Dear Matthew,

I haven't read any of the Jane Chance books--indeed, I wasn't aware that she existed until I heard her speak this morning on CBC radio. I'm always excited by people who take Tolkien seriously (as I do), so I went online in search of more information and happened upon your critique.

As I said, I didn't read the books, but what you say about postmodern assumptions definitely rings a bell (if there ever was a duller and more humourless worldview devised, I'd like to know what it is). There's just one thing: you say Chance arrived at the conclusion that Tolkien was trying to create a mythology for England. That's not her conclusion; he said so himself! (cf. Humphrey Carpenter's book J.R.R. Tolkien)

Yours, Ana Simeon, Vancouver

Matthew Winslow replies:

Ms. Simeon,

Thank you for the response to the review. One always puts one's neck on the line when writing a review ("will it be received well? or will I be tarred and feathered?"), so feedback is always appreciated.

Regarding Ms. Chance's conclusions, as I noted in the review, Tolkien's Art was originally published at a time before his letters were published, so she didn't have access to letter 131 where Tolkien revealed what he was attempting. That's what makes her scholarship in that book so impeccable (and why I was so disppointed in her other book): she definitely has the ability to dig into a text and find its meaning, rather than having to tack on superfluous postmodernisms. Such scholarship seems to be vanishing in academia, but with post-structuralism on the wane, I'm hoping we'll be seeing more books like Tolkien's Art in the future. (I hear that John Garth's Tolkien and the Great War is one such book, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.)

Sincerely, Matthew Scott Winslow

Neil Gaiman once gave me a particularly useful bit of advice, saying that a writer should ignore all reviews, even the good ones, since if you give any credit to the raves, you have to do the same with the inevitable pans. Not everyone is as sanguine about such matters as Neil, but even those of us who can't help reading our critics are invariably better off not responding to them.

Case in point being Steve Perry's Bizarro World rants about Rachel Manija Brown's review of Windowpane. Even if Ms. Brown had truly written a "poison pen" review of Mr. Perry's novel, she couldn't make me think as badly of his talents as he himself has now done. As he says, you only get one first impression, and mine, however inaccurate, is that Mr. Perry reacts to criticism like an adolescent nerd rather than a veteran novelist and accomplished martial artist.

My first novel Mordred's Curse was pilloried in the New York Review of Science Fiction for my alleged refusal to write about "empowered" female characters (I may be distorting the review, since I stopped reading it after the first paragraph). I was less than pleased, but I didn't dash off any silly and embarrassing letters or even cancel my subscription to that magazine. That's a mug's game.

I can't claim to be as enlightened as Mr. Perry; I grew up at the tail end of the 60s, but was a "monster boomer" rather than a hippy. I've studied Pai Lum Gongfu for little more than a year now, with a tiny spot of judo and jiu-jitsu before that, and neither my present sifu nor my past senseis were much on imparting spiritual wisdom. Still, even this ignorant neophyte knows that to respond to a bad review is to stumble off the Way of the Warrior and into the morass of unenlightened folly.

Ian McDowell

Dear Mr. Perry,

I regret the factual error in my review stemming from my assumption that because Windowpane was copyright 2003, it had been written recently. I had no way of knowing that it was actually a trunk novel that had been written much earlier, but now that you've told me, I will put a note to that effect in the original review.

I know that's the least of your issues with me and my review, but the rest of them involve my opinions, which I couldn't change even if I wanted to.

As for your speculation that I'm not a nice person, think about it for a moment: if I'm a nasty person when I write a negative review, do I morph into a nice one when I write a positive review? Did Good Rachel review The Fall of the Kings and Ring, and Bad Rachel Green Boy and Volcano High? And who reviewed Alia Waking and The Tolkien Audio Collection?

Also, now that I explained in my first reply that the staff here agrees to review books before we know if we'll like them, do you still think all our reviews should be positive?

Regarding your guesses about me, you're correct about my age range, and somewhat correct about my family. I'm thirty and my parents were indeed hippies. However, I have rather more complicated feelings about the sixties than blind jealous rage.

When I was a teenager, I so regretted missing out on the decade that I wore tie-dye and only listened to sixties music. Then I went to college, met many other people trying to recreate the sixties, and realized that while the music was great and the activism was noble, drugs can derail your life and communal living gets really gross if nobody wants to do the dishes. Now I think that the sixties were neither heaven nor hell, but an interesting time which still attracts a lot of love and hate.

So I don't automatically detest all books about the sixties, but I prefer those which don't assume that bringing them back would be nothing but wonderful. The righteous anti-war activism was spawned by a horrific war: you can't get the passion without the cause for it.

In my review of Windowpane, I mention one of my favorite fantasies about the sixties:

If you want an edgy and elegiac dark fantasy about a magical/musical attempt to bring back the sixties, read George R. R. Martin's The Armageddon Rag.

If you hear nothing but praise, because the mandate is praise or silence, you can never know if the praise is sincere. I think Green Man Review is refreshingly honest. And when I write a positive review of a book, the author can rest assured, with Windowpane as the proof, that I meant every word.

Rachel

Gordon Morris and I would like to thank you for publishing the review of A Taste of the Marrowbones, it is very much appreciated and I am pleased to report we have had a lot of interest in the album.

I have had lot’s of e-mails enquiring about the CD, so can I clear a few points some folks are a bit hazy about. Although the CD is essentially FREE, the premise is if you don’t like it or the sound the Marrowbones make, you really don’t have to pay anything at all. (Look on it as a bit like shareware for PC programs.) But anything you do want to pay will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.

The only thing that is not free is the cost of the postage and packing to send it out. This amounts to 60p in the UK, and £1.20p airmail worldwide. A lot of people have enquired how do they pay the postage from the U.S. for such a small amount. To write a bank check for $2.00 is not feasible because the bank may charge $6.00 to clear it!

So, as an experiment for the next 60 days, we have decided to waive the postage payment in advance. Instead we will post out the CD and deduct the postage from the amount you decide you want to pay. This may have to be a limited offer for the first 100 copies. First come first serve basis.

The album has 17 songs on it, and 7 of them have not been released before. It is produced on a CD-R. There isn’t a jewel case with the CD, it is supplied in a simple plastic envelope with a play list etc. (makes it easier to pack and post).

Yours sincerely, Peter Massey.

Dear Letters Editor,

I've been writing forever, and like most writers I know, normally shrug off reviews and critiques, good or bad. Doesn't do much good to respond, for the same reason that the reviews don't much help a writer -- once the book is done and out, you can't go back and fix it, even if the comments are valid.

However, I have made a couple of exceptions, for reviews that were particularly well-done, be they pro or con -- and for those not-so-well-done. From where I sit, Rachel Manija Brown wrote a nasty, mean-spirited, and inaccurate critique of my novel Windowpane. It's so awful that it is more amusing than painful -- the worst comments out of hundreds of reviews I have gotten in twenty-five years as a writer. I wonder if it makes her feel good to know that?

I dropped her a note to this effect, and pointed the basic factual errors, and she indicated she'd pass the note along to you, with her comments. Well. Let me amplify my comments a bit:

Ms. Brown offered that she enjoyed another of my books, but damned it with faint praise -- liking it in spite of the facts that the prose was barely adequate, the sex ludicrous, and the setting generic. I'm a good-hearted, but guilty pleasure, and from what I am able to discern, I should stick to writing such material.

