This quote appear as Tom Clancy's testimonial on the front jacket of Larry Niven's (excellent) Destiny's Road. It got me thinking. I mean, it comes from Tom Clancy. To put it gently, Tom Clancy is not exactly the world's greatest writer. I could have understood any of these quotes:
- "Lots of interesting hardware."
- (only it doesn't).
- "Amazing analysis of futuristic strategic airstrike capabilities."
- (Nobody flies in the book).
- "Refreshingly devoid of anyone whose opinions might upset DMan."
- (It's Larry Niven; DMan needn't worry too much).
But what am I supposed to make of this? It's the sole testimonial on the front jacket, and there's obviously no reason to believe any of it.
I mean, imagine the next edition of the Oxford Shakespeare's Hamlet coming out; on the front cover appears: "His grasp of the subtleties of English is superb." -- Larry Niven. Do you really trust Larry Clancy or Tom Niven on matters of writing?
It's a bit like putting "Quite a nice lady." -- J. Stalin on an autobiography of Mother Theresa, just because they both studied at a religious seminar when they were young.
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