Sword of the Archon by D.P. Prior
1/2 Star
So, this book. I wasn’t really on WP when I wrote this review in ’14, but over on Booklikes. I was just crossposting all over so I wouldn’t lose any reviews or be silenced. It was not a good read for me and the author, who I’m guessing had a search algorithm going for mentions of him or his books, came over and commented. That wasn’t so cool but since I wasn’t using WP as my main platform, I just let it go. I’m not sure if Prior even left any follow up comments.
However. Ahhh, yes, that “However”, don’t you just love them?
Hippo Mafioso LOVES “howevers”, especially if kneecaps are involved…
However, one of his fans couldn’t let things stand, because obviously I was an evil demon sent directly from hell to destroy their beloved author’s reputation and life itself. Since I wasn’t on GR, said fan couldn’t stir up the hordes of ignorant idiots, so they resorted to commenting on the WordPress review. And they left page long comments. Showing how I was wrong, how I was destroying Prior, blah, blah, blah.
For weeks.
That was when I became very familiar with comment moderation and turned it on. I turned it on then and would just delete comments from that poster when I saw them come up. But it kept on going. So then I just turned comments off altogether and ended up forgetting I had done that, which is why there are a significant amount of reviews on here that don’t allow comments. That’s the kind of thing that’ll get fixed in my little Blog Under Construction project.
It still boggles my mind that another person can invest such energy into such a pointless exercise. Did that commenter think I was suddenly going to change my mind? Did they live in a world where nothing bad was ever said or negativity didn’t exist? That couldn’t be the case because of the rape scene in the book that they were so vociferously defending. And why do “I” draw in those kind of people for my reviews? I mean, they left comments for WEEKS! Who even thinks that way? Sigh. Must have been a Pig Ignorant Euro-snob *wink*
And there you have it, another book, author and rabid fan that I survived. This is the tenth post in this series and you know, I’m beginning to really wonder if there is something wrong with me. Do any of you have stories like this? Because one or two or even three I could see. You just can’t interact with people for 18 years and not have bad experiences, but this many? Which leads into my next paragraph nicely.
I’m getting tired of posting about all the bad experiences I’ve had with books, authors and fans. So I’m going to start another series of posts where I focus on the good experiences, kind of like my Favorite Books series but just one book at a time. Probably going to call it Thriving on a Good Book, and see how that works.
Thriving Baby!
Mattries suggested that I not give up this series of posts altogether though, so I’m thinking I’ll probably do a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio of Thrive to Survive posts. I think I can handle that. Cheers!
- SaBB – Catch-22
- SaBB – The Swords of the Sultan!
- SaBB – A Quest of Heroes
- SaBB – Freeware
- SaBB – An Enemy Reborn
- SaBB – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- SaBB – Shadows Rise
- SaBB – The Boy and the Peddler of Death
- SaBB – The Space Vampires
Hah, what awful twats… some people have way too much free time.
And evil demons love reading too! 😂
I never had this experience and I’m glad. I have no patience for stuff like that.
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Glad you’ve never had to deal with anything like this. That just makes me wonder even more what I’m doing to get this stuff, you know? 🙂
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Maybe it’s the type of books/ genre and crime fiction fans are more chilled? 😃
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That certainly could be. Not being a crime fiction guy, I’ve never experienced the community. So I’ll go with that, as it sounds good 😀
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Maybe the crazed fan was the author’s mother. 🙂 I’ve never understood how authors or rabid fans can think being obnoxious about a book to people who disliked it will somehow have some sort of positive result. I mean, why do it if you know (as you should) that the result will be negative? It’s a bit like pelting somebody who hates the color purple with eggplants for half an hour in an attempt to change their mind.
I’ve never had any experiences like this myself, but then I haven’t been reviewing for nearly as long as you have. I also tend to avoid indies because of the quality issues and because there are still so many traditionally published things I want to read.
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Nahh, I think the fan was younger, from the words they used to the ideas expressed. It came across as very millennial and out of touch with how the real world worked. But maybe it WAS his mom pretending? Stranger things have happened I’m sure 😀
Well, there goes Norrie’s idea that it is genre related then, since I know you read a lot of the same stuff as me. Heck, I don’t know if I’m even as public as you, since you are in groups and stuff.
