To be fair, I should judge The Return by a little more than its cover, right? But we do need to start at the beginning with…
1) The cover
As a science fiction fan, this cover gets my attention. I recognize that photo from NASA’s archives. Looks like a genuine Rover shot, but I’m not really sure.
My feeling that The Return could actually be good, sound, technical science fiction is reinforced by the blurb on …
2) The Back Cover
I skip the teaser summary. Those always read like movie pitches. I’m less interested in what someone can promise, and more interested in what they can deliver.
NavPress knows it has something special with Austin Boyd. (Here’s Austin’s web site.) The author’s photo against a red background draws your eye immediately to this list of impressive credentials. Then, we learn about Boyd’s expertise in a paragraph that is almost as long as the teaser for the book itself! NASA Astronaut Finalist. Spacecraft Engineer. Author of technical articles about space. And get this… an award-winning poet. (Sadly, it doesn’t mention his awards.)
Quick note: you can see the front and back covers at The Return’s page on ChristianBook.com. They also have a great little video interview with Boyd, that cannot be embedded from their site.
Next stop…
3) Endorsements
It’s the first thing I see when I open the cover. At the top of the list is Mary E. Demuth, everybody’s favorite author/mentor. (Or mine at least.) The other endorsement are a bit odd. Names I don’t know that I feel like I should know. One in particular catches my eye–a director for The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. I don’t know that I’m ready to accept his endorsement, but his position seems interesting.
4) Everything else before the story begins
I see the other books Boyd has written. I see the title page with NavPress’ relatively new tagline: “Bringing Truth to Life.” The masthead page includes another NavPress curiosity: “Our Guarantee to You.” Interesting. Then we get dedications and acknowledgments. (In this final section before the meat, I learn the names of specific people who helped Boyd. People I might be interested in contacting if my Science Fiction were similar to his: Dave Lambert at Howard Books, Jeff Gerke, Les Stobbe, Rebeca Seitz, etc. He also lists the NavPress team by name. If I were submitting to them, I might take note. (And look, there’s my old friend, Rod Morris.)
Tomorrow, I plan to talk about Page One alone. On Wednesday, I’ll get to the highlights of the book as a whole. You’ll have to come back to see if the story lives up to the hype.
And here are my other friends on this week’s Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. As always, a special thanks to Becky for her unending volunteer work to keep us all organized.
Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear (that’s me)
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
11 comments ↓
Sounds interesting, Mark. I didn’t get a chance to read this one. I’ll be back to see what you think.
Yoiks, you editor guys know your stuff. I’m on the opposite side of the spectrum. I frequently finish a science fiction book and can remember neither the author nor the title.
You laugh. I’m serious. I’m not proud of it; I don’t know what it means; but it’s true.
I like the analysis. Seems helpful as a writer - it tells me what I should be doing every time I pick up a book in my genre. Thanks!
I’m always so jealous when I read a post like this - because I love to read fiction and there’s so little time to read the things I must, much less venture off to the things I’d rather read!
Eve, this one is definitely worth buying. And you know how picky I am.
Gordon, I’m not always quite so thorough. For example, I still have trouble remembering who wrote Spin. His name is just unmemorable. But I can use Amazon to look it up. The main point for writers is this: don’t forget you can learn about another author’s network by looking in the acknowledgments. Do your homework. Study the relationships in the industry.
AMM, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Especially the part about “a book in my genre.”
Susan, I don’t read books unless I enjoy them. After getting an MA in literature I’m done with reading the books other people think I should read. If the book is no good after 50 pages, that’s it. I’m done.
(Also, I don’t really watch much TV. Books instead.)
Marcus,
I read Spin, on your recommendation. Enjoyed it. Nice idea. I would have rather had a more thorough dealing with the science & phenomenon of the Spin itself than so much personal stuff about the characters, but that’s just me.
I can’t remember the author’s name either.
Look who’s back!
I like seeing this through your eyes. Not too long ago, I got to thinking about the whole judging a book by its cover thing. We’re meant to, aren’t we? A cover is meant to draw in its target audience. I know what a typical sci-fi cover is, or historical or chick lit or more literary, or snarky.
Loved your unique critique!
Heather, I got, um, swamped. Life is good, just muddy and swampy. The shore appears to be in sight, though.
I love these different “reviews” that you’ve been doing. Again, while I normally would’ve skipped over your CSFF posts, I’m here reading them.
And I met Austin last year in the San Jose airport heading home from Mount Hermon - he’s one neat dude!
Mark, I’ll keep your pickyness in mind when you read my synopsis. *grin*