Triple Honest

Now that I'm making a heartfelt effort at putting myself 'out there' I'm getting more and more Amazon reviews on my books. Here's a favorite, about my first book A Subtle Armageddon:

I had to make a decision to rate the novel either a 3 or 4 star. It was a tough read for me since the story just seemed to describe a man wandering around and experiencing many things for the first time. I decided that perhaps I did not like the book since I am not a big fan of either of the two authors that seems to influence the author and decided on awarding a 4 star. Perhaps if you like this type of genre, you might be more impressed.

I like this little review, basically for its honesty. There are to my mind three levels of honesty within it.

First, the man is honest with me. He admits that he isn't a fan of the writers who inspire me (Tolkien and CS Lewis). That's all right. I'm an adult, and I realize that what I pen isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea. Still, he informs me without rancor that the story isn't for him. I respect that.

Second, he's factually correct. The main actor in ASA is (at least at first) simply wandering around and things just 'happen' to him. That was done on purpose as I developed the story and, I will argue, was necessary under the circumstances I imposed upon myself in writing the book. But the reviewer makes a fair criticism: it all can appear random and unimportant, at least at a casual glance. 

Third, while grading it in the standard Amazon five star format, he waffles between 3 and 4 but then assigns it a fourth star precisely because he realizes his prejudices might be affecting his judgement. He's playing fair (to my writing as well as his views) and I highly respect that.

So, for something which is less than a stellar review it is nonetheless a decent and valid one. I have to appreciate it on that ground, and I wish more folks (including me) might be more like that in things we say and do. I think it's how human interaction should be.