Comments on: The Variant

By: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:32:26 +0000

Wow! The sample did its job, sucking me in, and convincing me to buy the full story (PDF), which I loved. Kudos!

(Hat tip to Will Hindmarch for the recommendation.)

By: James Turner

James Turner — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:49:59 +0000

John,

Enjoyed the story.

If you are serious about increasing your distribution, you may want to consider putting it on fictionwise.com.

I buy most of my books on that site, and read them on old gemstar ebooks. I am thinking about getting a Kindle or Sony ebook, but haven't felt the need yet. I no longer read physical books or magaizines because I am allergic to the ink that they are printed with.

By: Clay

Clay — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:56:36 +0000

Fantastic story; couldn’t stop reading it! read the Kindle version on my iPod touch.

By: emilythequeen

emilythequeen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:24:23 +0000

What a fun story and interesting premise! Thought provoking and enjoyable. Thank you! I also love the fact that it was priced nicely and that purchasing the PDF gave me the immediate gratification of being able to read it today, after hearing your interview on Public Radio!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:37:21 +0000

Thank you for a wonderful story John, it was well paced and I adored the ending. I’d be delighted to read more in future…

By: Fiona

Fiona — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:56:42 +0000

Great story! I was curious about Vincent to the very end - I couldn't begin to guess where the plot was heading but was happy to be along for the ride.

Good luck with selling the story online. I think it's a fantastic idea.

I came across this story via Twitter, and oddly enough had randomly set my PVR to record The Nines a few weeks ago - it showed up in my movie queue the night I read the preview for this. The world works in mysterious ways.

By: Jolin

Jolin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:07:40 +0000

These are the words of a discerning consumer/writer (to-be):

The first thing I noticed was the subtle distinctions between the two painted figures on the cover. They look quite like some optical illusion in determining which hat is taller and who has a cleaner shave.

Not saying that they had a shave, but you know. Nonetheless, they seem to be an apt imagery, though, I wonder if you will explain the reason behind your choice.

As for your prose, I think it is thoroughly engaging and the resolution is impeccable for the kind of emotional impact it gives leaves much to the imagination. Though I think you use the third-person omniscient relatively well, perhaps by using the third-person limited, the characters in your story will be more defined since it is mainly Vincent's POV that you are using. This is because with occasional snippets from the minds of the side characters, it seems to leave the reader wanting for more.

On a more philosophical/scientific note, I thought the ideas presented are sufficiently viable for a story as short as this; very enigmatic.

Most of all, I really want to commend you on your execution of the narrative in succinct sentences, something which most writers seem to under-appreciate. Keep doing what you do. Look forward to read more :)

By: Taryn O'Neill

Taryn O'Neill — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:09:24 +0000

I was one of the lucky twitter followers who had the opportunity to pre-read The Variant and offer up comments. My experience with the pre-read and the story’s subsequent success, along with hearing some traditional Hollywood tales of woe this morning, prompted me to write a new blogpost entitled ‘The Trade-Off’. Since The Variant and your innovative work (John) helped me find the direction I needed to take the post in, I’d love if you’d all take a look. Feel free to comment! http://tarynoneill.blogspot.com/2009/06/trade-off.html

Have a great weekend everyone!

Taryn

By: brightonpete

brightonpete — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:16:39 +0000

Short and sweet, and it didn't turn out the way I suspected.

Great material for the Outer Limits TV show!

By: Minesh

Minesh — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:45:52 +0000

Loved the story and I have put up a short review at amazon.

In that review I mention that the story reminded me of two good stories I read a while back: Distant Replay by Mike Resnick and a novelette called Understand by Ted Chiang. Both are on the interweb and worth a look especially as there as some nice resonances with The Variant.

On a wider scale, I think you hit a sweet spot in terms of price and providing a preview to allow for a virtual taste test (it shows confidence in your story and the feeling of openness and interaction is in itself an attractive quality). I'm finding it a fascinating experiment and hope you will continue to share your results and thought processes.

cheers m

By: zosolias

zosolias — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:55:25 +0000

Nice story, loved the ending. I admitted I cheated on the anagram and used an online anagram generator. I should have seen it though :) I love seeing my reply appear as I type it! You'll have to keep us informed as to how this works out for you financially. I hope it works well!