BAF Reviewed in Bookslut
Jeff VanderMeer • August 17th, 2007 @ 7:39 pm • Uncategorized
Bookslut reviewed Best American Fantasy last month. This is pretty much what I expect the reviews to be like, inasmuch as between the three of us (me, Ann, and Matt) we’ve covered a pretty wide range of material that is unlikely to be adored by any one reviewer. What is fascinating is how he’s pegged the two extremes in the book–the Houser and the LaSalle, both of which are fine stories but perhaps stand out in the context of the rest of the book. (The Houser is also in YBFH.)
Jeff
August 17, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Why is the decision to use different techniques to tell a story regarded as “gimmicky” as opposed to “innovative” or “refreshing”? I guess it depends on how the particular device strikes the the reader but it still sticks in my caw.
August 18, 2007 at 7:43 am
Most of what reviewers encounter is surface. When they encounter stuff that it’s or requires two or three reads to reveal what it’s about…it often doesn’t work for them. He’s entitled to his opinion, but I find that kind of reaction is simplistic and knee-jerk usually.
Anyway, what I expect from this first year of BAF reviews is the full gamut: good, bad, and inbetween. I think it’s inevitable when you’re trying to introduce a new paradigm–or not introduce it so much as show people something that was already there but which they weren’t aware of.
Now, readers–so far they’re just enjoying the book.
It’s all very reminiscent of the situation when I put out the first Leviathan.
Jeff