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

[akk]

Yes, Cherryh writes a complex and detail-loving style - one of the things I love in her writing - and I believe (or maybe I hope so) that her writings influenced me in that regard. I certainly like it, though her books need attention. If you aren't in the mood for attentive reading, they certainly aren't the ones to grab (which is why Fortress of Ice is still on the "to read"-stack).

She writes a hard-faced, very technically oriented scifi that might not be everyone's taste. However, she's one of the few authors who manages to create believable (as in scientifically logical) science in scifi. If that's your cup of tea, I recommend her Pell series - and probably the novel "Yeager" as being one of her strongest in that genre.

Dreamtree is old, originally published in the 80s, but it has seen reprints since then, so good luck. It's certainly worth the effort. :)
I know Tarr's work - and love them - though I'd wish her descriptions to just go a tad deeper, be more palpable. She's got a terrific plot and background story set up (I certainly like Morgiana!); I just keep asking... and what was that like? How did they feel? What happened then? And how did that look? she stayed a tad too close to the surface for my tastes.