I'm guessing Ms. Brown is twenty-something, maybe thirty, grew up well after the sixties, and got tired of hearing her parents or grandparents or aunts and uncles blather on about how great it was to be there. Really, really got tired of it. So she ground her axe using my work. While I appreciate that there is always room for opinions, in this case, hers is such I can't find any use for it. She could be a nice person, but judging just from what she's had to say about what I do, I don't see it.

You only get one first impression and Ms. Brown's -- and thus Green Man's -- was for me, ugly. Maybe she might want to think about that next time she sits down to comment in print. Maybe you might want to think about putting forth poisoned-pen reviews, too. One can be honest without being nasty.

I must say that such a review would have bothered me had it been about a writer other than myself -- the hatchet job on Jane Yolen's book, for instance. And the reviewer's response to her comments was, to my mind, insulting. Snide is seldom appealing.

On the strength of these two reviews alone, I find that any call I might have had to read Green Man Review further is nil.

Steve

Thanks very much for coming to see Tam Lin, and for your review, which I think is fair-minded and helpful. And as a matter of fact, we do consider it a work-in-progress -- I plan to bring the play back every year, with hopefully increasingly better production values and performances. I hope you return next Halloween to see the show.

You were quite right about rehearsal time - several of the actors complained to me that there was not enough of it prior to performance. I am also glad to know your opinion about "I love the smell of haggis in the morning;" I debated all through the production whether or not to pull the line but the actors and others insisted it wasn't too over the top. It's good to know that not everybody agrees.

Thanks again, Nancy McClernan

Scott Gianelli replies:

Dear Nancy,

Thank you for your letter concering my review of your play. I'm happy that you didn't take my negative comments too personally, because I did enjoy it on the whole. I look forward to a new and improved version next fall.

Scott

Dear Mr. Kidney:

I just wanted to say a word of thanks to you for your excellent essay on Western films and for your kind comments about my favorite actor, Pernell Roberts. His work seems to be little-appreciated today except by a small group of loyal fans.

He has small parts in Desire Under the Elms and in Glenn Ford's Sheepman, but his first major film role in Bud Boettcher's Ride Lonesome will just blow you away. He plays Sam Boone, a no-better-than-he's-had-to-be outlaw, who would like to gain an amnesty so he can settle down and go straight. He does it with style, humor, depth and a riveting swagger. He completely outshines the aging Randolph Scott and grabs the eye away from James Coburn, who plays his sidekick in his first film role.

Although he has played many characters and done them all well, he remains an embodiment of the cowboy right through what is practically his final dramatic appearance in the Young Riders episode, "Requiem for a Hero." It is so rewarding to see someone outside the Bonanza family who appreciates his work.

I agree with almost every word of your essay, except with the choice of Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp film. Kurt Russell's Tombstone is a far better film on the same subject, in my opinion. I have always felt that Val Kilmer should have gotten a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as Doc Holliday in this film. At first learning of the casting choice, I, along with many others, thought 'Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday; no way!' but his performance is absolutely amazing and totally believable. If you haven't had a chance to see it, let me recommend it to you.

Thank you for allowing me to bend your ear, and with all best wishes to you and yours in this coming holiday season.

Gwynne Logan

David Kidney responds:

I saw both Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. Granted, Tombstone had good performances and more outright action, but I have watched Wyatt Earp three times, and am drawn back to it. It has a depth and richness that is missing in Tombstone. If only Pernell Roberts had played Doc Holliday in a film then everybody'd be happy.

Hello:

We sell Kevin Ferguson's Exotic Extremes CD and we were wondering if we could have permission to reprint the review on our site, with credits and links back to Green Man Review. It would help Kevin sell a few more CDs.

Please, let me know, thank you,
Georgina McAvinchey, Guitar Nine Records

[Editor's note: Cat said yes, and they did a great job with it on their review page.]

Rachel,

Somebody sent me your review of Windowpane, and since it is, in fact, the worst one I have ever gotten for anything I've published, I found it greatly amusing. (Though I have to ask -- Why, as you indicated to WJW, in re his novel, The Rift, are you wasting your writing time doing poisoned pen reviews?)

You couldn't know, of course, that I wrote Windowpane in the early 1980's -- before I did the Matador books -- and didn't have enough clout to get it read. So I stuck it in a trunk and it stayed there for fifteen years. Which is why I cannibalized parts of it, because I knew it wasn't going to be published.

But, fast forward to 2001. Somebody starting an e-book company asked me if I had any trunk books and I gave them this one. The e-book company went belly-up, but the editor went to work for Five Star and he liked the ms enough to show it to his publishers. They liked it enough to publish it.

So you can rag me for having written something so deadly earnest, but not for stopping my paying work for what I was doing to try and break into the mainstream. I'm still hacking away. (That you didn't like it is okay, though I tend to respond to critics like Fred Allen used to -- Where were you when the page was blank? Better the world's worst artist than the world's best critic and all ...)

But since you are working on a novel -- and assuming you can sell it -- your turn in the barrel is coming. At the risk of sounding naively idealistic, Cap'n Karma never sleeps. I'd be interested in hearing from you when -- and trust me, you won't please 'em all -- you get a really nasty review. Just to see how it makes you feel.

But, hey -- break a leg. Living well is the best revenge.

Steve

Rachel Manija Brown replies:

Dear Steve,

Is it O.K. if I forward your letter to the Green Man Review letter column? It corrects my wrong guess about when and why you wrote Windowpane; it explains why the same scene was in Black Steel (which I quite enjoyed, by the way, and which I've praised elsewhere), and it raises some interesting points on the ethics of criticism which I would like to address publicly, as they have repeatedly come up at Green Man and elsewhere. I promise, I won't make any personal attacks.

Steve Perry replied:

Rachel,

Nope, I don't mind if you forward it. Nor this note. And I don't have any problems with attacks, personal or otherwise -- I fancy that I can take care of myself. It's just that we have a basic philosophical difference when it comes to reviewing: Rather than pan a book I don't like, I don't review it at all. There are plenty of books I haven't cared for, and why give them ink? People remember the names of products in the worst ads as much as they do in the best. I'd rather hold up something worth a reader's time -- go get this and I think you'll get your money's worth.

Thumper Rabbit's Daddy's Dictum, and, of course, it goes along with my way of looking at life. Us old hippies have some of that attitude left -- even though I am more a believer in Meher Baba's non-violence of the strong, as opposed to pacificism. Because I can kick your ass sometimes means I don't have to do it in order to prove something.

Of maybe a hundred reviews I've had published, the only one in which I ever took writers to task concerned a collaboration by two horror heavyweights (King and Straub) in which they were deliberately messing with readers just because they could, and I called 'em on it; and I knew my opinion wouldn't do anything to keep the book off the bestseller list. (It didn't.) And even then, I found something to like.

I've never done one in which I told readers not to buy the book. (To dismiss something a fellow worker in the word mines has labored over for months, maybe years, with witty deconstruction or mayhaps even snide comments in print just doesn't call to me.)

Anybody can be a critic. You don't have to start with a blank page, all you have to do is react to what somebody else has done. For me, walking the walking gives you more rights to talk the talk, but even so, I'm just not a fan of attack journalism. Your mileage seems to vary.

