Kirkus Review

The first review of my novel by a major publication just came in.  You can read it here. 

In truth, I was on edge waiting for the results of the review.  It's always hard to tell how others are going to receive your work.  Art, in any form, can be pretty subjective.  Sure, there are mechanics and rules that are mostly universal.  But after that, there's really no accounting for what someone is going to like.  Some people loved Napoleon Dynamite.  Other people hated it.  Who's right?

The people who loved it, obviously.  But that's not the point.  I'm just saying that opinions vary widely, and in the hands of reviewer, an opinion can impact the reputation of a novel.  When you enter the field of writing, you have to acknowledge that not everyone is going to like what you produce.  Some will be kinder about it than others, but the fact remains.  Some of those people with their opinions will be in positions of power when it comes to shaping the fate of your writing career. 

When you do the math on that, it adds up to a whole lot of nail-biting whenever the jury's out contemplating a verdict on your work.  It happens with every critique, every review, every submission.  Maybe it's not like that for everyone, but it is for me.

Turns out, the Kirkus reviewer actually had some good things to say about my novel.  In fact, after I read the review, I immediately wondered if they just, "Say such pretty things to all the girls," so to speak.  I checked around.  Short answer:  No.  There were more than a few harsh and unforgiving reviews to be found on the Kirkus pages.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy that people's work is getting ripped apart, I just wanted validation that I wasn't given a free pass.  And I wasn't.

Understanding this, I was left with only one conclusion:  They actually liked my book.  Someone who does this every day -- and has read more books than you can shake a stick at -- read my novel, and liked it.

That's a pretty big deal for me.  It was a great moment, and I'm thankful for that.

At this point in my career, I'm not trying to redefine literature or make the best-seller's lists.  I just want people to enjoy the story.  Anytime that I hear someone tell me that they did, it makes all the work worthwhile.

 

***

 

Quick Edit. 

 

I was poking around their site and I saw this:

 

 

Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but just seeing my book listed on the same webpage as a Heinlein novel...  It means a lot to this nerd.  A whole lot.  By no means am I comparing my work to his; don't get it twisted.  It's just the fact that a reviewer felt confident to tell a reader that if they liked Red Planet, that they'd probably like my story is pretty amazing to me.