Solaris Guest Blog—Eric Brown

Eric Brown author of the fabulous HELIX drops us a few thoughts...

While I was at the Birmingham SF Group meeting the other night, talk got round to reviews. It was late, the beer was flowing, and the company was good. Rog Peyton mentioned the VECTOR review of THE FALL OF TARTARUS - his favourite among my books - and asked me how I felt about it. (It was not a good review.)

I'd thought about the review, of course; both on reading it a year or so ago, and often since. What did I think about it? Well, after the initial hour or so of pain, I became philosophical about it. It was one person's view, and though I disagreed strongly with the criticism (I would, wouldn't I?) the reviewer had every right to express his view. As I look at it, a book is published, it goes out into the big world, and some people will love it, some hate it, and some people will feel neither love not hate for it... It's pot luck as to which camp the reviewer falls into. And I never reply to reviewers, even to correct factual errors. You just sound whiney and bitter. Let the book speak for itself: it'll be read years and years after the review is gone and forgotten...

HELIX is out now, three years after I first outlined the idea. It's great to see the project completed - especially as the book looks so good - but at the same time sad that it's all come to an end. I enjoyed my time on the alien spiral...

Of course, Eric doesn't have to worry about bad reviews for HELIX, not when people are saying this about it.