'Fantasy author Scott Lynch shows he's a gentleman, not a bastard'
'Fantasy author Scott Lynch shows he's a gentleman, not a bastard'
In all the whirl of investigating self-publishing, I'd forgotten that I read my first originally self-published novel years ago. It was Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora. Lynch had been posting parts of his novel on his blog and Simon Spanton, editor at Gollancz, spotted them and liked them, and signed him up. I had to interview Lynch for The Bookseller (as ever, I was the sole fantasy fan on the staff), and I read the novel and absolutely loved it.
It's set in the Venice-esque world of Camorr, and follows the adventures of Locke Lamora and his band of thieves, the Gentleman Bastards. I found it funny, dark and thrilling, passed it on to tons of people, enjoyed the followup Red Seas Under Red Skies, and am - along with many others - eagerly awaiting the third, The Republic of Thieves (there have been a number of delays).
Anyway, I'm rambling on about Lynch because I was reminded again how much I like him by a pointer from the (always excellent) MobyLives blog. Criticised by a reader for including characters who are "unrealistic stereotypes of political correctness" - the reader objected in particular to the character Zamira, a middle-aged pirate mother - Lynch went to town.
The reader wrote: "Real sea pirates could not be controlled by women, they were vicous rapists [sic] and murderers and I am sorry to say it was a man's world. It is unrealistic wish-fulfilment for you and your readers to have so many female pirates, especially if you want to be politically correct about it!"
"First, I will pretend that your last sentence makes sense because it will save us all time," responded Lynch. "Second, now you're pissing me off. You know what? Yeah, Zamira Drakasha, middle-aged pirate mother of two, is a wish-fulfilment fantasy. I realised this as she was evolving on the page, and you know what? I fucking embrace it. Why shouldn't middle-aged mothers get a wish-fulfilment character, you sad little bigot? Everyone else does. HL Mencken once wrote that, 'Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.' I can't think of anyone to whom that applies more than my own mom, and the mothers on my friends list, with the incredible demands on time and spirit they face in their efforts to raise their kids, preserve their families, and save their own identity/sanity into the bargain.
"Shit yes, Zamira Drakasha, leaping across the gap between burning ships with twin sabers in hand to kick in some fucking heads and sail off into the sunset with her toddlers in her arms and a hold full of plundered goods, is a wish-fulfilment fantasy from hell. I offer her up on a silver platter with a fucking bow on top; I hope she amuses and delights. In my fictional world, opportunities for butt-kicking do not cease merely because one isn't a beautiful teenager or a muscle-wrapped font of testosterone. In my fictional universe, the main characters are a fat ugly guy and a skinny forgettable guy, with a supporting cast that includes 'SBF, 41, non-smoker, two children, buccaneer of no fixed abode, seeks unescorted merchant for light boarding, heavy plunder'. You don't like it? Don't buy my books. Get your own fictional universe. Your cabbage-water vision of worldbuilding bores me to tears."
Hurrah! Bring on The Republic of Thieves, and in the meantime I'm going to dig out my crumbling old proof of The Lies of Locke Lamora.
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SOURCE.
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OP: I thought I would post this, since people are in the mood for some good news. I figured reading an idiot like this get SCHOOLED might perhaps qualify.
I also will add a mention that I do not have any link to this author (I haven't even read his books, to be honest) but I thought this was a great example of when replying to reader reviews was not only appropriate but pretty darn awesome.
In all the whirl of investigating self-publishing, I'd forgotten that I read my first originally self-published novel years ago. It was Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora. Lynch had been posting parts of his novel on his blog and Simon Spanton, editor at Gollancz, spotted them and liked them, and signed him up. I had to interview Lynch for The Bookseller (as ever, I was the sole fantasy fan on the staff), and I read the novel and absolutely loved it.
It's set in the Venice-esque world of Camorr, and follows the adventures of Locke Lamora and his band of thieves, the Gentleman Bastards. I found it funny, dark and thrilling, passed it on to tons of people, enjoyed the followup Red Seas Under Red Skies, and am - along with many others - eagerly awaiting the third, The Republic of Thieves (there have been a number of delays).
Anyway, I'm rambling on about Lynch because I was reminded again how much I like him by a pointer from the (always excellent) MobyLives blog. Criticised by a reader for including characters who are "unrealistic stereotypes of political correctness" - the reader objected in particular to the character Zamira, a middle-aged pirate mother - Lynch went to town.
The reader wrote: "Real sea pirates could not be controlled by women, they were vicous rapists [sic] and murderers and I am sorry to say it was a man's world. It is unrealistic wish-fulfilment for you and your readers to have so many female pirates, especially if you want to be politically correct about it!"
"First, I will pretend that your last sentence makes sense because it will save us all time," responded Lynch. "Second, now you're pissing me off. You know what? Yeah, Zamira Drakasha, middle-aged pirate mother of two, is a wish-fulfilment fantasy. I realised this as she was evolving on the page, and you know what? I fucking embrace it. Why shouldn't middle-aged mothers get a wish-fulfilment character, you sad little bigot? Everyone else does. HL Mencken once wrote that, 'Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.' I can't think of anyone to whom that applies more than my own mom, and the mothers on my friends list, with the incredible demands on time and spirit they face in their efforts to raise their kids, preserve their families, and save their own identity/sanity into the bargain.
"Shit yes, Zamira Drakasha, leaping across the gap between burning ships with twin sabers in hand to kick in some fucking heads and sail off into the sunset with her toddlers in her arms and a hold full of plundered goods, is a wish-fulfilment fantasy from hell. I offer her up on a silver platter with a fucking bow on top; I hope she amuses and delights. In my fictional world, opportunities for butt-kicking do not cease merely because one isn't a beautiful teenager or a muscle-wrapped font of testosterone. In my fictional universe, the main characters are a fat ugly guy and a skinny forgettable guy, with a supporting cast that includes 'SBF, 41, non-smoker, two children, buccaneer of no fixed abode, seeks unescorted merchant for light boarding, heavy plunder'. You don't like it? Don't buy my books. Get your own fictional universe. Your cabbage-water vision of worldbuilding bores me to tears."
Hurrah! Bring on The Republic of Thieves, and in the meantime I'm going to dig out my crumbling old proof of The Lies of Locke Lamora.
---------------------
SOURCE.
--------------------
OP: I thought I would post this, since people are in the mood for some good news. I figured reading an idiot like this get SCHOOLED might perhaps qualify.
I also will add a mention that I do not have any link to this author (I haven't even read his books, to be honest) but I thought this was a great example of when replying to reader reviews was not only appropriate but pretty darn awesome.