The Black Effect

[MSGalileo]

I currently reading The longest night. I really enjoy it (I found so far this volume better than the other 3, I can't explain why). Next on my list after "Crossing the Rubicon" , the quadrilogy of Adam Yoshida "The Third World War: A Narrative History"

[AndyF]

I am very glad you are enjoying it. The answer to the puzzle is that my brain was suffering through decades of neglect. I did not finish school but joined the British Army as a boy soldier at 15 and until 2004 my jobs were all practical and outdoors, with not a great deal of creative writing involved (although defence lawyers/counsel for the defense, argued otherwise on a few occasions). From 2004 - 2011 I was responsible for the planning of operations and the writing of the operations plans*. (*plus having a good time on film sets and TV productions, putting on a few extra pounds with the excellent catering of course. Clint Eastwood really is just playing himself BTW!) I am not aware of any critical remarks from senior officers on grammar and punctuation. This probably evidences why they were not 'Superior Officers', just coppers who were paid more (No offence, just a play on an old joke).

I am only now really aware of how incredibly BAD my writing was, as my brain has been slapped up the side a time or three since publishing Volume 1 in 2013 (written in 2002) and Volume 2 (written in 2003). Since May 2013 this old dog has been learning new tricks I would otherwise have learnt in school if I had not run off to play soldier and street cop for forty years, back in 1972.

I am re-editing Volume 1 and 2 and publishing Map Illustrated Editions which are half the size 2-parters, due to the size of the maps adding to the cost of the eBooks on Kindle.
The paper versions will now become rather small print, once edited again, as CreateSpace, the printer, has lowered page maximums to 480 (From 700 back when I published the 665 page Volume 2 in June '13).

The maps are the usual Farman rough workmanship in comparison to the map makers on here, but this is the battlefield in the first book, the opening battle of World War 3, set 12 miles NW of the Czech Republic on a river called The Wesernitz in 'Stand-To'.

Andy Farman

[MSGalileo]

Happy to see a new version with map for the "older" books.
I will try to create some scenarii for Steel Beasts 3.00 based upon the maps and the books (I think some of the areas in Germany where the books are located already exist for this simulator).
If you didn't know about SB 3.00 here a video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOs1-3oDcEs

thanks for your work.

[AndyF]

I am afraid that the place names may be real but the terrain was in my head for a large chunk of the series.

With parts of the books, in Crossing the Rubicon, such as Moruya, and the Macquarie Pass, in New South Wales, Australia, I had Google Earth up on the screen, flipping between satellite photos and 'street view' so the story runs true to the terrain, likewise the action in French Guiana in half of volume 3.

The Battle of the Wesernitz in Volume 1, Leipzig Airport, The Elbe, etc, were written way back in 2002, pre-Google Earth days, so too was much of action in Volume 3, which was from a lost floppy disc that I rediscovered by accident, so half the book was written in 2013 and half was from 2003.

The Vormundberg battle was written without Google Earth recons, even though that was penned last year, because we had the big earthquake followed closely by the largest storm in recorded human history here, so there was no internet and no power grid for quite a while. My Solar Gorilla recharged my laptop every few hours.

The 8 year hiatus was due to my going from 24 years as a street cop, into an office in 2004 as the operation planner for a chunk of London, plus the role of TV and Film liaison officer, and that of Emergency Contingency Planner (Bird Flu Pandemic planning was a nightmare), and CT Rep was tagged on by a boss who liked to put his feet up for the large part of his day, so my not very big brain was full to capacity and the book gathered dust until after my retirement and the taking on of the financing of my father-in-laws medical treatment when his insurance ran dry.

My writing is a bit better than it was ten years ago so I am currently correcting a very bad volume 1.

[AndyF]

Moruya, via Google Earth

[AndyF]

Moruya Airport, through which the Leopard 1s of the Australian 1st Armoured Regiment, ASLAVs of the Light Horse and the Royal New South Wales Infantry withdraw through in Crossing the Rubicon.

[TheWombat_matrixforum]

Heh, I picked up Vol. I from Amazon (Kindle) for free, so even if it is in dire need of a rewrite, at least it's not costing me anything! [:)]

[AndyF]

In a week I should have the re-edit and a few maps in there, all to be submitted to Kindle with a request for it to be a free downloaded upgrade.

[TheWombat_matrixforum]

ORIGINAL: AndyF

In a week I should have the re-edit and a few maps in there, all to be submitted to Kindle with a request for it to be a free downloaded upgrade.

Most excellent! I haven't had a chance to actually read much of it yet, so maybe I'll hold off until then.

[CrackSabbath]

I really wanted to like this book, but I have to say it was awful. I've read scenario descriptions which were more engaging. The most fleshed out "characters" were the TO&E's of the combat units. I don't mind books with a lot of hardware and jargon, but this book was riddled with it to the point of distraction. Dialogue? Forget it! Plot? Tissue thin. The complete lack of editorial oversight was obvious as well. Hint to the author: Yanks almost never say "bugger off" or "knackered."

My recommendation is to save your money.

*edit: this post refers to The Black Effect*

[Phoenix100]

As a published fiction writer myself, Andy, I can sympathise with your experience reading the more stringent 'reviews' that have occurred in this thread. In the age of free amateur reviewing the politeness habits of the wider net have quickly taken over. I get so sick now of reading comments from people who seem like they want to thump the writer in the face rather than review the book. The idea that the reviewers opinion describes 'the truth' about the book is a very common error (as if there would not be others out there who might hold a different opinion about the same material), exacerbated by the fact that there's no come back. It never ceases to amaze me how rude people are prepared to be in the virtual world when they wouldn't dream of being like that face to face. I haven't read your work but speaking from the inside - as someone with 8 books published by one of the UKs biggest publishers and many translations etc - I can say that getting professional editors and a professional publishing company to veto, correct and publish your work isn't necessarily the answer to any of the issues people have raised, if they exist. Most of the material that is published in that way is - my opinion only - trash. I could write - were I to feel very impolite - scathing reviews of so many professionally edited and published works, whether military fiction or otherwise. And typos and factual errors abound in professionally published material too. I wish you luck with self-publishing!!

[AndyF]

Thanks Phoenix,

I am unsure as to whether CrackSabbath is referring to my 'Armageddon's Song' series of books or Harvey's 'Black Effect'. I certainly have no Americans using British terms and phrases apart from one character who is trying to impress a female sergeant in the REME by asking her out 'for a pint'.

As to criticism, well, the vast majority of negative comments directed at my writing are genuine opinions, and those who were critical of grammar and punctuation errors had valid points which I am in the process of correcting in the second volume, having just re-edited volume 1 and put in maps, which was another of the gripes/wishes.

[TheWombat_matrixforum]

Anyone who can put together a coherent narrative over any length, and make it entertaining, has my admiration. Not everything has to be Joyce or Melville. And of course, as anyone who writes knows, you have to get critiques if you ever want to improve. And everything can be improved (well, except Joyce and Melville, two of my favorites!).

[Phoenix100]

Critiques are best done in that spirit, perhaps, TheWombat, with politeness. Joyce wasn't short of critics, of course. Myself, I've never got through Ulysses (you meant THAT Joyce, I assume). Hats off to you if you have! Reading books not driven by the continual threat of violence is a dying art....

[AndyF]

A few million avid 'Romance' genre readers may possibly challenge you on that one, Phoenix

[Phoenix100]

True, Andy. Maybe I meant something else.

[CrackSabbath]

I read The Black Effect. Sorry for the confusion.

@ Phoenix. Yeah, everybody's a critic. I just felt the need to respond since I read it on the recommendation of this thread, and wanted to give feedback. My apologies if I was too glib, but I truly felt the book was lacking in some very fundamental areas. My opinion, your mileage may vary, etc. etc. I will say, as any artist knows, if you put your work "out there" you will be criticized, and you need a thick skin. I know; I'm a musician, and have had some pretty harsh reviews. It stung, I got past it, and I hope I learned and got better from it.

I'll give Armageddon's Song a whirl soon. I have a stack of Harlequin romance novels to read first. [;)]

[TheWombat_matrixforum]

That being said, CrackSabbath's general critique has merit, in that the "Effect" books, while entertaining, can justly be described as a series of tactical vignettes sort of strung together. And yeah, until the third book the Yanks were often using British slang. Still, I enjoyed reading them, largely because I'm always interested in that sort of alternative history speculation.

It's tough to balance hard-nosed technobabble and military arcana with good, solid fiction craftsmanship, however.

[Phoenix100]

Lol Cracksabbath. Thick skin essential, yes.

[ctcharger]

"Bear Marches West"


What an interesting concept for a book. I just bought it for my Kindle. Thanks for posting!