Top 30 SF Signal Posts for October 2013
In case you missed them, here are The Top 30 SF Signal Posts for October 2013 (excluding the much-loved daily link posts and free fiction posts):
- 218 Reasons To Read Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror in October 2013 (Our GINORMOUS Monthly SF/F/F Cover Gallery)
- 101 SF/F/H Kindle eBook Deals Under $4
- MIND MELD: Our Favorite Women Horror Writers
- Best Bets for Science Fiction & Fantasy Books – October 2013
- INTERVIEW: Peter Watts Talks About BEYOND THE RIFT, William F***ing Gibson, and Cyclopean Rabbits
- MIND MELD: Worthy Media Tie-ins
- Special Needs in Strange Worlds: Disabilities Are Everywhere
- The “Last” Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Meme
- [GUEST POST] Max Gladstone on The Science Fictioning of Fantasy and Vice Versa
- MIND MELD: The Scary Stories That Made Us Lose Sleep
- The Completist: C.S. Friedman’s COLDFIRE TRILOGY
- Book Cover Smackdown! November Steampunk Edition: FIDDLEHEAD vs. ROMULUS BUCKLE & THE ENGINES OF WAR vs. UNCRASHABLE DAKOTA
- MUSIC VIDEO: “Exiles: The Wolves of Midwinter” – The Song for Anne Rice’s new novel, THE WOLVES OF MIDWINTER
- FILM REVIEW: Gravity (2013)
- MIND MELD: How Science Fiction Changed Our Lives
- Honest Trailers: Pacific Rim
- The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 208): Panel of Irregulars – What Books Do We Want To Read Before The End Of The Year Part 1
- [GUEST POST] Tom Merritt on His Science Fiction Retelling of King Arthur
- S**t Nerds Never Say
- Feed Your To-Read List!
- Recommended Reading by Professionals…with Violette Malan
- Video: The Wonder Woman Movie We All Want To See
- [EXCERPT] Read the Introduction from TALES OF THE WOLD NEWTON UNIVERSE Edited by Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey
- Special Needs in Strange Worlds: Why Tyrion Lannister Matters
- Short Fiction Friday: Stories that Go Bump in the Night, Part Two
- Recommended Reading by Professionals…with David Lomax
- The Three Hoarsemen Discuss NOVA by Samuel R. Delany
- [GUEST POST] Jonathan L. Howard on The Appeal of Lovecraftian Horror
- How “Star Trek Into Darkness” Should Have Ended
- Wondrous Wit Smackdown! The Pleasure of Witty Repartee
That’s interesting how only one of those posts was a book review (Carl’s). That and what I hear about what readers read reviews, or how few do, just makes me think about the time spent writing them, especially if I’m going to go below a four-star rating. Cheers to SF Signal for the diverse content. There are some, like the Max Gladstone article, that I missed and look really interesting. I started reading him last night and wow, the guy has some serious talent.
>>…makes me think about the time spent writing them, especially if I’m going to go below a four-star rating
I’ve heard several reviewers take that stance and I think that’s a mistake if one cares enough about maintaining reviewer integrity. Posting only positive reviews prevents readers from getting a true sense of what a reviewer likes, which includes books they *didn’t* like.
Also, if you are concerned about review hits rates…negative reviews typically draw more attention than positive ones. Posting only your positive reviews like you suggest would only contribute to the problem you see, not solve it. (And let me be clear: I expect and require all reviews to be written honestly and respectfully, i.e. not drummed National Enquirer style up to generate hits.). For the record, I don’t see reviews not making this list as a problem. It is what it is. The 10 reviews we posted last month did over 1,200 views. that’s not bad, is it?)
I understand that writing honest, negative reviews is hard, believe me. It’s especially difficult when we folks in the blogososphere are so casual with the writers on social media and at conventions, or when that writer was gracious enough to be interviewed for our blogs or write a guest post. How do you negatively review an online friend? A reviewer has to face these questions. Even so, I still think it’s a disservice to the readers, the reviewer, *and* the writer to pull punches.
Yes, I agree. Like Tim, I have noticed my reviews generally get much less traction than other stuff.
It’s the meh reviews that I am most hesitant to publish. Meh is the worst reaction I can have to a book, since its not even negative, its…lifeless. I didn’t submit a review of a book I read recently to SF Signal precisely because it was Meh.