Review: Halfskin by Tony Bertauski

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I figure, if you're going to do something meaningful you may as well start doing it immediately, why wait until the Earth get's back into the position against the background stars that we humans have defined as January 1? So in reality, this has nothing to do with waiting until January 1st and everything to do with the fact that I am incorporating this into my platform  right now because I thought of it right now.

As a writer, I've always thought I should probably read more. But I don't really think you can improve your writing by reading. The only way you can improve your writing is by, well, writing. But reading is good for keeping your finger on the pulse of what is out there. It is also good for exposing yourself to new styles and ideas to keep you from getting into a rut. Also, when you can find a good book and have a little time, it is a lot of fun.

Seriously???

Quite honestly, however, I've been having a lot of trouble finding books I really like. The current offerings from the major publishers just haven't been scratching my itch. Lately I've found some nice lists on Goodreads, specifically in the Authors Requesting Reviews section, that seem more like what I like to read, and not surprisingly, to write. So it makes sense that my New Year's resolution is not only to read more, but to review as well. I hope my readers will help keep me honest. I'm not going to promise to review a book weekly, but certainly once or twice a month isn't too much, and will still leave me enough time to write. Too many people are asking about the sequel to Multiplayer that I've been working on. As to the kind of novels I'm going to review, I have no interest in reviewing novels published by the major publishers. They are all virtually identical and have already been reviewed ad nauseam by employees of the publisher. I am much more interested in the creative and thought provoking work being published directly by authors and by micro presses. That is where today's literary action is! So check out my reviews and pick up some of these great books. You won't be disappointed!

REVIEW

Halfskin by Tony Bertauski

Publisher: Tony Bertauski, 2012

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Setting: 4
Execution: 3
Cover: 3

Halfskin by Tony Bertauski is a story set in a near future. Most of the setting is familiar except nanotechnology, in the form of biomites, is being used to enhance, heal, and perfect the human body. However, harkening to the well known “grey goo scenario,” there are those who fear that these biomites will ultimately bring out the extinction of mankind. As a result, laws have been put in place to limit the percentage of biomites that make up a person. When your percentage gets too high your biomites are shut down, usually killing the host. This technology is handled quite well by the author, though at times he almost writes himself into a corner, creating a few scenes that feel stretched.

One of the characters has an unusually high percentage of biomites for their age due to a car wreck as a child. As a result, this character approaches the critical percentage much sooner than is typical, forcing the government into action. A sibling rushes to his rescue and they are off on a thrilling chase, staying one step ahead of the heartless federal agent pursuing them.

I enjoyed Halfskin and at no point did I find the reading unpleasant. Anyone who likes near future science fiction will probably enjoy this story. There were echoes of Michael Crichton’s Prey as well as a bit of Logan’s Run throughout; though at no point did the plot seem derivative. I was not always happy with the author’s description of the setting and it left me confused occasionally, and I did find a few of the thematic devices a tad cliché. On the other hand, the characters were well developed and created a strong emotional attachment. Readers who like nice pretty bows on their stories may find the ending a bit unsatisfying, but I’m not one of those and felt that it was handled well.

Overall, a well-told, compelling story that I would recommend to those interested in this kind of work, though there is not a lot of overlap with other genres. For additional information on my rating system, please visit my review page at johncbrewer.com .

Until next time,

John C. Brewer

johncbrewer.com

Do Reviews on Amazon Matter?

As a writer, the opinions of the reader can be pretty important. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's a bad thing. Sometimes it’s the thing that can give your self-confidence a nasty shake--if you let it! Today I’m exploring the importance of reviews on Amazon.

 

Do they really matter?

 

After all, it's not like the people commenting are world famous critics. Sure, they may picture themselves as the Simon Cowell of the literary world, but in reality, most readers who leave a review on Amazon are your Average Joes--ordinary people who like to read.

 

Yes, I've heard and seen first-hand the readers that just like to rip apart a book because they can. I don't like that practice, but it is what it is. I also don't think that most readers intend to be that way. But a word of advice to all you writers who get hot under the collar about such things--chill out. Don't respond. Don't comment or try to justify yourself or your book. It never ends well and always makes the writer look like an ass.

 

But back to the question I posed today: Do reviews on Amazon matter?

 

I say yes. They definitely help other readers figure out whether or not this is a book that might be for them. Through review comments, a potential buyer can learn the genre of the book, how long it might take to read it, and whether or not it's got the right tone for them. The more reviews you have on Amazon, the better they can make the determination as to whether or not they should add your book to their collection.

 

Don't believe me?

 

Read through some of the comments from reviewers on Amazon. Many of them say they purchased the book because of all the reviews.

 

Of course getting reviews is a whole other blog post…

 

For you readers who aren't sure whether to leave a review or not, I say do it. Even if you didn't like the book, leave the review. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. How else will writers improve (assuming the ego can get past the sting of criticism) and get better? Editors, agents, and publishers are all well and good things to have. But nothing tells you where you are at in the process of writing like a review from Average Joe.

 

In fact, what prompted me to write this post was the anger of an Average Joe reviewer--my mother. She is an avid reader of the Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin. However, when she reached the end of the fourth book, I got a nasty phone call. She hated the way the book ended. All the characters she wanted to know about where in the next book and she'd invested all that time getting through the novel only to find that out at the end! How dare Martin trick her like that!

 

I asked her if she was going to read the fifth book. She answered "no" and then revised that answer to "well, at least not right away." Mr. Martin could wait a little while before he got her money for Book 5!

 

That's when I advised her to write a review on Amazon. Maybe this was something other readers might want to know about.

 

Of course, I doubt George R.R. Martin (who needs two middle names?) reads the Amazon reviews, but you never know!

 

Happy reviewing!