Rachel replies:

(As a side note, I am quite familiar with Meher Baba. I grew up on his ashram in Ahmednagar, India. While most ashram kids grow up to be enlightened, spiritual types, a few of us turn out...well...differently.

So I do see your point about the "non-violence of the strong" thing, but if I went around telling people that I could kick their ass, my sensei would kick my ass. Well, not literally, but he'd raise his eyebrows and look at me, and it would feel the same.)

Moving on...

Steve Perry’s main point seems to be that negative book reviews serve no purpose and should not be written. As this is an issue which has come up a number of times in this letter column, I would like to take the time to address it.

At Green Man Review, while we can volunteer to review books which we have already read, usually we are assigned books for review which we haven’t read yet--in other words, before we know whether or not we’ll like them. This is how the process works:

Publishers send review copies to Green Man Review. The editor sends the reviewers a list of books available for review. The reviewers choose books from that list. The editor assigns books when more than one person volunteers to review the same book, and re-posts the list if no one volunteers for certain books. Finally, the books are mailed to the reviewers.

This process selects for positive reviews to a certain extent, as people are likely to request books by authors whom they already know and like. But it does not, cannot, and should not ensure positive reviews. Once reviewers have received and read their assigned books, they have an obligation to review them whether they enjoyed them or not.

Imagine the consequences if they chose not to review books they didn't like: either the books would not be reviewed at all, in which case the implied contract with the publisher, who provides the books for free in exchange for a review, would be broken; or else books would be passed around indefinitely until they found a fan. For some books, that could take quite a long time, and the resulting review -- after, say, the first fifty reviewers declined to write one -- would hardly be representative.

Clearly, it's impractical for any publication which uses this or a similar system to receive only enthusiastic reviews. And if all books which are submitted are reviewed, then the only way of ensuring that all reviews are positive is to make them positive whether the reviewer liked them or not. And that would be dishonest.

Regarding the ethics of writing negative reviews in general, as we now see that such reviews are an inevitable part of the process of reviewing, one must raise the question of whether books should be reviewed at all.

Steve Perry’s views on that matter seem to go as follows:

1. That only writers of published fiction should review books:

"For me, walking the walking gives you more rights to talk the talk."

2. That even when performed by published novelists, criticism is an unskilled and worthless endeavor:

"Anybody can be a critic. You don't have to start with a blank page, all you have to do is react to what somebody else has done." "Better the world's worst artist than the world's best critic and all..."

3. That reviews should only function as recommendations:

"I'd rather hold up something worth a reader's time -- go get this and I think you'll get your money's worth."

4. That it’s wrong to criticize something which someone put a lot of work into:

"To dismiss something a fellow worker in the word mines has labored over for months, maybe years, with witty deconstruction or mayhaps even snide comments in print just doesn't call to me."

Is it because I'm a bitter, angry person with no life and nothing better to do than express my venom and jealousy? No, for that would only motivate me to place late-night drunken phone calls.

I reviewed Windowpane the way I did because it was my honest opinion, and because I did my best to put the words together in the best and most interesting and amusing way I could. That's how I write and how, I presume, most writers (including Steve Perry) write; and how we write is why we write.

We do it because we want to share what's in our minds and hearts. We do it because it's fun.

Rachel

Hi, Lars,

Thanks for the thoughtful review. I must say it's the poorest review of the album that has come through, which is fair enough. Everyone needs to hear about what folks didn't like. Still, I did want to clarify a couple of things.

One is that my primary influence is Alex de Grassi (early works), rather than John Renbourn. Renbourn in recent years has certainly become a very important influence, but second only to de Grassi. Second, as you rightly point out, John's influence on my music has been limited to his gentler side (pieces like "South Wind"), obviously not the jazzy or bluesy side of what he does. But I was a bit surprised that this was written up as a shortcoming, as I've never claimed or aspired to include such styles into my music. The range of my music is indeed narrow, which I suppose is both a weakness and a strength.

Thanks again for the review.

Best regards, Clarelynn Rose

Hi Craig,

I would like to cite the following anecdote from your review A Hawk from a Handsaw: Hamlet in Film:

There is even a reported rumor that states that an actor playing the gravedigger was asked what the play was about. His answer: "It's about this gravedigger who..."

Thank you so much for your time!

Best regards, Courtney Reilly

Craig Clarke responds:

Hi Courtney,

First off, thanks for writing in. It's always good to know that people are reading.

I'm afraid it appears that this is one of those ancient show business stories that has become legend--perhaps urban legend--and that is at this point all but untraceable. Film critic Roger Ebert has referred to it in probably half a dozen of his reviews and this is probably where I was introduced to it.

An email to him regarding this was unanswered. This is the reason I did not get back to you immediately, for which I apologize. Other research simply brings up reprints of Ebert reviews and other articles where no source is cited.

I'm sorry I cannot help you further and I wish you the best of luck in your search.

Thanks again for reading, Craig

Dear Rebecca,

I've read your review and liked the kind words you had to say about it. It's funny but I'm pretty sure that I explained who Curt Vile was a few times during the book. And the bibliography was designed to explain most of his more obsure work -- I always saw the book as a proper introduction to his work.

Rebecca Scott replies:

You did, in the way you meant. What I meant was more like, "Well, now I want to read the whole thing and find out who he is as a character..." And I am finding the bib a terribly useful resource. I really do have the owner of my local comic book shop trying to track down some of that stuff for me. And for himself, as well, now that I've pointed out to him that it exists.

Part of the problem there was probably the fact that Alan seems to ramble a bit. Really interesting rambling, but rambling nonetheless.

Chin up, George

Thanks. I am, by the by, telling everyone I know who reads Moore to get your book.

Thanks for writing to me. If I found the book a little confusing for readers new to Moore, maybe it's because you're a bit too close to the subject matter. I had a reader of my acquaintance comment to me that my Sandman reviews were too insiderish for him, as he hadn't read the books. Much to my chagrin, since it sort of defeats the purpose of a review.

Rebecca

Dear Mr. Winslow,

I had the great pleasure of reading your review of Lucifer's Crown the day before I left for the World Fantasy Convention -- where I encountered Martin Greenberg, who was so pleased he hugged me.

To be compared to Charles Williams is quite an ego boost, especially when I was told by several editors and agents that Lucifer's Crown would never sell.

Thank you very much, Lillian

Matthew Winslow responds:

Ms. Carl,

Thank you for the note. It always feels odd to me to be on the receiving end of thank you letters. Usually the stream flows in the other direction. But nonetheless it's wonderful to hear about the positive reception of a review.

I've heard a lot of good things about the World Fantasy Convention this year (and maybe I'll get to go one of these years), but a hug from Martin Greenberg may beat all the rest I've heard!

Sincerely, Matthew Scott Winslow

Hello Eric,

Our Year 12 students are studying Briar Rose and I came across your article, which will be very useful for them. Can I print this article and make it available to students to use in the Library??

With thanks, Christine Rutherford

Eric Eller replies:

Hello Christine,

You're certainly welcome to print out my review of Briar Rose for the use of your students studying the novel. I hope they find the novel as enjoyable and interesting as I did.

