Hi there. Nice blog. I found my way here based on a recommendation on Paul Tremblay's blog.

I'm a big fan of Jeff Long, and The Descent is probably my favorite book ever. I've read it at least five times, more than any other book I own (think of me what you will based on that). My tastes in fiction, film and music are such that I long ago gave up trying to defend them to others. It's an exercise in futility that benefits exactly no one, and it's undoubtedly one of the main reasons there's so much vitriol in cyberspace these days. Hell hath no fury like a fanboi scorned, right? However, the fact that you essentially trashed the book after only having read a small portion of it does bother me ever so slightly. I understand that you gave up reading because the book just wasn't doing it for you; nobody wants to waste their precious time slogging through a book they don't like (that's what school is for), but is it fair to review something you haven't fully experienced?

Also, Long was an elections supervisor in Bosnia after the genocide, and he worked with a human rights organization there, interviewing soldiers and civilians about the atrocities they witnessed, so he's probably more familiar with the region and what went on there than the average Lonely Planet reader. Fair enough?

I look forward to reading more of your opinions.

Take care,
Mike