Terra had some very nice things to say about The Five Elements on Amazon.com:

As an epic fantasy adventure, Scott blends magical realism, elemental powers, alchemy and mechanics into a fascinating story.

And,

What I didn't expect is to be sucked into the book to where I was forced to shirk all work, parental, and clean-up responsibilities just so I could find out what happened next in this world Scott Marlowe created!

It's gratifying to have anyone read my work. But to get an excellent review in the process? It's the ultimate form of validation.

Thanks, Terra!

I was tempted to title this post "How to Deal with a Bad Review". Yes, I got a "bad" review. But the truth is that it's not a horrible review, just a bad one ('horrible' being 1 star or thereabouts). Once I'd taken the time to fully digest the reviewer's comments, I wasn't even that upset with it. The reviewer made some valid points, cited specific errors, and, all in all, provided a pretty level-headed assessment of his opinion. I really have no fault with any of it.

Here's what he had to say:

I'll admit: my first reaction was a mixture of disappointment and something to the effect, "Oh yeah, what do you know?&quo... [More]

I'm serializing my fantasy novel, The Five Elements, one chapter a week for the next 24 weeks. See the TOC for the complete list of chapters and links to each corresponding post. If you don't want to wait for the end of the 24 weeks to read the entire novel, you can download or buy The Five Elements in a variety of formats.

Aaron picked his way down the rocky slope. The old cliffs—the Breakers—were gone, but they'd been replaced by new ones far more amicable to foot traffic. So many thin, rocky walkways crisscrossed the sheer cliff face it was as if a master trailsman had plied his trade here. The routes were... [More]

I'm serializing my fantasy novel, The Five Elements, one chapter a week for the next 24 weeks. See the TOC for the complete list of chapters and links to each corresponding post. If you don't want to wait for the end of the 24 weeks to read the entire novel, you can download or buy The Five Elements in a variety of formats.

The folk of Norwynne fled from a land gone mad.

Leaving behind what possessions remained to them, they abandoned the remnants of hearths and homes to flee into the night with only the clothes on their backs and their children held or dragged behind. They ran screaming and crying and praying beneath a sky turned crimson wi... [More]