Regards, Eric Eller

Many thanks for printing No'am Newman's review of my album Water Falls Down. In it he correctly notes that I am not credited with writing the song "Been Smoking Too Long" on Nick Drake's posthumous Time of No Reply album. This album is a collection of unreleased studio tracks and home demos that was put together some years after Nick died. My song was on a home demo he recorded in 1967 after learning it from me a few months earlier. The album compilers had no way of knowing who had written it.

After I heard the album in 1986, I contacted Ryko (who was distributing it at the time) and was able to prove to their satisfaction that I was the author. Island/Universal will be distributing Nick's albums in the future and I have been told I will be credited on all future releases of the song. For people who are fans of Nick's, I've written about our friendship and his remarkable songwriting skills for Mojo Magazine. A copy of the article is posted on my Web site.

Thanks for your wonderful magazine. Keep up the great work!

Sincerely, Robin Frederick

Hello Green Man Review!

Great site you have here. I've enjoyed looking through many of the reviews.

Faith J. Cormier does a splendid task of reviewing our CD. That's not to say she does it perfect justice, but I'm pleased she recognizes a very listenable CD. I remember when I first heard Tommy Sands' The Heart's a Wonder CD. Almost couldn't understand a darn word he sang, but I let the music and then lyrics grow on me and now, as I drive through my many miles of easy listening here in Newfoundland, I'm always playing it. It's a beautiful CD that has meant more to me than I wish to relate here. That song about "Back to School" is a real "upper" and there are still a few words I still don't understand. Darn those accents....why can't "dey all speaks like we, 'ere in Newfoundland, eh by?" LOL!

So thanks for reviewing our Home, Boys! and I'm glad our clear lyrics and original tunes have been very well appreciated by your gifted reviewer. Drop into our Web site and say hello. I'm always there to give a special price to someone--even a special price on the special price!--and to anywhere in the world!

"Sure b'y, Newfoundland is closer to Dublin, Ireland, than our own capital of Ottawa, Canada"!!!

All the best, Mike Madigan, Sharecropper Trio.

P.S.: A lady from Bonavista, Newfoundland, honestly and sincerely asked me once, "How many be there in your trio?" I told her after showing her our 2nd CD cover with the three of us and a statue of John Cabot, "Ma'am, there are four in our trio." She looked at me and said, "Oh I see. Thank you." Then she bought the CD. It pays to be honest!

Wow!

Loved your review of Pina. I "discovered" her via a former co-worker, about 9 months ago. It was interesting reading her story and learning that, like me, Pina is divorced and a single parent. Maybe that's why I identified so strongly with her music?

Her CD is played long and often and enjoyed by my daughters, ages 7 and 9, who also sing along. Their 13-year-old brother is, unfortunately, going through that teenage crappy-music phase. Anyway, it's great to know my musical taste isn't lacking these days and that there are others who share my love for this musical wonder called Pina.

S. Parker

Scott Gianelli responds:

Thank you for your comments. I am likewise grateful not to be the only one who feels this way about Pina's music, and I'm also happy to know that somebody likes what I write.

Scott

Hi Faith!

Thanks for the insightful review for our latest efforts in Home, Boys! Nice review and well put together. The opening song, "Crowd from Up the Hill," actually has Milton there playing the bodhran and Bill Greene on the Whistle. They were delighted to be a part of the song which was about them and their singsongs that last all night (and till breakfast)!

As for our name Sharecroppers... Gee... 12 years ago when we started we were going to call ourselves Great Big Sea Hove but hey, where would that have gotten us, eh? LOL

The "Maggie Madigan" tune... I did it at a songwriter's circle and since then, after many CBC stories/interviews on it, I'm glad to announce that there will soon be "news" on the whole mystery. In fact I can reveal to you now that I have a picture of Maggie Madigan!! but can't reveal it till the book comes out.

Book? Yes, but that's another story in the making right now that just a week ago I found out about. So there's a lot of mystery still happening but there were reasons for it that even I wasn't aware of. All in good time, I was told. So I await as well!

Keep up the good writing/reviews. Here's one for you--are you aware of Aengus Finnean's Cd? He sent it to me, I really enjoyed it. If you haven't heard it, I recommend it. A song called "Wild Rose"--brilliantly done.

I got the missus, Heather, to put in three lines in an unreleased song called "Iceberg Towering Over Me." She plays/sings the part of the cold iceberg that nearly killed me in my teaching days in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. I rowed out to chop a piece of a berg grounded just outside the harbour--you know, to melt and drink its clear water of 10 thousand years ago!

Well it turned over (turtled-up) just as I got to it in me dory. Thank God I was in a dory, 'cause the wave that it produced as it rolled would have tipped a rowboat for sure. So, I partially rode the wave up and over, and after the wave crashed against the shore, I heard a voice saying to me, "I'll spare you this once, but next time I won't miss!" True story! As for the voice?...well, true enough!

I'm not so sure you've heard anything on our first two albums? There's a wonderful song about the Kyle, which now lies rotting in Harbour Grace despite a recent paint job in 1997 for the Cabot celebration. My final verse in the song says why they should paint her up and when they did, I received lots of wonderful comments--despite the fact that half the town saw the Kyle as an eyesore and felt that it should be dragged out to sea and sunk!

Another song called "My Grandfather's Fiddle" tells of the time I borrowed my grandpapa's fiddle the evening of his funeral. After the funeral I was asked to play "La Reel de St. Anne" in front of my mother's entire side of the family (from St. Felix de Valois, Quebec). They asked me to play it on his fiddle and when I opened the fiddle case, there it was--old, warped bridge, worn down strings, and few horse hairs left on the bow. But I got through the reel after spending a full three minutes trying to get it in tune--three minutes can be a long time in front of so many!--and tears of joy flowed from my grandmaman's eyes. 'Twas a mystical, magical moment.

Later that evening I wrote:

I got a loan of my grandfather's fiddle
It's unlike anything you've seen before
The strings are old, the bow is weak
The bridge is warped the keys won't keep
But you should have seen him play that St. Anne's Reel!

I could go on and on. Hope I've whetted yer appetite to hear these songs! Take care. It's 2:37 in the morning, I just came back from a gig (we played for a bunch of high school guidance counsellors who let their hair down tonight!), and I just felt like writing and writing. Hope you didn't mind being tonight's recipient! LOL!

Fairwinds, Mike Madigan, Sharecropper trio

David,

I enjoyed (and mostly agreed) with your article review on the western film/tv genre in Green Man, and wanted to tell you I especially appreciate your analysis of Adam Cartwright on Bonanza. It is good to see him receive the review he deserves for that role in an unbiased (non-female?) way. The actor has been much maligned over the years and has disdained his role on that show, but I doubt that he has ever been unhappy with his own performance.

Thanks again, Monette Bebow-Reinhard
(author of Felling of the Sons, authorized 2001 Bonanza novel)

Grey,

A perfectly lovely synthesis of the Dark is Rising cycle! Just what I was looking for! I read The Grey King when I was 12, always meant to read the other books but never got around to it, and last week my 7-year-old found The Dark is Rising in my bookshelf and asked me to read it to her (we had read The Grey King last year together). We are thoroughly enjoying it, but I needed some context, so went searching on Google. Yours was the first Web site I found, and it was exactly what I needed. Many thanks. You're a fine writer.

Best, Elayne Harmer San Ramon, Calif.

Grey Walker responds:

Thank you so much for your letter. I really appreciate it. It's always a delight to hear from someone who shares my enthusiasm for The Dark is Rising. You and your daughter are lucky to be able to share it together.

