I Am Not A Communist!

In my life, I have been called many unwarranted things. Whether it was "groundhog" from child antagonists, or "neocon" from miscreants who didn't like my political take on things during the Clinton/Bush years, I have often been the target of slurs and insults. However, this week my detractors hit a new low.

I received the following "comment" on last Friday's "Talkin' DMV Blues' post: "Your such an anarchist. Watch out it doesn't conflict with your commie leanings." (Copied verbatim, bad grammar included.) It was left by an "anonymous" poster, and I declined the chance to publish this comment at the time, because I didn't feel it was appropriate. However, it is useful as an example of some misconceptions that have apparently started to flow as of late.

I also heard a comment from someone else about several of my posts last week. They wondered what I was doing, slipping in the subliminal communist messages, such as "spread zee wealth," and putting a picture of Stalin and Company on Thursday's post. This reader (you know who you are) was "concerned" that I might be criticized and mistaken for a member of the Red Menace. Lo and behold, it turns out they were right, after all.

Please be assured, I have no sympathies toward Communists or their ideology of conformity and central control. The confusion comes from my subtle jokes, which some people have taken seriously. Anyone who knows me personally in most any respect can tell you that I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the Communist Party (I so solemnly swear, Mr. McCarthy). I am truly a capitalist American pig, and proud of it!

I hope this has put your minds at ease (unless you are a Communist, in which case I'm sure this has saddened you greatly). God Bless America!

If you haven't read the United States Constitution, or The Bill of Rights lately, do it today. It could change your life.

If This Is As Bad As It Gets...

The Guns of Mars received a mixed review this week from Antony Jones over at SFbook Reviews. While 3 out of 5 stars is not a horrible rating, it is the lowest I've received so far, and I sincerely thank Mr. Jones for his honesty.

The review illustrated the weaknesses of the book, and included pretty much everything different people have criticized in the past, and then some. One major criticism regards the premise of Virtual Reality, and Morgan's displacement in time because of it. This is something that arises from this book being a sequel to Prisoner of Time, which was itself the sequel to Virtual Wiles. If you haven't read either of these books (or know of their existence), I understand how jumping into Guns might disorient you.

Another point of contention regards the pacing. A few people have mentioned that it is "rushed" toward the end, though this is the first time I've heard it referred to as "disjointed." The pacing is something I really couldn't help. There are parts of the story which unfold at different rates, and are therefore told to reflect the situation. I suppose I could have padded the hell out of certain sections, but then it would have become sluggish. Any slow sections were likewise unavoidable, as we'd end up removing the intellectual elements from the narrative to speed them up.

The critique of the characters is something I haven't heard before, so I'm not sure if anyone else has found them to "lack the definition needed to turn them into real people." Perhaps this is another flaw of this being the 3rd volume in a series. Added characterization can be found in the first two books, which isn't to say I didn't spend significant time fleshing them out in The Guns of Mars.

It all comes down to individual taste, and you really can't please everyone on all fronts. It can actually be counter-productive to hear nothing but praise, so I really am satisfied with this review. It gives me a look at disparate points of view, and may help me in the creation of future works.

Now, get yourself a copy of The Guns of Mars and tell me what you really think!

Another Stellar Interview

This week, I had the honor of being interviewed by Noah K. Mullette-Gillman about "The Guns of Mars."  I'm pleased to say it went well, and he is doing an excellent job of aiding undiscovered writers in their quest for fame and fortune.  Check it out, and learn something new (and maybe think about buying one of my books.  I do have 3 kids to feed now).