Reviews by the numbers.

This section is for people who aren't sure what to put in their reviews:

• Give a short factual summary of the main characters, situation, and plot of the book. Don't give away anything from the last two thirds of the book. Don't try to sound like you are writing the blurb on the back cover as that almost always comes out rubbish.
• Set this book in context. Is it part of a series? Do you need to have read anything else before this book. What is the history of this writer. What do you know about their work. Has the novel won any awards? Have you read other books in the series?
• Did you like the book? Why? Why not? Give vague examples if they don't reveal too much and spoil the book for others who might read it.
• Did you identify with the characters? Were they believable? Did they stand out as interesting or did they merge into one? Did you want the hero to succeed in whatever he was doing?
• Was the plot interesting? Was it well paced (ie were there boring bits you wanted to skip over)?
• Does it come up with any interesting science fiction concepts? What are the main areas of knowledge does it concern itself with? Or is it pure entertainment and not a book to make you think?
• Would you recommend reading it? Or recommend it if the reader likes a particular genre, or similar books? I don't give any kind of score (eg four out of five stars) but I do try to say whether the book is good, bad, or indifferent. If a book is really good we can call it excellent, but I only expect to see few "excellent" books published each year.

How to decide which book to review.

The main priority has to be given to new books. If you are based in or around London then contact info@DiverseBooks.com to see if we have any new books in our "for review pile". However I also want to review older respected authors so that new readers can judge whether to read them. As a typical example the late John Brunner wrote some of the best Science Fiction ever printed, but he also wrote some rather dull stuff too. Even in his later years his publishers weren't too good at publicity, and now that he is dead you will only find him second hand or in the rare "SF Masterworks" series. I am happy to receive reviews from fans who know the author so long as I am convinced the review is genuine and honest. I would also like the site to publicise less famous authors who deserve more recognition than their advertising budget allows.