All good things, Grey

Hi Maria,

The film High Spirits: which castle was used in making of this movie? We have been having a few discussions around the location and the exact castles used and have been unsuccessful in finding the location from the internet.

Regards, Kerr Brand

Maria Nutick replies:

Hi Kerr,

High Spirits was filmed at Dromore Castle, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland.

Just a hint, one of the best possible resources for film location info is the Internet Movie Database. You can search by film and then by filming location. That's how I found this bit of info. Of course now you have me interested in finding out which locations some of my other favorites were filmed at... :)

Cheers, Maria

Just read your review. Lackey's Owl Mage trilogy is intended for teens, even though it regularly gets shelved with the adult fantasies. Helps explain that a bit, I hope.

Me, I love reading juvenile fiction, and I'm usually very pleased with the Valdemar stuff, but I thought the Owl Mage books sucked. I didn't even make it through the first one, if I recall correctly. Glad to see a reviewer who agrees with me.

Rebecca

Dear GMR

Well first off thanks for the review. You never know which bits of your efforts as an muso are going to get picked out for comment. It was a pleasant surprise to see many points that I concurred with in Stephen's review.

First and mostly, we're not an Irish band and don't pretend to be. It's an old saw, but we play tunes that we like, the way we like to play them hence the validity of Stephen's point about Brian and Susan's backing style being spot on.

In fact, we're not even a folk band really - we're just some musos having a good time. We get plenty of good-paying jobs doing barn dances because we're fun and the audience comes with no preconceived notions. But it does make it difficult to get performance work because most venues cater only to dyed-in-the-wool Celtic or trad English or Blues or whatever. To be genuinely eclectic and get a hearing is pretty difficult.

We've just managed to get established in a couple of coffee houses whose audiences seem to respond to our range and style. We've packed the places several times now and people stop talking and either listen or dance for the evening so that's real rewarding.

Stephen, if "James Finlayson's" brought a smile to your lips, just imagine me with several thousand quid's worth of digital recording equipment poring over a 1950s windup grammophone trying to catch that scrape & scratch the next time you try it.

The downside of all this is that just as it has started to come together for us, I have been diagnosed with a terminal lung cancer. I can't play anymore and will probably be dead in a few months. It was really nice to round up with such a positive review of Free Time which I was pretty proud of as I did all the recording, mixing and artwork. I thought Stephen's last para made a nice thing to be remembered by.

I wish all good things to GMR staffers and readers for the future.

Cheers, Jon Leff

Hello Maria

In that I am presently reading [Norman] Davies' book Europe, I was looking around for information concerning Dr. Davies on my computer. I came across your critique of his book, The Isles. I read with great interest.

In that I too am very much an amateur historian and have been most interested in Celtic history I intend to read The Isles. It was amusing to me that you took issue with Dr. Davies, particularly with his pro-Celtic stance. In reading many Celtic history books written by French, German, and English authors, there should be no question concerning the bias and prejudice shown over and over by English authors. If you want chapter and verse I can comply.

I think it's about time that the tables get turned. By the way did you read the results of a recent genetic study done, I believe, at Cambridge, with the DNA showing that at least half of the average Englishman's genes are Celtic? I always knew there was something good about them!!

I am sure that by now you know that I, too, am a Welshman. Oh well, you don't have a choice. In that I am 82, it makes "no never mind."

Cymry Am Byth
Best, Trevor Evans

Maria Nutick replies:

Dear Mr. Evans,

I agree completely, most histories written by non-Celtic authors do tend to discount the Celtic contribution; at worst they ignore it completely, and at best they treat the Celts as a quaint sidenote in history. I am of Celtic descent on my mother's side (Welsh, mostly) and I take issue with that just as you do. My chief complaint with Mr. Davies is not necessarily that he takes the opposite tack, only that he does so without any subtlety! Obvious bias in either direction calls credibility into question, at least to my mind. But I do take your point.

I saw the study that you mention; isn't it lovely? I wonder what would happen if they did the same testing on this side of the pond?

Delightful to hear from you, thank you for taking the time to write in.

Regards, Maria

Dear Sir/Madam:

Having this work in my collection for many years, I am convinced this is probably the finest and most ambitious work of Ian Anderson. I have listened to this album many times over and have often been left with a desire to understand what ideas are behind this work. I want to thank you for your review and helping me to understand it more fully.

Sincerely, Robert L. Dickie

Cat Eldridge responds:

I'll pass on your kind words to Jack Merry who did the review. You do know that there's now a new release of this album that is, in the opinion of many Green Man staffers, better sounding? It also has live versions of 'Beltane' and 'Velvet Green' on it. It's well-worth hearing!

Dear Peter Massey,

I have visited Fleetwood twice by tram from Blackpool, and once with a steam special (Oliver Cromwell) train in 1968. Anyway re: Fisherperson's Friends, you said this would not be understood outwith Britain. I beg to differ. I have seen them on sale in France, Germany, Italy, etc.--the packet has just the same logo but the rubric translated into the local language--I would be tempted to see how many different languages I can collect. Gary got the company's approval to use the logo, so he says.

I somewhat agree with your comments on Blyth Power. I think Joseph's lyrics are ace but the musicianship generally less inspiring. Because of the railway/mediaeval/lefty connection, I hired them to play on the 29th floor of Guys Hospital Tower overlooking Tower Bridge, for my belated 50th birthday bash.

Great fun had by all. Keep up the good work.

Cheers, Martin Cook

Peter Massey responds:

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your e-mail and kind words about the review. You do surprise me that Fisherman's Friends have been seen on the continent! I would have thought the taste a little strange, to say the least for the continental palette, but hey you learn something every day! Nice to hear you booked them for your birthday bash and can I take this opportunity of wishing your a belated happy 50th birthday -- believe me, its all down hill from now on!

Cheers 'n' Beers, Peter Massey.

Hello,

I wanted to thank you for your very friendly and favorable review of my band's album Furious Fancies that appears at The Green Man Review. In truth, I had forgotten that I'd sent the album out for review, when a fan mentioned seeing a review in Renaissance Magazine (that review was considerably less friendly). That reminded me that I'd mailed a copy to The Green Man, and it certainly lifted my spirits to read your kind words.

Stay happy, Cedric (aka James Hazlerig) of the Bedlam Bards

Hi there Gary,

I read your review of Linda Thompson's Fashionably Late. I agree with most of it, but would disagree with the "dour songs", most tracks I thought were very honest to the lyrics, and the only one I did find dour was the emotional "Banks of the Clyde". I also thought that the last track "Dear Old Man of Mine" was sung in a forgiving and finalising way, which left me feeling they were all "kind of OK" now, which was being sort of celebrated. That impression was helped by the brilliant first track they all featured on (the Thompson family, I mean).

Regards, Steve Banfield

P.S.: It was partly your review which made me purchase the CD!!

Gary Whitehouse replies:

Thanks, Steve. I used "dour" in the sense of "gloomy," as opposed to "harsh or stern." I think you'd agree that most of the songs are pretty dark in their content -- and I agree with you that the settings definitely complement the lyrics. I hope you got to see her on tour in support of this record; the songs took on even more power in a live setting, and Linda's a delightful performer.

