Posted by Dave Art on December 01, 1998 at 13:24:50:
In Reply to: Poor Reviews and Misunderstandings posted by Rich Thomas on July 28, 1998 at 03:37:40:
: In light of the recent poor review in Analog, the earlier ho-hum review by Kirkus of "Ports of Call," and some general comments on these pages and other review magazines, one common thread has come to light:
: Most reviewers are unaware that "Ports of Call" is only the first book of a duology, and that the reason why many plot threads do not seem to lead anyware, and the ending is a little off kilter is that there is a second book to come, whereupon all of the outstanding questions will be asked.
: One review I saw was most entertaining for its lack of appreciation of this simple fact as the reviewer ranted on about how much of a disgrace the book was in that one of the most important plot threads, that of the search for the "fountain of youth", was left dangling and went on to say that tying up plot threads was one of the first things you learn in creative writing. It obviously didn't occur to the poor chap that there might be a sequel!!
: For the record, I happen to think Ports of Call to be an excellent book, perhaps Jacks' funniest to date, with plenty of delicious situations and incidents.
I finally got around to reading _Ports of Call_. Though I enjoyed most of the book I had the distinct impression that he Epilogue was disconnected from the rest of the story. I felt that he could have found a more seamless way of preparing for the sequel. It just generally seemed disjointed and hurried as if his publisher said "We need to get this book out quick wrap things up".