Monday, March 22, 2010

CSFF Blog Tour - Knife

I'm rebelling.

I come back to the CSFF blog tour after a few months away, only to find that, not only are they still droning on a fantasy (yawn) but now they've started on general market fantasy to boot. (R. J. Anderson’s Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter, if you must know.) They really have lost the plot in my absence haven't they? So, until they return to good old-fashioned space-faring fundamentalists, I'm rebelling.

For this month's tour I will be featuring Knife, by R. J. Anderson. It's sort of a fairies at the bottom of the garden type story, with a rebellious teenage protagonist, and an underlying thread of self-sacrifice and being excellent to one another, which may or may not be conceived as a Christian theme.

And if that all seems a bit familiar, well, it's because I'm rebelling by featuring the British version of whatever everyone else has been calling it. Confused? Yes, that's the problem with having two completely different names for the exact same book, and I mention it mainly for the benefit of any UK based readers who happen through the tour... both versions are on sale at amazon UK, with no clear indication that they are one and the same (unless you read the reviews of the people who bought Spell Hunter having enjoyed Knife so much).



Given that these books are marketed at kids, and presumably parents who want to encourage them to read, is this an innocent mistake, a foolish error of judgment, or an evil marketing ploy? Discuss....

Discussing either Knife or Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter elsewhere are my tourmates:

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Amy Browning
Melissa Carswell
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
Nissa
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
Andrea Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a little confused. How can you buy both books? If I try to buy a UK book I know it. It's a big hassle. I would assume the same would go for people in the UK trying to buy a US book.

I think it's pretty common for books to come out with different names and different covers in different countries.

So, may I just say, you should feel free to extend your vacation from the tour.

:) I'm kidding. I rarely take part in the tour myself since I only do kids books and most of the CBA kids books are not ones I love. So...rebel all you want.

I loved the book, though. Loved, loved, loved it.

Fred Warren said...

Welcome back, Steve!

I, for one, am dismayed at this publisher's reckless advocacy of sharp objects and nonconformist attitudes in a product aimed at the delicate psyches of our youth.

A more safety-conscious title is demanded here. I propose "Snubby-Nosed Scissors."

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

Fred's comment made me laugh!

I'm glad you're back in the tour, Steve. I've missed your sense of humor.

And yes, we have another fantasy. But I tell you, the SF is thin and rare, at least the Christian product. Come to think about it, though, a friend of mine who wrote and sold a novel she had originally framed as this-world SF, her editor convinced her to change to dystopian fantasy. And that was general market.

Sigh. But SF is bound to emerge again. Never fear.

Until then, thanks for trundling along with us.

Becky

UKSteve said...

Thanks for the, um, vote of confidence, Sally. You are obviously blessed with a ministry of encouragement. :p

But seriously, thank you all for taking the time to comment on my tangential ranting. :)

R.J. Anderson said...

This post cracked me up. You go right on with your rebelling! I love SF (and space opera) too... which is why I wrote a book called TOUCHING INDIGO, which will be out in mid-2011 (D.V.). See, something for everyone! :D

Anonymous said...

No, prob, Steve. I'm always happy to use my God-give gifts to edify the body.