Review: Intriguing Page Turner
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2014
The Black Room, Part One (TBRPO), tells a truly fascinating story, with an extraordinary concept: what would you do if you suddenly awoke to find your consciousness trapped in another's body?Mr. Smitherd writes capably, with delightfully refreshing (at least here in the U.S.) correct English (British English is English as it is meant to be ;), and I have to say I really love his style. That being said, there is an oddity in his use of the word "stood" in place of "standing." Perhaps it is common in Britain to speak as such, but to me it read grammatically incorrect, and I found it a bit distracting--though not enough to warrant a lesser rating, as the book really is outstanding overall.I first learned of Mr. Smitherd from reading his book, The Stone Man (TSM), which is also a delight to read with its well articulated, imaginative originality.NOTE to AUTHOR:If I hadn't read "The Stone Man" first I would not have started this four part series, as I find the practice of breaking full books into parts flagrantly greed oriented, and distasteful. However, you address the break-it-apart issue at the end of TBRPO, and I understand your reasoning. You are trying to make a living. Regardless, you are a talented writer and a joy to read, so I made an exception and purchased the entire TBR series in order to assist you in that endeavor. I do very much hope you avoid using this sort of scheme in the future, because I would sincerely feel sad to discontinue my support on principle. Mr. Smitherd, it doesn't matter who else is doing it, even if it were the Queen of England, it's still obnoxious ... just saying.