Review Standards Explained
When I read a book I intend to review, these are the things I look at:
- Beginning. Is it catchy? Does it make me interested, or even look forward to what’s inside? If a prospective buyer doesn’t see something that makes him/her want to read on within a few paragraphs, he/she is unlikely to buy it,
- Structure. Do the paragraphs conform with proper structure (or are they at least consistent in their structure)? Are the chapter breaks logical, or do they look like the author just wanted to take a break? Is the text easy to read, and not confusing?
- Characters. Are the main characters (and important sub-characters) well defined? Do I really get to know them? Can I tell who is speaking if I don’t look at the credit? Do the characters grow, or do conflicts arise out of their personality?
- Storyline. There is a principle of all fiction, and especially in Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction. It is called “The Suspension of Belief”. A reader of fiction expects to have to suspend belief when reading these genres. We know there’s no such thing as magwies and gremlins, but for a time, we’re going to accept that they are real. Problems arise when a writer tries to make the reader believe in the utterly non-believable. The shapeshifting woman who can read minds, spit fire and noxious gasses from her mouth, can go invisible at will, and whom no weapon can ever harm – and oh yeah, she’s both dead and immortal. It’s called “over the top”. It can be a character, a specific race, or even the entire storyline. That’s a big no-no. Fantasy, yes. Ridiculous, no. Also, does the storyline look to be unique or interesting?
- Consistency. This covers a lot: Grammar and Punctuation. I really don’t care if the writer doesn’t follow the “rules”, as long as he’s consistent in the way he breaks them. Does the period go inside or outside the quotation mark? I don’t care. Just pick one and use it. Do character thoughts get quotation marks, written in italics, or normal type? Just pick one. The problems arise when the author doesn’t pick one, but uses two or three different ways. It can be confusing, making the novel a difficult read. Character consistency is also important. Make sure you recall things like his/her handness (left or right). If he’s a health nut, why is he smoking and drinking? Didn’t you tell me in Chapter 3 she was a vegan, but you have her eating a breakfast of sausages and eggs in chapter 9? These sort of things bother the reader. (The editor should also be checking for inconsistencies, so it’s not all on the author.) If a girl leaves a discussion early, she shouldn’t be answering a question ten minutes later (Dragonlance Book 1)!! If magic is in your world, be consistent in how it is accessed/can be used. There may be several methods, but a necromancer should have a set of guidelines he has to go by. (I write the rules of magic for my rules down, so I don’t mistakenly break them). Yes, it’s Fantasy, but consistency = believability.
- World Creation. The author’s world, whether this one or a creation of the author, is an important factor in any novel. If the action takes place on our world, with no changes (until the characters change it), make sure the readers understand this. Don’t wait until the ninth night time scene to reveal there’s two moons in the sky! The better a reader understands your world (“Never try to cheat a Belvurian Trader!”), the more they’ll enjoy the story.
- Concept. I’m keeping Concept and Story separate. A good concept can make me want to rea the story, even if it has a bad opening. Likewise, a poor concept can make me want to avoid it. Now, the story itself might surprise me: A good concept might be ruined by a poor story or storytelling. A poorly conceptualized story might prove one of the best books of the year! An ambiguous concept (one I can’t garner from the title or the blurb on the back of the book cover) provides one of the two reasons I accept a prologue is needed – to explain the concept (the other being to bring the reader up to date between novels in a series). You should try to make your prologue as short and sweet as possible. Have you read the Wheel of Time series? Chapter One starts on page 99, or later. A great series, but COME ON!!!
- Story. Sad to say, but I’ve read stories that had nothing to do with the title or ‘obvious’ concept – and there was no prologue to warn me! It’s like the author changed his mind what he wanted to write about and forgot to change the title, or tell anyone! Was the story enjoyable? You can really only tell this after you’ve read all but the last chapter (see below). You might think chapters 2 through 5 a bore, but when chapter six brings it all together and understanding comes to you… wow! That’s why, if I determine to read a book, I read it through (or half-way; if it hasn’t improved before that, it ain’t going to). A well-paced story makes for a happy reader. That doesn’t mean your novel has to move at break-neck speed! You’re risking ‘reader fatigue’ in that case. Science Fiction, especially space operas, are usually faster paced – but a well-written slower pace will work. Contrast that with the ‘Cozy Mystery’ genre. Fast paced cozy mysteries… well, there just aren’t any! I think I’d put it down less than half way, if I got hold of one like that! Enjoying the story is, of course the most important factor. So I’ll ask myself, “Did you enjoy the story, Cathbad?”
- Last Chapter/Ending. This is usually more difficult for the writer than most readers will ever know. But to most of those readers, the ending is one of, or the, most important moments of the whole book! The climax of a story often lands in the second-to-last chapter or early in the last. But the reader wants an idea about what the future holds for the surviving characters, There may be questions still needing answers. Or, if part of a series, the author may use this time to set up the next novel. These are the things I look at. In a stand-alone novel, the reader wants all questions answered (though I feel a lamentation by the lead character(s) that there are answers they’ll never get, sufficient).
- Insundries. There are sometimes things that I just can’t categorize. Thing that come as a surprise. I can’t detail them here, but I can say that I (usually) love a surprise!
I’ll give 1 point for each category above if the novel succeeds/passes that test; or half a point if I realize I’m bring picky, and an argument can be made either way.
I also allow a category to recover a half or whole point lost, if the novel greatly excels in another category,
So, you now know how I judge a book in Review. I hope you’ll be interested enough to read some of my reviews!
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