Books what do you look for in a review?

[Overread]

As I'm on a bit of a roll with actually reading things at present and as much of it is Warhammer based novels I'm thinking on writing some reviews for the various books I'm reading. However I'm rather at a loss for what to write and for what people really want from a book review; since I rarely if never actually read any beyond the "good read it/ don't touch with bargepole" part. So what do you find helpful in a review and what do you hate? 

At best I can hope that my short reviews might well tempt others to pick up and read some AoS lore and history and stories, perhaps enhancing their experience of the game, or being that temptation that sparks their imagination that gets them onto playing the Mortal Realms

[RuneBrush]

I'm a massive book worm (with nowhere near enough time to satisfy).  My own preference on a review is something similar to the back-cover synopsis, with a little more detail and a rough idea on things like chapter length and how well it flows as a story.  Something that's flits awkwardly between characters & locations I find less enjoyable than something that takes the reader on a journey.  Chapter length/structure is pretty key for me as I tend to read at lunchtime and before I go to bed.  So something that has points every 5 minutes where I can stop is always helpful - but I'd imagine that aspect is fairly unique to me

[JPjr]

Over the years I've written for quite few places covering music, film, books, comics etc and for me the starting point has to be the context of my review and you could probably boil it down to why am I writing this and who am I writing for? Figure that out and so much else follows. Of course that's easier when you're writing for established titles with their own audience, trickier (though more liberating) when you're doing it for yourself.

But lets say you're writing for yourself and looking to build up an audience. Are you writing effectively previews, and trying to encourage (or otherwise) people into picking up the books, or provide a space for people who have read the book to see if their thoughts align with others. Assuming the former then firstly you need to beware spoilers and just provide general plot points, not saying you cant dig into the plot but  obviously don't give away any major twists or endings, just look at the broad strokes of the book.

Personally I would start by looking at the main elements of fiction like plot, theme, characters.  Maybe provide some context for readers, as in do you need to have read the 45 preceding 'Pox Planet' books first, but then does the plot of this book on its own make sense (within the fictional universe's own rules, of course)?  is the setting believable (again with fantasy/sci-fi there's more leeway here!) or at least immersive? what themes are the author is trying to express and are they successful? are the characters believable, do they have agency etc etc? 

you're not writing a manual so I don't think you need to be all 'and this is the inciting incident', 'we see rising action here & here' etc but do the heroes go through any kind of development through the book, then without giving away the ending go into broad strokes, did the book achieve its stated (or unstated) aim, so if it's a horror novel was it scary or unsettling. obviously an Umberto Eco novel is setting out to do things that say a Josh Reynolds novel isn't (no offence meant to JR there at all!). Then draw a conclusion which could just come down to, did you enjoy it (obviously this is clearly subjective but back your point up)? And why someone else might enjoy it too.

I'd say the main thing is if you're doing this off your own back and no one's paying you then make sure you're enjoying doing it and it isn't a chore. Get down some of the points above (or your own versions) as bullet points and effectively create a template. 100 words introducing the book, 100 words on x, 200 on y. Once you've banged through a few you'll then be free to break those rules but if you're having trouble getting started working 'on rails' can really speed up the process and give you more time to think about your content rather than the structure.

And. I know this is utterly preposterous considering the wall of text that I've just spewed forth, but editing is key. Write your piece, then if you're anything like me go back, even if just once, and ruthlessly read it again, redlining whole sections, reduce your word count by a savage amount and invariably it will make the whole thing punchier. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Praecautus]

While I don't write book reviews my job does involve summarising scientific literature. I always tell my team that the people reading are time poor and you need to get them hooked early. one trick is to have your opening sentence being what you would say if you had to convince someone in a few seconds

(This book is good because)...

for example

lord of the rings is an epic fantasy, the characters and setting will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

then you go into more detail of your review, but again keep it succinct eg 150-200 words. It's a skill but if you set the limit and stick to it you will get your points across in digestible bite sized chunks

[Overread]

So I've made a start (sorry its not an AoS book just yet). 

https://warminiatures.wordpress.com/2018/10/26/survival-instinct-by-andy-chambers/

I'd be interested in what you guys thing of it, I've aimed to keep it short as I'm aiming to introduce and encourage others to read it rather than aiming to delve into the ins and outs of the story and its structure (which can be all kinds of fun but something I prefer doing in a forum when chatting to others rather than just writing out a long monologue of thoughts). 

[RuneBrush]

For me - overall a good read.  About the right length and covers the main points.

A handful of suggestions - a mixture of me and my SEO hat

You don't push that the article is a book review, I'd probably prefix the title with "Book Review: " and tweak the first sentence to include the fact you're reviewing Survival Instinct by Andy Chambers (making the book title bold for that extra SEO pizzaz)

Pop in a thumbnail of the cover image (with alternative text that matches the page title).  It'll liven the page up a little as currently the only colour is your advertising.

I'd pop in a heading for your overall summary before the last paragraph.  That way if somebody wanted to skip and read your opinion before the rest they can do

Finally drop a link to somewhere to pick the book up if you can (can't remember if this was a short-run book or not?)

 

 

[JPjr]

3 minutes ago, RuneBrush said:

Finally drop a link to somewhere to pick the book up if you can (can't remember if this was a short-run book or not?)

THIS, A THOUSAND TIMES OVER.

 

[Overread]

Updated with some modifications based on your suggestions How's it looking now (I must admit whilst I've been on the net for years I've never done any website development or SEO stuff at all) 

[JPjr]

Looks better. All personal opinion and preference, so of course feel free to ignore, but one thing that I’d keep in mind is how much does the person reading the review know about the fictional universe the book is set in?

Apart from the cover you’ve now added there’s no reference to WH40K or indeed Necromunda (the game or planet itself) until the last line, what a ‘hive’ is or whether this is part of a bigger series and how it fits into that.

Fair enough if you’re assuming your readers have a certain level of knowledge and will take all that for granted but still maybe worth considering.  Maybe just look to work in a bit of context, even if just a single line to set the scene at the start. Just something like...

”Set in the grimdark future of Games Workshop’s 40K universe, Andy Chambers’ ‘Survival Instinct’ eschews galaxy spanning conflicts to focus on the desperate lives of those on the planet Necromunda, where towering termite like mega-cities, or hives, scar the polluted surface and vicious gangs fight for survival and supremacy in the city’s underworlds.”

Anyway just a suggestion. Sorry if it comes across like I’m marking homework! It’s great you’re doing this at all. 

 

[Overread]

https://warminiatures.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/skaven-pestilens/

Final time I'll ask (since otherwise its just spamming) as this time I've reviewed a slightly longer book and done my best to avoid going too far in depth in terms of spoiling things. Be interested in what people think and if I'm leaving out too much information and ending up with a very hollow reading review, or if its working and tempting people into reading the books. 

[RuneBrush]

17 hours ago, Overread said:

https://warminiatures.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/skaven-pestilens/

Final time I'll ask (since otherwise its just spamming) as this time I've reviewed a slightly longer book and done my best to avoid going too far in depth in terms of spoiling things. Be interested in what people think and if I'm leaving out too much information and ending up with a very hollow reading review, or if its working and tempting people into reading the books. 

For me that's pretty spot on! 

[Overread]

My thanks @RuneBrush