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A younger sister/brother then, maybe! 🙂 I see that kind of thing most often on Goodreads with the highest-liked negative reviews that show up at the top of the default sort order on the book pages. They tend to accumulate random drive-by ranters telling them why their review is wrong. My reviews don’t have that kind of visibility since my Friends/Followers lists are a lot smaller. I don’t think I’ve really written very scathing reviews anyway, although I’m sure the day will come when I’m inspired to do so. 🙂
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I thought I was a pretty vanilla reviewer, but maybe not?
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Ha, definitely not when you hate something. I always enjoy reading your scathing reviews. 🙂
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Thanks. At least one part of bookdom enjoys them 😀
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Ah, I had to turn on comment moderating for a period. Although it was due to a few commentors feeling it was ok to try to “talk me up” on my blog posts? So even though I have not experienced this exact form of spam and stupidity, I am aware of the levels that exist. I see this on GR most I think 😉
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Really? On your own blog? That’s worse than shameless, sigh.
Yeah, most of this kind of thing happens a lot more on GR. I’m not sure if it is because of the concentration of people or if the platform itself just draws in “The Stupid”.
Thankfully, haven’t really had any similar issues since moving to WP full time.
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Haha, I seem to attract the “best of the best”. Story of my life. Luckily, I easily laugh most of it off. I think you are right about GR. It is most likely the concentration of people 🙂
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Ha seriously I cannot understand people who cannot bear when you criticize their favorite book or author… it happened to me when I said I didn’t like the Mercy Thompson series some fans just lashed out at me … to be honest I think everyone has their own opinions and has a right to share them. I hope these people get caught by hippo Mafioso lol 😉
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You know what is funny? Hippos are actually really dangerous. Bad tempered and easily set off 🙂 So I’m with you in hoping those people get theirs!
I bet people could read a whole other book if they spent time on that instead of sticking their noses into other peoples’ reviews 😀
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All hail the hippo Mafioso who silence those annoying people !
Haha so true! 😂reading is more productive!
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That’s some interesting arm / blade / hat placement going on in the cover illustration…
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Yep! I think he’s cosplaying as a vampire pilgrim vampire hunter 😉
That, or he’s winding up for a really big swing with that sword. If that’s the case, I don’t give the hat much chance of surviving 😀
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Hey, I like this. I wonder about the thoughts of some rabid-fans supporting certain works, too. You took the question right out of my head: do they think you’re suddenly going to believe the way they believe if they keep harassing you and calling you names?
That seems like the literary version of the guy asking a girl out, she says no, and he starts calling her every foul name under the sun. Gee, maybe she should change her mind and date a winner like that, huh?
As long as you’re honest in your reviews, I wouldn’t see what you say as a problem. I give downer reviews once in a while, mostly to books I just couldn’t finish, but I also let people know I didn’t finish and how far I actually. That seems to help; haven’t had a book fan up in arms about trying to destroy somebody’s reputation or something…yet.
Those reactions you’ve dealt with regarding rabid fans (either pseudonyms for the author or family members) are another reason why I wouldn’t tell a family member or friend I wrote a book. I’d hate to have one of them become a troll just because they know me and think it’ll make me feel better. Uh…no. That would make me feel like crap and I’d want to reach out and apologize to the person getting trashed…if I knew how.
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Rabid fans. That is actually a reason I don’t like to get to know authors as people. That way when someone criticizes a book I really like, I don’t somehow conflate the book and the author. Which is what a lot of fans of indies seem to do. Bleh.
Honestly, if a book or an author is “destroyed” because of one review/rant by one no-name blogger, well, then that author deserves to be destroyed! Being a writer may be for anyone, but being an author isn’t for the weak.
And that is an interesting idea about not telling friends and family. I’d never even thought of that, but it certainly makes sense 🙂
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The amount of ways people think they’re helping in this digital age…and it seems like it’s more apt to come back and bite ’em in the rear.
