3 ms·

Yeah I use it primarily for tracking a TBR and the books I've read and when. I also like reading reviews after I've finished reading a book. I rarely read revi

Yeah I use it primarily for tracking a TBR and the books I've read and when. I also like reading reviews after I've finished reading a book. I rarely read reviews beforehand anymore. But also, once, I almost didn't read what is now my favorite book ever - Battle of the Linguist Mages (definitely not for everyone, but I loved it) - based on a lot of negative Goodreads reviews.

thaumasiotes 3y ago
I went to check that book out and noticed that the Amazon product page lists the publisher as "Tordotcom". By contrast, The Eye of the World is published by "Tor Books". Tor Books' web site, tor.com, definitely endorses the idea that they are responsible for Battle of the Linguist Mages, but they also note that that book is coming out of "Tordotcom Publishing", not Tor Books. These all seem to be a part of the umbrella "Tor Publishing Group", but... what's the difference? I stopped reading self-published books because the quality was so, so low. Is that a risk with Tordotcom books? (If you are interested in linguistics yourself, Katharine Kerr's Deverry series makes the author's interest in linguistics plain, though it's not plot-relevant or anything.)
- rikroots 3y ago
  > I stopped reading self-published books because the quality was so, so low. I hate to say this but the assertion on quality is, from my experience, 98-99% true. And yet at the same time 1-2% false. Finding the quality among the chaff is what sites like Goodreads are supposed to help readers do. My personal view is that the site stopped being that place a long time ago. The gamification required to get a book noticed, reviewed and discussed was, the last time I looked, intense and - frankly - not worth the effort for me. Life is too short!
- RheingoldRiver 3y ago
  > what's the difference? afaik, tordotcom is basically an imprint of Tor. They publish mostly novellas, and I'm not entirely sure why Battle of the Linguist Mages is tordotcom and not Tor. > Is that a risk with Tordotcom books? No, tordotcom is an actual publisher with actual editors. Some books of course turn out better than others, but you can trust it was properly copyedited etc.
- disgruntledphd2 3y ago
  Battle of the linguist mages is rocking, and you should definitely read it.

thaumasiotes 3y ago

I went to check that book out and noticed that the Amazon product page lists the publisher as "Tordotcom". By contrast, The Eye of the World is published by "Tor Books". Tor Books' web site, tor.com, definitely endorses the idea that they are responsible for Battle of the Linguist Mages, but they also note that that book is coming out of "Tordotcom Publishing", not Tor Books. These all seem to be a part of the umbrella "Tor Publishing Group", but... what's the difference? I stopped reading self-published books because the quality was so, so low. Is that a risk with Tordotcom books? (If you are interested in linguistics yourself, Katharine Kerr's Deverry series makes the author's interest in linguistics plain, though it's not plot-relevant or anything.)

rikroots 3y ago
> I stopped reading self-published books because the quality was so, so low. I hate to say this but the assertion on quality is, from my experience, 98-99% true. And yet at the same time 1-2% false. Finding the quality among the chaff is what sites like Goodreads are supposed to help readers do. My personal view is that the site stopped being that place a long time ago. The gamification required to get a book noticed, reviewed and discussed was, the last time I looked, intense and - frankly - not worth the effort for me. Life is too short!
RheingoldRiver 3y ago
> what's the difference? afaik, tordotcom is basically an imprint of Tor. They publish mostly novellas, and I'm not entirely sure why Battle of the Linguist Mages is tordotcom and not Tor. > Is that a risk with Tordotcom books? No, tordotcom is an actual publisher with actual editors. Some books of course turn out better than others, but you can trust it was properly copyedited etc.
disgruntledphd2 3y ago
Battle of the linguist mages is rocking, and you should definitely read it.