flatness. My suggestion: find out what kind of (flavor) book it is before reading it (as much as is practical), then try reading the ones that past this muster.  if it’s not your cup of tea then stop reading it, but if you don’t actually read a book all the way through then don’t rate it. Other people may be look precisely for the kind of book you don’t like. That’s one of my own criteria. I will not rate a book I didn’t finish, and I won’t rate books based on my preconception of what the book was. I evaluate books based on what that book’s mission was and on whether or not it fulfilled the author’s clear intent. Of course I do have objective criteria as well: Did the plot make sense—was it self consistent? Were the sympathetic characters sympathetic and compelling (and did I think about the characters after I’d finished reading)? Did the dialog flow well, or was it stilted? Did I learn anything reading this book—did it make me think (if it was intended to make me think)?

Rating a book is more complex than “was it what I wanted to read?”

 

What are your thoughts on reviewing books?

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I AM—Kindle Edition 5-Day Weekend Giveaway Sept 22-26

I have set up a 5-day period where the Kindle edition of the Science Fiction (#scifi)book, I AM, will be offered for free.

https://www.amazon.com/I-AM-Michael-Selden-ebook/dp/B01H2IZESK

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Annuals and Perennials are for Plants—and Books, too

An annual plant is a plant that grows and lives for a year or so and then dies. A perennial will live for two years, or longer, maybe indefinitely. For me, this same description can apply to books as well. There are books I find that are good to read, but I really only want to read them once and when I’m done, I will probably not think about them again. They don’t become a regular part of my thinking, or my life. Then there are books that stay with you—where the characters take up permanent  residence in your mind and you’ll see parallels in the world that remind you of that book—those characters—those situations. These are the books I like the best, because the characters are not only sympathetic (or antithetic), they are relatable; you understand their thinking and, while reading, they are a part of you. That doesn’t mean I don’t like ‘annual books’, too—I do. But they come and go and when I’m done, they’re mostly gone. Some excellent books fall into this category, too. I could name some, but then the classification of annual versus perennial book is a subjective thing, although (I think) many can agree on certain perennial books. Books like, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, or “The Godfather”. The characters in these books are as real as the people around you—and they last; the themes and heart of the story make them timeless books.

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I AM Errata

Even though I use multiple editors, my own eyes, and a proof reader, errors inevitably remain in books. This is because after reading something so many times one stops seeing the errors—our brains automatically fix things without us being aware of it. I’ve never actually seen a “perfect” book, but we should all strive to do the best we can within reason. I intend to collect errors in the book I AM, normally typos or a missing word. As I go through the book, or as people email me errors they find in the book, I’ll post them here. After a while, when I think I’ve found as many as I can, I intend to “fix” them.

I keep a paperback edition of each book near a chair in my office and that’s the copy I use to find errors. I use a highlighter pen to mark them. Feel free to post errata you find in the comments section below, or email me using the link on the web site.

I’ll collect errata sent in that are not on the list below and add them to the list. When my next book, BOSWORTH, comes out I’ll send a signed paperback edition copy to up to five of the people who’ve submitted a valid error not already listed. This quasi-contest will end when I release BOSWORTH, at which time I’ll start a new search competition for that book.

Errata List:

Page 98, last paragraph, 5th line from bottom: “no matter much” should read “no matter how much”

Page 138, 5th line from bottom: “An extension event” should read “An extinction event” (this was a spellchecker error)

Page 198, middle of page: “Not hard to see now, isn’t it?” should read “Not hard to see now, is it?”

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Review of Childhood’s End—An Old SciFi from Arthur C. Clarke Circa 1953

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A look into the future where Earth is ruled by a benign alien race living in ships orbiting the Earth. Look up from virtually any place and you can see their ships.

But why did they come? They aren’t slave masters and don’t seem to need anything from us?

Childhood’s End is an engrossing look at a what if scenario. We move from character to character through the book, and forward in time. The characters are “real-ish”, if a bit stereotyped, and a bit dated, having been published in 1953. Clarke is more focused on plot than on building complex characters. This plot is interesting and I have read the book at least twice over the many years I’ve owned a copy, but Clarke’s real, hidden, focus is on something else I won’t spoil for you, but which falls into the message category.

Still, I liked the book and if plots and themes are what drives you forward, this book’s for you. If you’re looking for complex relationships and sympathetic characters you won’t be drawn in, nether will it appeal to you if you want to see a lot of action and violence. It does offer a philosophical look forward at humanity that is unique in some respect, and consistent with another famous book of his 2001 A Space Odyssey.

I marked it with 3 stars when I originally rated it, mostly because I like more character depth, but it is a good read nonetheless, and (from me) 3 stars is not always a bad rating.

View all my reviews

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On Constructing a Novel

I compare building a novel to how I imagine making a movie, or creating a painting would be. Now there are different types of paintings, just as there are different kinds of movies. Would you compare A Clockwork Orange with The Godfather? Yet both have quality and both have a unique place in our history.

