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| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 5) |
| Author | Comment |
Jeff Jones
Apr 26, 07 - 8:08 PM |
This time you've gone too far Martin!
Ok Martin.. I took it well when you refused to give "Perdido Street Station" the five stars it deserved but I just cannot stay silent about 4.5 stars for "The Road". Where... seriously.. where did it lose a half star? "The Road" is a masterpiece which will be read for the rest of any of our lives and beyond. If ever a book which can be considered speculative fiction deserved a perfect score this it it. Explain please. Jeff J BTW... I do enjoy your reviews. |
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Thomas M. Wagner
Apr 26th, 2007 - 9:08 PM |
Re: This time you've gone too far Martin!
 I should let everyone know that Jeff is a personal friend who needles me off and on about my reviews, as well he should. He won't let me hear the end of it for having not yet reviewed The Hyperion Cantos by Simmons, and I keep putting it off just to bug him!I always tell everyone not to take the star-ratings too seriously; that they don't represent some objective, cast-in-stone guage of quality, but more reflect my own personal feeling towards a book and the degree to which it resonated with me. They're a form of visual shorthand, meant to accompany the review, not define it. It's also a mistake to think that the way I apply ratings is to start with 5 and work my way down. It would be more accurate to say I start from the mean ("good") and work my way up or down depending. So it isn't accurate to suggest I "docked" The Road half a star. The best excuse I can give for why I stopped at 4½ for The Road probably stems from two factors.
Jeff is dead right that this is a book that will be read and taught and assigned in classrooms for years to come. That fact really renders a half-star here or a half-star there immaterial. The point is every last one of you ought to click on the Amazon link and read the thing, and don't let the Oprah sticker put you off, either! |
anc
Jul 2nd, 2007 - 11:36 PM |
Re: This time you've gone too far Martin!
but .. I still agree it's a HUGE shame you not having reviewed the hyperion cantos yet though ... 
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kyrilson
Dec 1st, 2007 - 7:57 PM |
Re: This time you've gone too far Martin!
I haven't read this book, yet. But I LOVED McCarthy's Border Trilogy, so I've had my eye on it the past couple of months or so. I have to admit that when Oprah recommends a book, it tends to have the opposite effect on me than on others. I usually AVOID them. I'm not sure why, but something about her just rankles me. Anyhoo.... back on track, I picked this up at Target last week on the strength of Mr. Wagner's review. I'll probably tackle it after I finish the Troy trilogy by Gemmell (which, BTW, is fanTAStic). My "To-Read" pile is so massive. *sigh* I suppose there are worse problems out there, right? :) |
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shadow9d9
Dec 3rd, 2007 - 5:11 AM |
Re: This time you've gone too far Martin!
Perdido Street does not even come close to warranting a 5... 3.5-4 is more accurate. As for the Road... I lost interest halfway through... it is just the same thing over and over.. nothing complex, nothing interesting... average through and through. |
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