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Rating: I continue, in-de-fatigable, with my promotional work for the new world of eBooks, without dwelling too much on the wonderful advantages of e-readers, and how old-fashioned those who insist on saying: << eh, but I won’t give up on paper, its smell, the dust>> are.
I was and still partly am one of those people, but only for the books I choose, selected authors, those you wait for centuries because they seem never to want to gift us a new book. However, when I want to quickly fish among unknown or almost unknown authors, seek new ideas, new ways of writing, I used to spend euros by the wheelbarrow, for cheap editions that I then struggled to finish. Now with the price of one of those booklets, I buy 10 eBooks. I download them in 1 second, archive them, then I pick them out, and if I dislike them, I delete them and move on. Very often I also download them for free, because every author, for instance on Amazon, has the option to occasionally offer promotions. This also happens with respectable authors who, with dozens of publications behind them, have decided to dive into the sea of eBooks without shame. It's for example the case of Elisabetta Chicco, whom I recommend to anyone wanting clear instructions on what it means to master the most beautiful language in the world.
In my Kindle (but other brands are fine too), I roam with 80\100 books always ready to be handled by my critiques, which I never fail to pour into the "reviews," vital to keep the narrative offer at a medium-high level, and guide all readers who think they might give up the smell of paper, at least sometimes.
Now the warning: it is a rapidly rising world, which means large numbers. Recently I’ve noticed that quality, consequently, is decreasing, and even steeply. An example, I hope he won’t mind: there’s one Claudio Ruggeri, who writes and publishes thrillers incessantly. He has great inventiveness, good imagination, narrative exuberance, but writes like a middle school kid. He misuses verbs, sentence constructions, and uses technical terms in utterly inappropriate ways. He is the perfect example for my warning: no publisher would ever publish such a thing, without a massive "restructuring." Luckily, many reviews of his books, except those probably done by aunts and cousins, expose the flaws.
As for the good news, I return to praise the work of authors who have surprised me. I’ve read books regularly published and promoted by major publishing houses that are not even remotely comparable to those by some Italian writers (I think) young and with no one important behind them, that I have discovered thanks to the new world.
I recommend to everyone the books of Gabriele Dadò, whom I’ve already reviewed in the past. The author demonstrates a command of maritime terms, the art of navigation, that is enviable. He could hold university lectures, yet he gives us eBooks for less than 1 euro. Then there is such Riccardo Pietrani, who I haven’t read yet but seems to be gaining popularity.
The same goes for Vito Franchini. I stumbled upon the sequel to his first book, "Shasmahal," which I’ve already reviewed, almost by chance, because Amazon certainly didn’t bother to promote it in any way. It’s titled "Tiger of Africa" and was published about a month ago. It’s hard to find unless you know it, as if forgotten in a corner. I devoured it in just under 3 days. I had trouble sleeping one night because I never wanted to interrupt the flow of the plot. That hasn't happened to me in years. All for 0.99 euros.
In my opinion, the title isn’t quite right. The choice is understood by reading, but I believe it only attracts readers passionate about the adventure genre. It’s a pity because it is a historical novel in all respects, tackling fascinating themes like commercial navigation, the trafficking of humans, with a nonchalance that makes me imagine frightening research and studies at its foundation. In some passages, it resembles a real Thriller. By the end of the reading, I found myself enriched with notions about Europe, the global south, commercial balances, almost without realizing it. Far be it from me, as usual, to reveal the plot... rich in events to the point that, I believe, someone more adept would have built a saga of at least 5 books around it.
How many of you knew that there are no Tigers in Africa? I didn’t, I'll admit it. Now I know. I can’t wait for a couple of years to pass so I can read the book again. Hoping that in the meantime, the author will make another one, maybe stepping out of anonymity.
Forward Debaseriani. Let’s give a hand to this new world.
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