Of course the most important part of a novel is a good story—an interesting tale, well told. This is essential, but at the same time it may not be enough. There are good stories that are poorly told, or told without any depth whatsoever. I look at the plot as the line drawing, before a painting is done—it basically describes the “what” of the story, but lacks color, texture, and character. In the same way, a film may be described in storyboard format.

I write in layers, much as many painters paint in layers and some film makers paint a cinema in layers. By this I mean that I try to capture the plot first—more so than just an outline. My plotting phase is mostly in my head, although I’ll break a story down into chapters, so I know which parts of the story are told when. When I write my first draft, I tell the whole story, although I may not flesh out every character in detail. I DO make sure that at least a few chapters contain much more depth about the main character —something to let me capture the tone of what I’l paint in more detail overall. These samples of near-final product help keep me on track.

Once I’ve created the draft, I’ll go back and begin to add layers to the story——the color and textures of the places, the people, the story. Normally I’ll have thought about the backstory quite a lot. I want the world being created to be consistent and to feel real, even if there are many speculative elements to it. People aren’t bland 2-dimensional constructs. They have frailties, likes and dislikes, and even affectations that betray their feelings. All of these need to be added and “feathered” into place. The same applies to the world, and to the story, just as a film gains depth from its soundtrack—and from the actors (after all a film is a collaborative creation). It may require from 10 to 100 passes over the story-painting-movoe before I feel it’s ready for the editor. I rate the “doneness” of a novel by its maturity from level 0 (a rough draft) to 5 (ready to publish), although this is not a measure of the number of times I’ll wind up reading it. I read “The Boy Who Ran” 200 times, sometimes changing just a few words.

Lastly, I should say that, while writing a story I “see” the story happening in front of my eyes, just as if I’m watching a movie.

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Thoughts on technology evolution / revolution & so-called “simple” solutions

As a lifetime Physicist, I’ve was reading up on the progress in 3-d printing and related technologies tonight. Interestingly, you can buy a CNC Mill (computer numerical control) milling machine for 1500 dollars, capable of making things like an AR-15 weapon (see the Ghost Gunner 2 CNC mill, for example). As technology progresses, the average person will be able to make fairly sophisticated parts and machines, and I can envision construction of complex molecules—essentially allowing people to make chemical compounds—in the not-too-distant future. People are already “printing” organic tissue and organs in labs. And of course cheap FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology has been around a long time, and it provides the tool for making complex electronics, simply by “programming” circuits. These FPGA’s are quite sophisticated, you can probably program (create) a fairly powerful computer using them, along with some simple power handling auxiliary components on a PC board. The concept of societal “control” of knowledge, and manufacturing is quickly slipping away (or has slipped away), just as control of secure data is already a myth. Only proving, once again, that the concept of such absolute control is an illusion.

Just as we’re seeing an increase in people and organizations hostile to our society, we’re also seeing the democratization of many of the tools that bring advanced technology to the individual troublemaker or small group of troublemakers. Even the machines to make machines can be built.

The greatest, most powerful weapon in existence is the human brain, so making sure we have a peaceful, civil society with core values of respect for life and our fellow citizens becomes ever more critical. I just thought we should all put the panacea “solutions” offered by politicians into perspective—this is true of all parties.

 

This technology revolution also inspired the ideas used in The Balance back in 2011, when I wrote the first draft of that book.

 

—Things I think about at 3:00 in the morning when I should be sleeping and don’t feel like writing.

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Discussion of The Balance

If you’ve read The Balance, I’d love to hear what you have to say. I can also answer questions, as long as they don’t reveal spoilers for Part 2

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I AM Giveaway on GoodReads

I am running a giveaway of up to 10 signed first edition paperback copies of I AM on GoodReads. The drawing is done by the GoodReads team.

The drawing is open to people in the US, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia.

 

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway


I Am
by Michael Selden

Giveaway ends August 15, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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I AM Now Available in Paperback & Kindle

The science fiction book, I AM, is now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats, and at Barnes and Noble in paperback.

“I AM” is a Science Fiction novel, written for a New Adult Audience. It spans about one year of time and takes place just a few years from now.

It all started 25-million years ago. A dark comet, circling the sun, which looked no brighter than a pinpoint of light, began a journey—a rendezvous with the earth, and its own fate. I AM is a story of tragedy and hope, of despair and love that will define the future of mankind.

The Comet: “Dark Traveler” has an unusually low albedo (meaning it’s very dark—almost invisible) and follows a cometary orbit, having originated about one light year away from the sun—from the Oort cloud.

The Oort cloud is a massive collection of debris that orbits the sun. The web site Space Facts has a nice description of the Oort cloud. Wikipedia also has a nice description.

 

 

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