Compliments to Tim Hoke for a conscientious and detailed review of our CD of Estonian folk instrumental music performed by our Chicago-based ensemble! He didn't dash it off after listening just once. His kind words are appreciated. The thoroughness of his work is impressive. We basically agree with all his comments, including the unfortunate absence of vocalists. Our only excuse was limited availability of vocalists with truly first-rate voice quality.

Our CD is now also being sold in Estonia, where it is distributed by "OY Easy-Living Music". One of our recordings (No. 3, "Vigala reinlender") was selected as the example of ethnic Estonian music performed in the USA and Canada, by the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music.

Your readers may appreciate some info on what sort of characters the legendary "Wind Wizards" really were. The "tuuletargad" were sharp operators during the Viking Age who hung around at places of abrupt change in coastline; the Hanko peninsula in southwestern Finland suited them superbly. The Viking-age ships were not very good at tacking upwind. Thus, passing sailors would often stop and wait for a more favorable wind, considering the new direction. The resident "tuuletargad" would sell them "knots of wind", to be untied only after appropriate notice.

What they were really selling was weather-forecasting; they knew the local weather patterns better than passers-by, and also obtained reports from travelers from every direction. Close connections between southwestern Finland and Estonia are indicated, for example, by the fact that the dialect spoken in southwestern Finland more closely resembles northern Estonian than other dialects in the rest of Finland.

On behalf of ensemble "Tuuletargad", best regards, Andres Peekna

Tim Hoke replies:

Thanks for the background on the original Tuuletargad. I knew there had to be a good story behind the name, but I was picturing something different, something on the order of wizards singing up a wind. I've been wondering if there are some other good stories hiding behind some of the songs; "Oat Johnny" and the wizard from "The Wizard's Threshing Barn," for instance.

Andres Peekna responds:

Your image of wizards singing up a wind is not off the mark. The wind wizards were not above using beliefs in magic among their potential clients. Thus, upon discerning belief in the power of song among their clients (which belief was widespread at the time), they would surely have taken advantage of it. Accordingly, it is indeed likely that they would have served up their own incantations, timed just as the favorable winds were about to arrive.

The research of Prof. Matti Klinge at the University of Helsinki brought out the "Wind Wizards" selling "knots of wind" to passing sailors. Matti Klinge also believes in parsimonious explanations of legends. This can be summarized as: "Never believe in supernatural magic when an explanation based on known phenomena will do".

Two examples:

1. Vainamoinen traveled from Estonia to Finland "via the ways of the air/by the roads of the wind." While prior scholars thought that Vainamoinen magically flew to Finland, Matti Klinge pointed out that he simply sailed. The metaphors fit.

2. There are references in Estonian-Finnish folklore regarding ships/boats "rising out of the water". Again, prior scholars thought that this refers to flying by magic. Matti Klinge's explanation is that this refers to the boats' planing on the water surface. The flat-bottomed Viking Age ships were perfectly capable of planing, given the right wind and wave conditions, as are many modern sailboats today.

Tim Hoke replies:

You're right, the metaphors do fit. I read The Kalevala this past summer. Now I'll have to go back and read it again, and look at it somewhat differently.

You obviously put a lot of thought into the review, and I appreciate your insightful comments very much. I've heard from a couple of other members of our group, and they also think your review was a very careful and balanced one.

We're thinking about doing a second Tuuletargad CD, and I'm currently recording stuff with the Indianapolis Estonian-Latvian group that performed at Eagle Creek. In both cases, we might try to add singing to some of the tunes, but that will depend on whether we can recruit some people with good voices. We will also include some more tunes with the plucked and bowed lyres, but the bowed one is a particularly finicky instrument. It's hard to get everything perfect on it, since it's hard to avoid a screeching bow and off-key notes (the imprecision is due to pressing against the strings in open air). We also don't have many other instruments in the same key (E) to accompany it.

Tim Hoke replies:

I'll be looking forward to both recordings, and the opportunity to hear more of both varieties of lyre, and a chance to nurture my new-found interest in Estonian music.

Dear Cat,

Thanks so much for forwarding the review. I've been checking your Web site periodically to see if it was up yet. We're delighted that the reviewer enjoyed the books and found the history enlightening and lively.

We have great good fun writing these books. The third volume is due out early November. You are on the list to receive a review copy. We will look forward to reading that review as well.

Carole Trimble

Just a thanks from Andres Peekna's daughter. The more melodic of the kannels you hear is one he made for my 4th birthday (30 years ago...) [The review] made my father's week!

Heli

Tim Hoke replies:

What a wonderful story! I'm glad to hear that that particular kannel is still being played.

[Because of the size of the ensemble, and the number of instruments used, I didn't list the members of Tuuletargad. Ten kannels were used on the recording, eight of them built by the two kannel players; three by Andres Peekna and five by Ain Haas, who also built the gusli.]

Hi Cat,

What a wonderful review! How very fun and many thanks! I am glad you guys like the CD [Buried Things], we are pretty proud of it. Please pass on my thanks to Barb.

One fact check though: the vocals on "Port of Amsterdam" at the beginning are actually Arlene Score and not me—as much as I love the description of them—and the lead male vocal is Paul's (she was not sure).

Talk soon...

Cheers, Lorraine (who is buried in things herself for her boss)

[Editor's note: Lorraine's boss is otherwise known as Neil Gaiman.]

Cat

I rarely if ever reply to reviews, good or bad. But the review of my latest novel, Sword of the Rightful King, in Green Man was so vicious—in a review journal I normally love—I thought I'd better just write to say "different strokes." The book has—this one excepted—received amazing reviews. Starred reviews in PW, Booklist, SLJ. Raves in places that are Arthur-centric, as well.

In fact this review was so vicious, I could scarcely understand why the reviewer bothered to finish the novel, much less write about it. But no matter that I have had many books reviewed before: good, bad, or indifferent. This one really hurt because it was so personal.

To see how other reviewers felt about the same book, go to my Web site.

Jane Yolen

Reviewer Nathan Brazil responds:

I was somewhat surprised by Jane Yolen's assertion that others had given her book, The Sword of the Rightful King, "amazing reviews," as if that should be an influence. One of the great things about Green Man is that reviewers are not told what to think, and don't base their views on what has already been written. What they do, is give an honest appraisal.

In answer to Jane Yolen's expressed inability to understand why I finished reading the novel, it's because I read all novels I'm sent to review—cover to cover—thus earning the right to express an opinion. Nor was the review a personal attack. I have neither met or encountered the author in any form, and had not previously read any of her works. I'm not looking for books to slag off, as my reviews on Green Man and elsewhere prove. Quite the reverse, I review books for the same reason that I read them; love of the medium. Every book I pick up is a book that I hope to find at the very least entertaining, and if I'm lucky, inspirational. Sword of the Rightful King did not entertain or inspire me, and I therefore could not encourage readers to part with their hard-earned money. What I would encourage readers to do is make up their own minds. Go into a bookshop, seek out Sword of the Rightful King, and flick through it.

Finally, as I've been accused of personal comment, I would like to end on something that is indeed a personal observation. Jane Yolen has written 200 plus books for children, and apparently gets upset by one man pointing out the deficiencies he perceived in one book. J.K. Rowling has only written five books, and is almost universally admired. Perhaps concentrating talent is better than diluting it.

