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The Black Witch. Controversy!


Darth Richard II

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So this has absolute exploded on my goodreads overnight.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25740412-the-black-witch?ac=1&from_search=true

Reading all this I could actually hear Myshkin echoing in my head about how depiction isn't endorsement, or what have you.  Haven't read it myself yet but there is no way I'm missing out on something that's pissing people off this much AND has a rec by Robin Hobb.

Anyone read it yet? Thoughts?

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Seems to be a book written to endorse SJW values (or more accurately, anti Alt right ) that most SJWs failed to recognize and thus they bashed it without even reading it. Irony!

Whether the book is good or not though would be hard to know as most of the reviews are either mindless bashing or trying to fight that bashing by rating it 5 stars.Generally, I don't enjoy books that are social commentary for the most part, but if Hobb says it's good then it might be one of the exceptions.

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From some of the reviews I've read, the main character apparently doesn't really learn how terribly wrong her views are, though she thinks she does. That's what I gathered from some of the reviews I read. Other reviews do mention that the book is poorly written, and that's what may keep me away. I may try a sample on my Kindle if available.

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Were they actually reviews? Or just people reacting to the one super negative blog post making the rounds. I'm not saying your lying but a lo t of the stuff I've seen if fro people who haven't read the book at all.

I mean hey it might be super racist and terrible as all fuck, but as far as pro critical reviews go its gotten a lot of praise and there are some PoC on goodreads/amazon that have praised it for tackling really tough issues too.

I just hate it when you see stuff like this get shit all over without people actually reading/knowing what they're talking about.

Somone online compared it to complaining that The Handmaid's Tale is sexist.

 

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Yeah, a lot of the reviews are from people who obviously haven't read the book but they all link to the same article that claims the book is "extremely racist, homophobic, and ableist". Which means that they now have to take turns being outraged and offended by the book until their meter fills. It's the SJW version of Bakkake.

Quote

I can't believe we have to tell people that calling mixed race people "half-breeds" and advocating for the genocide of other races is not okay.

Oh not this shit again...

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5 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

Ugh, please don't say SJW.  Can't we just say, people who aren't Nazis?

Agreed.

Based on the reviews the book does seem lawful but there's no way to really tell without reading it first. 

 

Edit: oops I meant "awful" not lawful.

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Well, Robin Hobb is the one author I think that hasn't let me down at all with her recs. (GRRM would is almost got a perfect record too but ugh, The Magicians).

I;d be interested if Jemsin has said anything, she's usually spot on the ball with these things.

And yes, all most all the negative reviews quote that one blog(you can find it on the gr link, I won't link or name it here for obvious reasons).

 

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I trust this review/reviewer. I often look to see if she's read and reviewed a particular book before I pick it up. I often find myself agreeing with her after I've finished. And I will sometimes read something and enjoy it even if she didn't. Anyhoo,

Here is a review by Emily May: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1949205209

Also, I find some book criticism misplaced, good intentioned or otherwise.The train wreck that is the most recent Sarah J Maas book is getting slammed for being anti-asexual/ace all because a poorly worded section was in my opinion taken out of context. Now, I can't say for 100% certainty I know what SJM meant but it seemed pretty obvious. :dunno:

That book deserves criticism for a lot of things but that is not one. 

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So, I have decided to rate this book 5 stars, without reading ( I know, I am a hypocrite) it because of some of the people who are not Nazis' reviews. The stupidity in recognizing the difference between addressing a problem and believing in it as a cause, triggered me. 

Edit: the review linked above summed it all.

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10 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

GRRM would is almost got a perfect record too but ugh, The Magicians.

I love the Magicians trilogy. That Martin blurb made me read the series. GRRM recommended the first book also in person at Finncon 2009.

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Well, maybe the negative reviews will mean the people who it dissents against will actually read it. There's not much point people who already agree with 'discrimination is bad, m'kay' reading it, they already agree with the premise. It's not really going to make them think.

Do seem to need a novel that engages the bandwagoners tho, who read a blog and then just auto condemn - their rational capacity to discriminate depiction and endorsement apparently turned off.

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5 hours ago, Jussi said:

I love the Magicians trilogy. That Martin blurb made me read the series. GRRM recommended the first book also in person at Finncon 2009.

Well, my hatred is the less popular opinion and well known at this point. :P

 

5 hours ago, Callan S. said:

Well, maybe the negative reviews will mean the people who it dissents against will actually read it. There's not much point people who already agree with 'discrimination is bad, m'kay' reading it, they already agree with the premise. It's not really going to make them think.

Do seem to need a novel that engages the bandwagoners tho, who read a blog and then just auto condemn - their rational capacity to discriminate depiction and endorsement apparently turned off.

I hate people who bandwagon like this, on either side.

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23 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

Ugh, please don't say SJW.  Can't we just say, people who aren't Nazis?

But yes, looks like what I call the Lolita effect. Complete over people's heads.

That is a bit of an over-generalization. Both are two extreme ideologies.

 

And well, reading the reviews, it seems this book is "ableist." Well I'll be. Never thought I'd hear that about a fantasy novel. Wow.

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7 hours ago, Maelys I Blackfyre said:

That is a bit of an over-generalization. Both are two extreme ideologies.

 

And well, reading the reviews, it seems this book is "ableist." Well I'll be. Never thought I'd hear that about a fantasy novel. Wow.

I had to look up what that means. Wtf?. I wonder how many of these people are Hodor fans.

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On 5/10/2017 at 3:45 PM, Darth Richard II said:

Somone online compared it to complaining that The Handmaid's Tale is sexist.

:blink: Haha! If that's the case, then it seems to be an example of the text going over peoples' heads. 

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