On behalf of...

[akk]

...giving reviews

I have received a couple of emails regarding the fact that I endorse and love receiving long & detailed reviews for my fics, yet seldom or never "take the time" or "bother" to review other works in return (not even briefly). For that I was named -among other things- arrogant and egotistic.
And maybe I am that. However, the reason why I currently write next to no reviews is that I practically stop reading fanfics in a fandom in which I'm writing a long, complex epos like 36° or Family Matters. There are two reasons for this:
1. I can either write the epos or read other works in what little free time I have, and
2. If I read other works, they tend to influence me (as happened with a snippet from solo____ in chapter 11; and I told her about the risk beforehand!).
So please accept that I'm not likely to return the reviewing effort in the near future.



...book recommendations
The recent hype about the finish of a world-renowned seven book fantasy epos I was never tempted to read made me wonder, which multiple books series in this specific genre I'd actually recommend in stead. The answer is two (in no specific order):
a) Sergej Lukianenko's "Watch"-Series [Nochnoi Dozor (Night Watch), Dnevnoi Dozor (Day Watch),...] (dark contemporary magic, bordering on horror sometimes) [I actually read the German translations and can't type the Russian title, sorry]
and
b) C. J. Cherryh's "Fortress"-Series [Fortress in the Eye of Time, Fortress of Owls,...] (high complex fantasy with rich, believably developing characters, drama and history)



...receiving reviews & recommendations
Finally, an act of shameless self-presentation:
I recently came across the Fanworks Finder page, which looks like a really promising idea. I listed my completed fanfic "36°" and its sequel "Family Matters" and am quite curious if they will be recced:
36°: - & - Family Matters:

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/solo____/]

I love the Nightrunner series, though it's very fluffy compared to some others I've read.

Have you read the Bartimaeus chronicles?

[akk]

Not yet. I scanned through the first volume in the bookstore, but the German translation had a decided "teeny/young adult"-sound, which kind of put me off it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/solo____/]

They are 'young adult' books, afaik, but the tone in the English ones is certainly suitable for 'proper' adults. :-) Worth getting!

[akk]

The German ones certainly read like children books.
Funny though, Catherine Webb's Lucifer books (which I absolutely adore) are decent adult books in German and read like kids books in English. Which is, why I tend to give the language in which I read something. :)