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I did a review of a book I HATED two years ago. Every six months some fan pops up to yell at me. Tell me I’m illiterate or that I shouldn’t swear. This had the flip result they were hoping for. Now when you look at the reviews for that book, mine’s the first to pop up, because every time they commented, more people liked my review than were angry about it. So suck it haters! (Or as I call them, Garbage Lovers.)
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Yeah, that’s the other thing. The more they comment, the more the stats track recent activity, etc. It’s almost like they don’t understand how the world works or something 😉
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Wow, that’s insane! Don’t people have anything better to do? You, my friend, have demonstrated true survival. 🙂
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Insane, indeed. And thank you 🙂
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Seriously, I love hearing about your stories about bad reviewer/bad author behavior than I do reading your negative reviews sometimes (though they are also hilarious!) I thought I knew crazy, but someone who won’t let up after days and days and days and FULL PAGE comments? Wow. When something like this happens, it just makes you wonder…why are they so invested?
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It is beyond comprehension to me. Even the author stopped after his initial nasty comment.
I read the first page long comment but after that, I just auto-deleted them without wasting my time. I did see one comment from them that started with something like “I hope you’re reading these…”
It was worse than dealing with Jehovahs Witnesses and arguing theology 😀
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Your Surviving a Bad Book series can be easily viewed as a community service, so I would encourage you to go on (and I will not mention the other, very selfish reason concerning my amusement… 😀 ), but on the other hand I understand how tiresome it would be to stave off hordes of rabid posters attacking your battlements…
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Thank you for the kind words. I’d feel it was more of a service if it was reaching hundreds of people, but I guess we all have to start small, right? 😀
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I absolutely detest people who behave like this just because you don’t like something they love or because you love something they hate. They are petty and small minded and need to get a life. I’ve had this quite a few times on Goodreads and I found that ignoring the posts really angered them into saying bad stuff to get a reaction, and then other readers reported it, getting them kicked off GR. One guy complained to me about the author’s spelling in the book I liked and accused me of being related or paid to say nice things. Idiots are everywhere. I can’t get my head around why these people care what one reviewer said once about a book. I seriously doubt my tiny blog is going to destroy careers or change the world!
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Exactly. One blog or review isn’t going to wreck a good book. Now, a bad book on the other hand…
But a bad book deserves to be destroyed. Readers’ time is precious!
Goodreads is a breeding pool for this kind of behavior, that is for sure. It showcases just how people can’t handle dissenting opinions or even ideas, contrary to their own. Sigh…
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Oh sweet Jesus! This Shader trilogy kept getting recommended to me by BookBub (which I was deeply offended about). Just reading the blurb was enough to make me realise the book would be terrible. The blurb listed THREE earth-ending things that quite literally would be enough to cause the most hardened hero a stressful day on their own. It then went on to say ‘but luckily, Deacon Shader had been preparing for just such occurrences’. I swear one of the threats was something so impossible to predict happening that it would have been impossible to prepare for.
I think the cover had the main character pouting as well. Just everything about the cover and blurb switched off my interest.
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I believe Shader has gone on for 5 or 6 books?
Glad you didn’t get sucked in 🙂 And welcome back!
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Thank you 😊 it went on for so long as that? Self-published?
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Indie or some sort of vanity press (never heard of Homunculus Press) to give it “legitemacy”…
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During weeks?!? Who has time to waste like that… especially when you’re not even retorting… How the… I personally haven’t experienced any rabid fans like that yet, but I do love seeing the haters who like to attack the reviewer once and then disappear. Hopefully you don’t get many of these crazies no more.
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Yep, weeks. It was crazy.
I really wish I was just making this stuff up but sadly, each Survive is a true story. I am also glad that this is NOT the typical experience for the regular blogger, gives me hope that maybe I too can find the non-crazy land and settle down there and just review 😉
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I am amazed that people can invest so much energy into such a pointless exercise! You weren’t engaging with them, so it’s not like they were getting a response to make them feel special even!
