Reading reviews can be fun. A real hoot for some products. Writing good reviews can be a challenge, and I’d like to think I know t least a little bit about it, being in the top 12,000 Amazon reviewers, with a 98% “Helpful” rating.

Bur reading reviews of your own book are different. I knew I’d get some head-scratchers, and some folks would not like the format, and I hoped more people would like it than not, but I really had no good idea what to expect reviewers would focus on, what would stand out to new readers that knew nothing of the story’s genesis, and the only thing they know is the final words on the page. Some of them clearly “get it,” they see the ideas and imagery and intention that I was aiming for, and they appreciate them. To those, you are welcome! Glad I could provide a few hours of thoughtful entertainment to you. Overall, as of this writing, the ratio of 5-star reviews to 4, 3, 2, and 1 star reviews is quite satisfactory, and I’m happy to see so many people like it.

Some reviewers obviously get part of what I was aiming at, but totally missed other things. Well, OK, not everyone will get every joke, or message, or idea, and some of the dots I’m connecting are pretty far apart. That’s OK. If you got enough of it to enjoy it and leave a good review, you are welcome, too! Nobody understands, or likes, everything, and again, glad you waded through it and felt strongly enough to leave your thoughts for others to consider.

A few reviews just left me scratching my head. Three stars and nothing bad to say about it? Ummm… What? A couple are all but incomprehensible. Some manage to be surprised by the screenplay-like format…. even though there is 30 pages of it in the free preview, and most reviews mention it, and it says right there in the product description that it is. Well, I guess we all miss important details from time to time. Eh, it happens. Sorry. I’m working on a standard prose format version now, so hopefully you can try again.

Some said they liked the morality and essential goodness of the characters, without it being pushy, while another complained it was unendingly preachy of morality. I’m guessing the difference is whether or not they agree with the fundamental ideas of the book. Several reviews said there was great character development, another described the characters as “so hollow they may as well be papier mâché over old cardboard.” Err…. *scratches head* Oohhhh-kaaaayyyyy.

I do like the phrase “deus ex machine,” because is some ways Taj really is a god in a machine. Not an all-powerful, all knowing, eternal one, but rather a very long-lived, crippled and recovering one, one that will go on to create worlds (with man’s help). But nothing suddenly comes magically out of thin air, all the parts are there, just not assembled, as the ship tries to find the right “supporting cast” to come out of the closet.

Maybe I’ll have to write a series of posts on thoughts about reviews, and what some of them are missing, or why things were done the way they are in the story.

Anyway, they are interesting, wish I had ten thousand more from verified buyers 🙂