I
had an interesting discussion about what makes a book “good.” The
person I was talking with felt that a “good” book was one that
reflected diversity, had strong women in it, or other minorities,
either as the main character, or a serious, significant role, central
to the story.
That
saddened me a bit. What she wanted was a story that mimicked her
world view, that reinforced her thoughts on how the world should be.
She wanted a reflection of herself, not entertainment.
For
me, I want to be sucked into the story, I want to fly in unknown
vistas, travel to new worlds and cultures, meet the fantastic or
usual. I want to be absorbed into the action and care about the
outcome.
I
don't care if the main character is a little boy who grows into a
wizard, or a young woman stuck in a strange place using her mind to
figure out how to survive, or a non-human Starship Captain far from
home surrounded by hostile aliens, and a mutinous human crew.
I
want to be entertained, enraptured by what I read.
One
of the best series I've read is Tales of the Golden Age of the Solar
Clipper, by Nathan Lowell. There are no epic space battles, few
explosions, a dearth of villains twirling black mustaches, but it is
good. The stories are so well written I find myself completely
absorbed by what is happening, by the actions of the characters,
their lives and dreams, that I've read and re-read the series
multiple times. That is what I expect when I put down my money for a
book, entertainment, and for me that is a gripping, compelling story
that keeps me reading until the last page.
I want to be enthralled,
not lectured or read a sermon. That's what I try to do with my books,
entertain the reader, make it so when they start they put off
everything else until they hit the end. From the reviews I've gotten
for Junior Inquisitor, it seems as though I was successful. I'm
working on making sure the next one, The Soulless Monk, is the same.
You
can find Junior Inquisitor at
Smashwords
- http://goo.gl/XsGgAC
Nook
- http://goo.gl/MVLXia
Google
Play - http://goo.gl/g2kNPa
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