William sez, “Daniel Abraham’s newest novel, A Betrayal in Winter, the second volume of his The Long Price Quartet, is just out, and we can’t recommend it or its predecessor, A Shadow in Summer, enough for those who like their fantasy thoughtful, well-written and deftly-plotted, without being awash in influences from the ususal suspects (Tolkien, et al.) The serial of Daniel’s we’re running this November, The Support Technician Tango, is definitely not sf. Think of Connie Willis in her madcap comic mode and you’ll be closer to the pleasures Tango has to offer. Look for a chapter or two every weekday over at Subterranean Online.”
By its nature, a self-help book is written by someone who thinks they know what to do and read by someone who doesn’t; there
hasn’t been a better setup for the pompous to fleece the credulous since Rome stopped selling indulgences. The saving grace is that the bad advice of the authors is almost always ignored, misunderstood, or abandoned by readers who go ahead and do whatever they would have done anyway. Some people knit lace, some people improve themselves; self-help is a pointless hobby but harmless.
(Thanks, William!)