The only similar experiences I have like that are in person when people tell me that a book, TV series, or film is ‘perfect’ and how dare I not love it to pieces? And of course, recognising that something has (sometimes major) faults *must* mean that I hate it, right? And those were exhausting enough, but at least then I could understand that the thrill of a good argument brought someone something from the whole thing! Comments that don’t get approved so they can’t even be appreciated by others makes… makes no sense!
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It was probably the most intense example I’ve ever seen of a fan being tenacious beyond all reason. It made NO sense.
It helped me to think about things online before responding on someone else’s area, let me tell you 🙂
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I’m still in awe that someone had that much spare energy lying around to waste like that!
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Who needs energy drinks? 😀
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Hahahaha!
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I’m with Maddalena in thinking of your SABB posts as a community service – we all have to whittle our reading lists down where we can. But I’m excited to read a Thriving on a Good Book post too … do the thing! 😀 😀
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Well, if I ever go to jail and have to do community service, I’m pointing to these posts to reduce my time then 😉
“Yes, your honor, it took me 100 hours to write each post. Honest!”
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Harassing a reviewer won’t change anybody’s mind. It’ll just get your comment deleted. I don’t understand why people insist on being jerks about a book. Not every person is going to like every book. It’s okay. The book and the author will survive a negative review. There have been times when the angry hordes got whipped up on GR, and the book still ended up on bestseller lists.
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Exactly. And GR is a great example of just what is wrong with the book community.
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Ugh, sorry you had to put up with so many idiot commenters. 😦
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Yeah, I seem to draw more than my fairshare. Just not sure why 🙂
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Sometimes it seems that trolls are attracted by other trolls. Maybe that’s it?
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I love your idea of thriving on a good book! But as for this book… I think it is *so* inappropriate that the author commented for starters. And the fan was way out of line. Unfortunately I have had some crazy commenter who couldn’t leave things be after I criticised a movie they liked- they used to come regularly to my blog to post dodgy/weird/rude comments- fortunately someone told me about the block button. As Norrie said, some people have too much free time
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Thank goodness for the block! I didn’t know about blocking until this year and so far I’ve only had to use it on one spammy author that wouldn’t stop self-promoting.
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Yes!! Honestly I was really reluctant to use it, until the guy got really annoying
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Without wanting to tempt fate, I don’t remember this ever happening to me and I am so sorry for you repeatedly having to go through such an experience. At least you can rise above it. I did get a GR essay once from someone insistant that I shouldn’t have read or reviewed a particular historical fiction novel. It was set in Old Testament biblical times and apparently the Only acceptable book for that era is the Bible itself. My rather scholarly response didn’t get any further replies thank goodness!
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I think it is very telling that people are willing to go out of their way to tell others what to do about pointless little things but those same people won’t tell people about the big things.
Thank you for stopping by too 🙂
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I find every SABB post interesting to read. I am sorry for the grieviances you had to go through. At least you had good traffic
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Well, about that traffic. That is the thing, most of these are when I was on GR and was friends with like 5 people, or on booklikes as it declined or on here when I was even smaller than I am now 😉
It is almost like all the bad apples decided to take a tumble on the least significant buy they could find 😀
But when I’m in a good mood and the sun is shining, all of these make for a good laugh!
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[…] Surviving a Bad Book went well. I announced I’m putting it on a break since I’m going to start a new series about the Good books I’ve read. […]
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[…] Cadman’s Gambit/Sword of the Archon […]
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[…] SaBB – Sword of the Archon […]
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I am working my way through your Bad Book and Authors to Avoid posts because 1) they are entertainingly written, and 2) as an author, I want to see what makes readers hate books. Turns out it could be a lot of different things.
But, you have quite a few of these uber-helpful posts, so you have my permission to stop if you wish to do so. 🙂
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hahahaha! Glad someone can get some use out of them. I started the authors to avoid tag just to help me remember which authors I had a beef with. I have so many 😀
But you are right. There are as many reasons as there are people for why people stop reading a book/series/author. Best of luck!
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I also have to add, you are single handedly changing my stats, in the upward direction. so thanks 😀
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My pleasure!
I am bingeing on you right now. Can’t promise I will continue at the same rate, cause you know … life happens. But every little bit helps, eh?
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