Nathan Brazil

Dear Lenora:

Thank you so much for your review. You've captured "me" better than I could have done it myself. If it's okay with you, I'd like to use "conscious resistance to the bleakness of our world" as my mission statement.

Ingrid Heldt

Lenora Rose replies:

Go ahead and use it! Thanks for the note. Love Matters is definitely a keeper for me - and I'll be looking around for your name to pop up again.

Dear David,

Hello, this is David Peck, producer and owner of Reelin' in the Years Productions, the company that produced and owns the rights to The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966. Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We're planning on posting on our site (if that's okay with you).

The only way this is going to do well is by people like you spreading the word so thank you once again and look for a volume three coming out in the spring.

All the best, David A. Peck

Dear Maria,

I found your review of the Phillip Pullman series on the Internet. I was so relieved to read your thoughts and found them to echo everything I had felt as I read the three books. A friend of my daughter had recommended The Golden Compass. I found it to be exciting, original, and just excellent. Like you, the second book left me feeling uncertain. Who was good and who was bad? The third book was revolting—what a let down! Homosexual angels, nuns who left the Catholic Church feeling that it was all a crock and there was no God, a war against a "God" who was really only a power hungry angel.

My greatest problem with this book is that it is supposedly a book for young adults. This summer it was included on a reading list for my sixth-grade daughter. Children are too impressionable to expose them to books that make them question religion.

Thank you for your honest and well-written review. I found mostly accolades of the work and I was so glad to see someone recognized the horrors in this book.

Anne Smith

Mia Nutick replies:

Dear Mrs. Smith,

It's not so much that I have a problem with children questioning religion, as I believe that we're never too young to take an honest look at our beliefs and what drives them. But I certainly believe that parents should know what their children are reading, and if their beliefs differ, take the opportunity to discuss how and why. This is, after all, how we attempt to instill our morals into our children. But as I said in my review, Pullman's work makes me sad. He tears down an existing structure but offers nothing to replace it; I believe that there is Something Positive at the root of it all, and the emptiness offered in the finale of this series is a letdown.

In this day and age of the electronic babysitter and the 10-minute attention span, kudos to you for taking the time to read what your children are reading — and for having children who read!

Mia

Dear Gary,

Thanks a million for the most righteous review of our little Smoke Damage. It's very clear that you really listen to the songs and are extremely intuitive to our musical vibe/agenda. We are very grateful. I wasn't familiar with the Green Man Web site until the review but now I am a regular user and advocate. It is one of the best I've seen! I wish you all continued success and a job well done indeed.

We are trying to get our sorry arses out on the road more often and I truly hope our paths will cross someday.Again, thank you for diggin' our little Dog 'N Pony show and we'll send you a new one as soon as it emerges. God Bless Ya!

Sincerely, Dave Nelson

Normally, I don't respond to reviews, except to say thanks. Unfortunately, Hugh Clarke's recent review of my Kolchak: Devil in the Details contained several false statements and poor assumptions which I feel compelled to correct lest your readers accept his mistakes as truth.

Craig Clarke replies:

A tip, sir. If you're going to criticize someone's work, and have him pay attention to you, you're going to have to start with getting his name right. Had you checked, you would realize that my name is not "Hugh," as you stated, but "Craig." You'll notice I had respect enough for you and Mr. von Eeden as artists to assure that your names—memorable as they are—were not only correct but also correctly spelled before I criticized your work.

[Editor's note: Stefan Petrucha's secondary responses to Craig's letter are interlaced in this different font in an attempt to avoid confusion between these and his original letter.]

There is no excuse for my getting your name wrong - my sincere apologies.

You said it, I didn't. If you neglect to accept accountability for your own product, at least have the dignity to not project your insecurities onto my writing.

Unfortunately you seem to have missed the point, or at least insist on deflecting it. The problem I have is that you have publicly projected your mistaken assumptions onto my writing.

I do not begrudge a reviewer his opinion. Had it been me who made the decision to put Kolchak in the present day, your criticism that I was being "amateurish" and "disrespectful" would be a valid expression of an opinion. After all, I didn't create Kolchak. Jeff Rice, the decision maker, did. Instead, you attacked my writing and my career for something beyond my control.

Nevertheless, I am a firm believer that amateurism exists equally along the creative "food chain," equally as likely to occur in creators as in hired hands and coattail riders. Perhaps "amateurism" was mischosen, however, as I'm sure you were better compensated for writing Devil in the Details than I was for my review. All I got was your comic. And an Excellence in Writing Award.

If you're saying that since your work wasn't paid for, it should therefore be held to a lower standard - I quite disagree. I know many unpaid reviewers who go out of their way to ensure the accuracy of their work. As for the Award, since it was given for "a knowledgeable, detailed review" - I don't see how it was deserved.

You've caught me there. Smugness, while one of my favorite attributes, is not my most popular. In any case, how I would have found this out is in question, as it certainly would not have been from your attractive but haphazard Web site.

As I said in my previous letter - all you had to do was ask. My email address is on every release, and, as you can see, I'm quite responsive.

As for the feature film, I wish you the best of luck with this venture but I can't help wondering what Mr. Frewer would think about your name-dropping as evidence of the quality of the production while simultaneously rubbing in that he hasn't done much of note since the mid-1980s.

Again, you try to deflect the point. It's fine by me if you don't care for my Web site or are unaware of Mr. Frewer's post-Max Headroom career (he most recently starred in Spielberg's Taken for the Sci-Fi channel) - I was simply pointing out that had you taken some time you could have answered your own question about my writing career, rather than leaving your readers with yet another false impression.

I regret that I did not notice the clever use of transposition of the title in Kolchak's first statement. I was distracted by the lack of any credits or cover art.

You seem easily distracted. Were the pages moving too fast for you?

I shall nevertheless take appropriate measures to assure that this does repeat. As for the "metaphor," I find that a bit of a stretch. Are you implying that the nanorobots are inherently evil, given that they were programmed to perform a specific act?

Actually, I find your objection to be the real stretch here. The nanobots are an extension of the villain's hands (the main metaphor of the story) and he is, clearly, the titular devil.

I think you were merely looking for a common cliche with which to entitle your story. Or that the phrase inspired the story and you were loath to relinquish it.

Whereas I think you realize you made some mistakes with your review, but you're loath to admit to them because it would mean mitigating the smug, condescending stance with which you write.

It is not the responsibility of other Web sites to do your spelling for you. If you do a Web search of a misspelled word (especially one so often confused as Mr. Gehrig's name), you are going to find pages with that misspelling on them, often quite prominently. That doesn't make it correct. It appears, Mr. Petrucha, that you were nearly as lax in your research as I was. Did it not occur to you to check a reliable source, like, say, an encyclopedia?

I've already said I was wrong about that one. I'm not a baseball fan, though Kolchak is, and I didn't have any reason to suspect the name was commonly misspelled. When one isn't aware that something is commonly misspelled, one has little reason to double-check. Still, again, I admit, I was wrong.

I find this statement amusing. You seem to be saying that bad research is better than no research. That finding the wrong answer is preferable to not answering at all. You would do well to remember the quote: "Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." If you can't spell a word, pick another word.

Actually, I'm saying that trying is better than not trying.

[Signed,] Stefan Petrucha

Acting in my other role, as the Letters editor of Green Man Review, I will most eagerly upload your letter to our page. I always appreciate responses from readers (and writers and artists), and particularly enjoy those who disagree vehemently with the reviewer. It makes for entertaining reading, I believe.

