Stuck. Fuck you, that's why.

 

Sweet. Glad to hear thoughts on the world building!

Thanks for an awesome review. That was all really useful. Particularly this bit I quoted. I did wonder, when I was writing, if those that have read Wastelands would have issues such as this. But fear not, the next stories, as you say, will expand and evolve beyond the trappings you've come to expect from me.

Thanks again.

Ma thread been stickied? Awesome.

Also, check this out:



I'm at 19 now in Amazon's Top 20 New Fantasy novels. Apparently I was at 13 yesterday, almost Top 10, but I didn't manage to get a screenshot of that. Still Top 20, bitches. And I have you awesome bastards to thank.

 

Just want to pop in and say that I love your stories and I will buy this when the paperback comes out.

 

I'll most likely buy the paperback version. Regardless though, I'm happy for you Joe. It's great to see a DLP author getting some recognition.

 

I still haven't finished it. It feels too much like Wastelands, the content and the feeling that it is trying too hard to be EPIC. As I never much cared for Wastelands it is a bit of a problem for me.

I really haven't connected with any of the characters besides Declan. To be honest, the last characters created by you that I was really invested in were Ethan Rafe, Thomas Fright and Dermas Trask. The fact that I still remember those names is testament to that. They felt like real characters with real personalities, something that I find lacking in your later works in favor of your need to make everyone and everything EPIC.

Still, I have a few dozen pages left to go so maybe my feelings will change when I reach the end.

The world building needs work. It feels like I'm supposed to know the supporting characters and how the magic works but I have no fucking clue. It's like this is a sequel, only you forgot to publish the first book.

The character of Declan is the only thing keeping me invested, though he does feel like a mix between Dresden and Wastelands Potter.

I know I have been rather negative in this review, but as evidenced by other reviews it is all a matter of taste. I preferred the style of your Pre-Wastelands stories, and as Distant Star practically is Wastelands it really isn't surprising that I don't love it.

I'm going to have to make another post after I finish and list all the things I do like about the book because this post makes it seem like I hate it and I don't.

 

Stopped reading halfway through, picked it up again yestrday andfinished it. On my way home to a real keyboard o I cn review this properly.

 

So finally managed to find the time to read it.

It is a great book with an really interesting story but it really feels like it is a second or third in a series..There is such a lot of history between the characters that is never probably explained and your characters suffer from it. Sophie, Ethan, Marcus and Clare didn´t manage to hold my interest nor did I care if they died or not.
And it really feels like reading a second Wastelands (with the difference that there you already had a nice foundation through the books). It also feels a bit short... nothing is explained probably and while your worldbuilding is really great you don´t give it enough time to really build something, we only see glimpses of the greatness that is the forget.

It is like Jim Butcher decided to begin Dresden Files with Grave Peril... You wrote a great book but I can´t dismiss the feeling that with a prequel the whole thing would have been better.

Still it was an interesting read and you can be sure that I will buy the next one in the series... if only to see Declan again.
4/5 stars if I ever get to writing a review on amazon.

 

I won't be able to wait for the paper version, but once it IS out, damn right I'll be getting it.

Currently on vacation, but I plan on buying and downloading the Kindle version and throwing it on my phone the day before I fly home. This better be good, because I'm not gonna download any backup books. I'll be sure to leave an Amazon review with my thoughts, though I'm fairly sure that the word 'epic' will be used profusely.

 

Bring me a signed copy when your here later this year Joe and there's a very nice bottle of scotch with your name on it for ya .

 

Thanks to all who've read/reviewed or are going to read/review!

For those interested, paperback is pretty much confirmed for some point next week.

Also, I am taking your concerns on board (not so much the similarity to Wastelands thing, as that's a rather unique problem associated to this forum only), but in regard to the supporting cast/getting a view at the broader world stuff.

Rest assured, I could have written a quarter million words for this first story, but less is usually more and I'll tip the balance more towards excess in book two!

I think Distant Star works well as a self-contained story, as well as a prologue to a much larger tale, but then I kind of have to think that. If there's one thing DLP has shown me time and time again, it's that you're all honest, brutally so, in your reviews - of fanfic or otherwise. So far here on the boards I'm averaging 4/5, and that's fantastic validation for me.

So thanks again, DLP. You did make the Acknowledgements page, by the way:

 

No credit for using my exact words describing DLP from our FB group?! That's it, lawyer up you sumbitch! <3

 

Oh I'm lawyer'd, son. Bring it.

 

I somehow missed this thread.

Congratulations, sir.

I'll be picking up the paperback version when it is released, and give a suitably glowing review. I'll leave any minor nitpicks for this thread, rather than there, as I'm happy to give you the feedback and support you deserve publicly. You've been a large part of DLP and our contribution to the fandom, and I'm sure I'll enjoy this as much as I have your other works.

 

Hey Joe What is you stance on crappy fanfics of your book? Are they allowed? You wouldn't sue us even If our stories gets too crappy right?

Also do you need any help to make this more public? Like other forums what not.

I have a TFF account wich I might share -for a time- if you need.

 

So I wasn't going to read this until I finished my exam. Then my sister told me about this awesome book she found on Amazon that I just had to read and loaned me her kindle. I'm a chapter in and already loving it, particularly what I've seen of Will so far. It's a pretty damn unique system.

That said, I do have a nitpick - Sophie's reaction to Declan mentioning Tal's name. It seems to me like a really contrived way to say This Is A Big, Dark Event From My Past Read On And Find Out More.

Apart from that, well I'm confused as hell but not in a bad way.

Again, congratulations Joe. I'll leave a full review on Amazon when I finish.

 

Paperback Available!

Here.

Here is your damned paperback!

http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Star-Volume-Joe-Ducie/dp/0987329413/

 

Heh, yeah. Amazon's review program takes reviews that sound similar, or have said roughly the same thing, or given 5-stars or what have you, and amalgamates them into one list.

I think every 24 hours or so, it gets updated (depending on new reviews) and changes to another set of comments.

Edit: And yeah, I queried the same about the Kindle copy - apparently it takes anything from a day to two weeks to link editions of the same novel. Eh?

 

CareOtters is a wonderful genius with the sexiest real name in the world, don't hate.