Hello everyone,
I just thought I'd make a new page devoted to the topic of where my books are coming from. This has come
about as a result of my first poor review on Amazon. I've always believed the day would come when a reader of a
certain type would give my books a try and not like them. I knew this would happen because my books are of a
different style than the predominant type within the Christian market today. I try to make my beliefs and where I'm
coming from plain--here, on my website--as well as by my comments on Amazon.
I would like to say first of all, despite the 2/5 star review, the reviewer was not scathing in his comments, and his
points were well presented. I do thank you, True Blue Dave (Story - Gazer), for an honest and well thought out
review. Read it here first--(here).
I believe responding to the issues that Dave raised would be a good way to let the average Christian fiction
reader know if my books may be their cup of tea or not.
Dave gives me some compliments on my imagination, but his big disappointment is in the many characters that
are not fleshed out very well in his opinion. I will agree to a degree, as I wanted a Star Wars or LOTR type story
with many characters and, consequently, the characters are not going to be as deeply explored as those in one
of today's typical novels. The typical novel has either an individual or just a few characters as the focus of the
story. Other reviewers liked my character depth and style of story, so I guess it depends on an individual's tastes.
Dave also stated that they were not well written. Considering his tastes, which I deduced from the review, I can
see how he would say that. Others thought they were from decent to great. I consider myself more of a
storyteller than a great writer, though I do think my writing improved from book to book. The books were
self-published, so I didn't have the advantage of a professional editor's feedback. I think I did an okay job,
considering they're POD. I'm considering offering e-book (pdf) revised editions for those who've purchased
them. I may offer the revised edition of BSR for free on this website in the future.
Dave was right in his description of what the books included, and he was right in that all of those influences and
others effected the worlds and storylines I designed. They were all then incorporated into one, huge epic in
three books, whose length is the equivalent of nearly six regular books in today's market. That was exactly the
type of story I wanted, yet this is definitely not the type of story that's mainstream today. I do think they'll appeal
to readers who like complex, epic stories, but Dave thought it was too much, too fast. I'm sure many readers of
today's novels may feel this way, but many modern books I've tried to read feel too slow to me, and they don't
have enough characters and plots/subplots. It's just a complete difference in story preference. Many of you out
there may feel like Dave, but to the portion that do not, you may like my novels.
Another point Dave made was that he found the book preachy. I can understand this to a degree. I designed
the books to be up front with some of the characters having strong, Christian beliefs. I wanted to show their
struggles and different aspects of their Christian walk. I also present the narration through my beliefs. I've
always been up front and unapologetic about that, and I've never presented the books as anything else. My
strong beliefs are apparent in my "From the Author" statements on Amazon. There are a multitude of books out
there that use allegory, basic morals, and veiled truths to hopefully, vaguely point someone toward Jesus.
You're welcome to read any of the plethora of books like that--but my books are very different. They're forthright
concerning a strong belief in Christ from some of the characters' viewpoints, and they were never intended to be
at all subtle. I wanted them this way because it is extremely rare to find fiction books written with a totally open
and unashamed consideration of the Lord. I wanted to write for Christians who are dedicated, and I also had the
hope that those who don't have a passion for the Lord, but are not adverse to Him, would read them and
consider the deeper issues presented and also consider their own relationship with Christ. I didn't write these
books for people who are completely worldly and have no consideration for Christ, as they will never choose to
read a Christian book anyway--at least not until they become open to considering the Lord in their heart. I
wanted books for Christians and people seeking Christ, meant to entertain and also to build them up, as they
identify with the characters' struggles and the issues and problems they have to face in the novels.
At the end of the review, Dave applauds me for my efforts and says I have the potential to be a good, or even
outstanding writer, if I develop the main characters so that people "walk in their shoes." I thank Dave for that,
though I feel I did develop several of the characters on a deep level throughout the series, I will make a great
effort to always improve. I also wanted to give people a feeling for the personality of the more minor characters,
instead of just focusing on one major character's view of the minor characters. Others did feel differently than
Dave.
The story of Tumult comes full circle throughout the first three books of the series, and, in my opinion, I go into
depth with many of the other characters. I'm truly sorry that Dave didn't feel that way and that he was
disappointed in the novels. Other bad reviews after Dave's have pointed out other weaknesses, which I'm trying
to improve. I'm working on show, don't tell, especially in character descriptions, and I'm working on using
contractions more for a better flow.
Authors, more than anything, want the readers to enjoy and become involved in the stories they weave and the
characters and worlds they create. I'm truly sorry that did not happen for Dave with my Orianus Creation Series.
I do hope he finds other works in Christian fiction that he enjoys, and I truly thank him for giving my books a
chance in the first place.
In Christ,
D. Shane Burton
Where the novels in the Orianus Creation Series are coming from: