Saturday, October 21, 2017

Daunted: The Lost Fleet's Proofreader

From the moment I laid eyes on Alex Ronald's cover for the first issue of Titan Comics's The Lost Fleet: Corsair #1, I wanted to possess that object of my desire. (You can have a peek at said art by going here: https://www.comixology.com/The-Lost-Fleet-Corsair-1/digital-comic/502609.)  And though the interior art wasn't up to the same level, it was good enough for me. And the fact that the comic was scripted by "Jack Campbell," who wrote the novels that the comic book was based on, was a definite plus. But (1) it's a $3.99 per issue comic book, and I don't buy many of those, and (2) I really liked the idea of getting it as a trade paperback (print or digital) in the near near. Speaking of which, it looks like that will be happening pretty soon, as Comixology lists the due date for The Lost Fleet: Corsair Vol. 1 as December 27, 2017. So we'll see how that works out.

But meanwhile, I had a little walkabout and found that there were six The Lost Fleet novels published to date--as well as a bunch of other related novels. And most of the former were available at the LFPL, including the first novel, The Lost Fleet: Dauntless (2006). So I picked that up. And it sat around for awhile. But this morning I  started reading, and I mostly liked what I read. Went through 60 pages in one gulp, and am going to go back for some more in a minute. After the kvetching. 

MOSTLY liked what I read . . . because I am just appalled (AP-PALLED) at the number of proofreading errors I've encountered in the first 60 pages of this book. I mean, shit, man. There is so much equipment available these days to make a proofreader's job easier. How the hell does this happen? Maybe it's just the usual Over-Reliance on Technology Which Ends Up Making Us Useless Human Beings Schtick (O-RoTWEUMUUHBS). But this is a product of Ace Science Fiction, for fuck's sake. Publishing for 65 years. Have they no pride in their work at all? And I'm not talking about subtle stuff here. I'm talking about words left out of sentences. I'm talking about using the word "conservation" when "conversation" was clearly intended. Stuff that any high school graduate should be able to pick up on. Fuuuuck.

I'm really burning to compile a list of the errors and send it to Ace, but when I've done that in the past it has either gotten no reaction (most), a tepid reaction (one), or a harsh backlash (Ed Brubaker, the asshole whose shit I no longer buy). So what's the use? 

I just don't understand why nobody cares about this stuff. God is always in the details, y'know?

Hey, Jack Campbell // John G. Hemry! I like your book, man. And I just want to help out. Whaddaya say? Holler at a brother.

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