Indie Book Club discussion

After a tie, random.org determined Palanquin of Heaven would be the Other Book of the Month for April 2014.

I'll try and remember to put it up on the front page when April starts. Let the discussion begin!

Oh yay. Once I've finished the novel I am reading I'll get this one next.

Put it on the homepage (this may be the first time I've ever done it on time :p).

I voted for this one because it sounded different and sweeping; why not? Now I cannot find a copy of it. Amazon, had an RA Krishna author page with no books on it, and no books by search. The whole list of Goodreads bookstores did not have it. Am I missing a link or a clue?

I bought it a while ago. Let me see if I can track it down.

Ok, I am really sorry but I can't find it either. I bought it ages ago and I tried an amazon search and it doesn't list.

I am about half way through and although there are some nice scenes the POV switches around a lot and there are some editing issues, well quite a few. It reads more like an early draft. The 'mystery' part has just been revealed so I'll probably stick with it now but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Raag is an interesting character (the main male lead) but the character of Adita (the MFC) hasn't really been that explored although she comes over as a bit of a spoiled rich kid she does have a kind heart and seems to be a better person than Raag. That said they are polar opposites - she is from a wealthy family, cherished and good if shallow and he is a poor orphan whose experienced an assortment of terrible experiences and isn't actually very nice. Although he does show a lot of love towards a mentally handicapped young man. The two have both met but thus far I am not sure where the romance is.

I'd say as this currently seem to be available just post up the other OBOTM nomination and go with that.

Sorry again, I didn't think to check it was available.

How odd. Sometimes books do disappear, but it seems a bit perplexing.

I'm going to leave this thread in case it reappears, but in the meantime I'll create a new one for Time Shifters (which is up on Amazon for 99p).

Oh yes that is a good idea. I checked Amazon and it definitely wasn't there. Maybe the author unpublished it. There were several issues with it so maybe that is it.

Formatting/typos?

Yes, lots. Including the spelling of the MFC name.

Spellmonger by Terry Mancour had a lot of typos. I'm pretty relaxed about that sort of thing, but even so it detracted somewhat (I believe he was planning on correcting them and re-releasing the improved version). However, the characters and story, and writing style, were still good enough for me to really enjoy it.

Would you say that's the same for Palanquin of Heaven?

Well the story isn't what it was, and it does meander a bit. There are quite a few inconsistencies as well but the story is OK. I can forgive some typos but there are a lot and with the other issues (like the inconsistencies) I am finding it hard going. I am about 50% in so I might try and finish as I am interested enough to see what happens.

Some of the phrases are good and I am very intrigued about the Yoda-type character and who he might be.

I let you know when I get to the end.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here's my review. I would have rated it higher but the typos, dodgy grammar and the inconsistencies made it hard going, and I am usually quite forgiving. In some places there were some nicely written scenes. There are some good ideas - especially the music - and Raag was an interesting and complex character.

The romance didn't really start until half way in and the fantasy aspect could have been explored more but it was OK.

Interesting that your score's much lower than the average (not a criticism, I recently gave 3* to the generally better rated Seven Elements That Changed The World).

What sort of inconsistencies were there?

I did feel a bit guilty but the constant typos (and I mean every other page, including the inconsistent spelling of one of the character's names) got me. There is a scene at the beginning where the village is attacked with spears - then suddenly later there are guns. There is a scene in the pirate ship (which at first seems to be a boat with sails and then some type of container ship - although I may have misunderstood that) where Raag, who is a slave to the pirates, suddenly gets some poison. Also there is a very odd scene where the mystic talks to these strange, almost alien creatures, which aren't mentioned again although there are some different creatures later.

The actual story was OK, although it wasn't as much a fantasy as I thought, and the mystery side of it was interesting. It was nice to see a feisty female lead character, although she was a spoilt rich kid she was meant to be. Some of the references to Indian culture were interesting, the caste system, the references to particular groups and places for example.

With a good edit and a bit of redrafting with some of the clunky scenes, it could be a good mystery. I would like to add I've had it on my kindle for ages so it is possible the author has made changes since then.

Alexandra, it's awkward giving ratings that aren't great, but it's better to be honest. Terry Mancour's Spellmonger had a ton of typos (he planned to correct them, I think, so hopefully it's been cleaned up), but personally that didn't bother me too much. I think if there had been inconsistencies (spears to guns) that would've been more serious.

Unfortunately, books riddled with typos and the like are why some (including reviewers and blogs) won't even look at self-published/independent books.

If it had been the odd typo here and there I'd have ignored it but when the MFC name is spelled incorrectly and there are typos every other page it gets too much. If it had been JUST that then maybe I might have rated higher. There was one scene when Raag is a slave on the pirate ship and he gets hold of some poison - how? Yes he could have stolen it from another person but that wasn't explained - just one line would have done it.

Anyway if the author tidies it up a wee bit I think the story is ok, and the characters are fun.