Another Review
Strangely, The Dog of the North continues to attract more attention in the US, where it's not formally published, than in the UK. Here's what Library Journal.com has to say:
Can't complain at another 'Shakespearean', or a comparison with GRRM. Nice to see a nod to the humour too!
Given that most of my fan mail (not a huge sample size, admittedly) comes from Germany, it may well be that I am less popular at home than in at least two overseas markets.
Strangely, The Dog of the North continues to attract more attention in the US, where it's not formally published, than in the UK. Here's what Library Journal.com has to say:
On the way to her wedding in the city of Croad, Lady Isola is kidnapped by Beauceron, the Dog of the North, whose allegiance lies with the Winter King of Mettingloom and whose personal ambition is to conquer Croad. In the city itself, a lowborn youth named Arren grows to become a valorous knight with a destiny that far surpasses his birth. Many stories combine in Stretton's richly woven tapestry that depicts a land of fractious city-states and the lives of the people who affect the world's direction.
VERDICT Combining a hint of Renaissance Italy with a Shakespearean gravity leavened with touches of humor, the author of Dragonchaser and The Zael Inheritance has created a vividly detailed world that should appeal to fans of David Drake, Midori Snyder, and George R.R. Martin.
Can't complain at another 'Shakespearean', or a comparison with GRRM. Nice to see a nod to the humour too!
Given that most of my fan mail (not a huge sample size, admittedly) comes from Germany, it may well be that I am less popular at home than in at least two overseas markets.
8 comments:
You get fan mail? Wow! Another review by someone who read the book and understood it - top work.
'Fan mail' may be an exaggeration, but I get the occasional email. A disproportionate number of these are from Germany.
The Dog of the North seems to have a couple of the characteristics of a cult novel: neglible sales, but very strong affinity from those readers who 'get' it.
PS - got "Beyond Black" on 3-for-2 at Waterstones, entirely on your recommendation. I'm reading something else now but this does look like one I'm going to enjoy...
It doesn't matter where they come from, Tim, especially if they're good reviews.
Quite right, Elfy. The internet has made readership increasingly international - it's now very easy to get hold of books from other countries when they're not published in your own.
Well done, Tim! More American approval has to be good news.
Good books aren't always instant successes (another reason why I find Pan Mac's decision quite bewildering) - I reckon Dog of the North could well be a sleeper in that respect. All it needed was a little more publicity. If it becomes a success over in the US then I reckon you should pursue a publisher who will want to ride with you on that journey into Mondia - and perhaps hold fire with self-publishing Last Free City just in the short term, Tim, until you've exhausted other avenues.
I certainly haven't given up hope of DoTN taking off in America, although I know the rights department couldn't get a taker. It won't be that long before the rights revert to me, though.
While I'm making The Last Free City available to selected readers (including you, Matt, should you want a copy), it's not going to be self-published for the foreseeable future as I still have other avenues to explore before we get there.
Great news. Tim! Is America a more fantasy-aware market than GB do you think?
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