In closing, I've never had a letter that complained so much about what was essentially a positive review. I'm sorry that you did not find my review to your liking. Perhaps, due to focusing too much on "the devil in the details," you lost sight of the whole and missed the point.

Again, it wasn't that I liked or disliked your opinions, just that you made some major misstatements which, it still seems to me, could easily have been avoided.

I liked your book. In fact, I'll do you the favor of pointing out a few easily quotable phrases: "a solid thriller," "[captures] the tone and style of the show," "an almost cinematic ride," "outdoes some episodes of the series." And these are taken entirely in context.

I tried my best to give an even-handed review, given that the product was in many ways different from that available to the public.

Then let me close by correcting another misstatement of yours made both here and in the review. The PDF file was not the only copy made available to reviewers. I don't know if your editors sent you the original email request, but it clearly read - "If you have any difficulty downloading, or would prefer a copy of the printed comic (due out in a few weeks) please let me know."

The point of the PDF file (again as stated in the original email) was to try to garner some reviews in advance of the publication date. While I would hardly suggest you should pay less attention to the whole, perhaps you should have paid a bit more to the details, especially since you seem so intent on critiquing them?

Apparently you feel that I delivered something else entirely, and I regret that, but I stand behind my work—as do you, I'm glad to see.

Thank you for writing in, and for making doubly sure that I receive your message. I wish you the best of everything.

Craig Clarke

If you think your readers would enjoy it, please feel free to post my response to your response. Again, very, very, sorry about your name, and thanks for taking the time to answer.

Stefan Petrucha

[Editor's note: After the smoke cleared, Craig soon realized that, acting as a representative of GMR, his response letter could reflect poorly on the magazine, to say nothing of his own reputation. He quickly drafted an apology to Mr. Petrucha.]

Stefan,

I have just re-read my response to your letter and I believe it came across harshly. This is partially due to my—as you said—smugness, a quality of which I am not proud, however there is truly no excuse for it. I turned a review of a product into a personal attack and that was entirely reprehensible. I hope you can forgive that slight, but, should you choose not to, I will hold no ill will.

But, aside from what you think of me, my concern is for your relationship to the Green Man Review as a whole. I would deeply regret if any snide comments from me were to tarnish your opinion of the magazine. Many people have worked long and hard to make GMR into what it has become and I would hate to ruin that based on some personal faults of my own.

However, you seem to me to be a patient man, as I can see from the time you have taken to correct my mistakes and assumptions, so perhaps you will be able to let this slide. I was taken aback by your original letter and, unfortunately, let the ire flow through my fingers. I apologize if I have caused you any personal grief or distress and hope that this does not hamper you from submitting future projects for review at Green Man.

I appreciate your permission to reprint your words on our Letters page, as well as your ability to keep a cool head in the face of rebuttal. Thank you for your time and patience. I wish you continued success.

Craig

[And Stefan responded in kind]

Thanks, Craig.

Having my own battles with smugness, I greatly appreciate your apology.

Though I maintain its basic correctness, my own initial response may have been more strident than otherwise, due to past history with the character. While I was writing the X-Files for Topps Comics, that company wanted to do Kolchak as a companion book. I wrote an update, placing him in the present day, but aging him. Creator Jeff Rice was furious. He wanted him, as you read him now, in the present, but un-aged. The deal was nixed and it would be seven years before I could pen a Kolchak story.

So, your harsh attack on that particular aspect of the book put me in a sort of "damned if I do, damned if I don't" state of mind. In any event, glad to have all that over with.

Both Green Man (and yourself if you so choose) will, of course, continue to receive press releases and review copies.

Best wishes, Stefan Petrucha

[And so, all's well that ends well...]

Dear Peter,

My name is Marc Ganetakos and I was the lead guitarist/multi-instrumentalist for The Outfit's Sense of Soul CD.

I wanted to write to you with my thanks for your kind words regarding my performances on that album. It was one of the most enjoyable studio collaborations I've been involved with, and I'm both surprised and pleased that you heard the CD.

I have had the great pleasure of being invited to participate as a lead session guitarist for many albums, and I count Sense of Soul as being among my fondest memories, and Chris & James as being two of the most talented songwriters I've ever worked with.

I hope that in the future you will enjoy other recordings that I've been lucky enough to participate in.

Many thanks, Marc Ganetakos

Peter Massey responds:

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your kind words, I am glad you liked the review and I hope the rest of the band did also. Take a bow for your guitar work; it is excellent. Where I can, I always try to acknowledge everyone who has taken part in a studio recording. In my own experience, guest musicians are often the unsung heroes who can make or break a really good song. It is especially nice when they are mentioned in the sleeve notes.

Cheers 'n' Beers, Peter Massey

Dear Mrs. Nutick,

I'd just like to thank you for your review of Antieau's Coyote Cowgirl. It's a wonderful relief to know that I am not, in fact, insane, and that there is another person in the world who thinks the book is mediocre. I'm almost as annoyed at it as at Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart, in fact—it's frustrating to have pages upon pages of your favourite authors singing the praises of a book you despise. "But you write good books," I keep wanting to remind them. "You should know what they read like."

However, I didn't despise Coyote Cowgirl. In fact, your review felt familiar to me, in that it's almost word for word what I protest to the friends of mine who keep going on about how much they loved the book. These friends, when first telling me about it, spoke of desert magic, truth-inducing food and talking crystal skulls. What gorgeous ideas, thought I. But upon reading it, I kept gagging at the soap-box rants, the shallow characters, the boring "surprises" and so on.

So once again, thank you for an accurate and insightful review. And thank you for giving me the assurance that, if insanity is indeed being a minority of one, I, at least, am not crazy.

Cheers, Amal

Mia Nutick replies:

Thank you for the positive feedback, Amal! I, too, am happy not to be a minority of one! Now, when do we get that audition review from you?

Mia

I had been searching for the title and author of a children's book that I enjoyed when I was younger, because I wanted to share it with my niece. I could not locate an index that was searchable by character name, and no one I described the book to had any idea. Then one day out of desperation, I accessed Google and typed in "Children's Book Lewis Zimmerman" which my faulty memory had led me to remember the character's name to be. Right away, Google took me to Kelly Sedinger's review of John Bellairs' books. What a relief! I have now purchased four of Bellairs' books for my niece - who is loving them. Thank you.

Leslye Jollymore

Cat Eldridge replies:

Glad we could be of service! Google treats Green Man quite well, so generally anything we've reviewed will be the top citation, but it's nice to hear that it does this on a character string within a review!

Dear Green Man folk:

I read with interest your review of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Sixteenth Annual Collection. I thought it was generally a very well balanced review. I was a little surprised to see that your reviewer felt it was more horror than fantasy. Frankly, I thought it balanced the other way, but that's what makes a horse race.

I haven't had nearly as much time as I'd like to browse your web site, which is beautiful and edifying, both. Keep up the good work.

Also, I see you're planning to interview Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling about their sixteen years of editing this anthology. As the person who "packages" the series (The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror), if you are interested in talking (or corresponding) with me about it too, I'd be glad to share whatever insights, anecdotes, etc. you might find germaine to your site.

Thanks, Jim Frenkel