I rarely read reviews. Someone once told me that there will ALWAYS be someone who does not like what you write and that there will ALWAYS be someone who will praise your work regardless of its value. So what’s the point in paying attention to reviews? Nevertheless, I was struck by the fact that two people on Amazon.com gave my first book in ‘The Annals of Drakis’ series — ‘Song of the Dragon’ — a one-star review. Gasp! Here is what Silvergirl said in her first ever posted review, by the way:

This is the first (and probably the last) Hickman book I’ve tried. I really wanted to like this book because it was a birthday present from a loved one. In all fairness, I must admit that I couldn’t get through to the end and so reviewing this book is somewhat unjust on my part. But I’m writing my first Amazon review because I found this book incredibly bleak and depressing, with a horribly brutal and cruel slant to its elves that I’ve never before seen in any other fantasy or SF series.

I hope you’ll  forgive me but I found that last line — intended as her devastating critique — as something of a compliment.

What’s wrong with ‘evil elves’? One of the most intriguing aspects of this series for me was to take the idea of the happy, green-clad, woodland elf race prancing through the woods with bows and arrows and completely turn it on its head; to turn the elves into monsters, their empire into a cross between the worst excesses of the Roman Empire and Nazis. In fact, in the writing of the series, I modeled the elven government of Rhonas on the government under Hitler on purpose. I wanted to show that power corrupts and that our preconceptions of ‘nice’ elves could be easily twisted by too much power and propaganda.

I’ll be the first to admit that the elves in this book are a rather nasty bunch. Fantasy tropes of elves would seem to insist that they be the ‘good guys’ or, at worst, aloof to the problems of silly humans. But it was going against that very expectation — turning the elves into slave-masters using their powerful magic to keep their slaves docile and use them to fight their wars for them — that make the book something extraordinary, fresh and somehow more exciting.

Sometimes, I think you have to challenge a preconception in order to give it meaning — to question why elves are supposed to always be good, for example.

Now, I can hardly complain about the online reviews. The rest of the reviews have all been four-star and five-star reviews on the first book — and at this writing the second book is all five stars. For example:

As a fantasy writer myself, I have trouble reading other authors’ fantasy for pleasure. I’m always analyzing, criticizing and figuring out how they do what they do.

This was the first Tracy Hickman book I read but it won’t be the last. He caught me up with his characters–which come first, even before story–as well as his inventive world and the many layers of scheming and evil. The suspense is compulsive, yet I never lost sight of the humanity underneath.

The greatest tribute: Often, I forgot to analyze and simply kept the pages turning. Great work!

If you have not had a chance yet to read this new series, I hope you’ll give it a try. — Jaqueline Diamond

Or perhaps this one…

Hickman did a good job on the debut of this series, in my opinion. The story doesn’t pace or structure itself precisely the same way as other hero-fantasy epics, making it a faster read and in some ways more SF thriller-ish in style. (The brutal elven characters remind me more of an alien race that has enslaved the planet than the more-typical magical rivals of the neighborhood fantasy creatures) The reader immediately dives into their horrific betrayal just as the characters themselves clumsily stumble into their own revolution, and every struggle against their evil, elvish oppressors is lush with the reluctant-but-valiant heroics we crave from the main character. Still, he–and especially the development between he and his broken, primary love interest–lets us down in ways that are written realistically. So you don’t suffer through too much of that inner turmoil, “This can’t be MY destiny, I can’t be ‘THE ONE’… yada yada yada…” without losing that hunger in your guts for the truth. Hickman generates a fantasy that is, refreshingly, directed more by the characters’ perspectives than the descriptions of the fantasy world they occupy. Worthwhile read for fantasy fans…Here’s hoping the next book is just as good! — A Carew

And this one, too!

FOUR STARS! I have seldom seen a stranger group of refugees than this one. Three humans, a pair of manticores, a dwarf, and a chimerian struggle to find sanctuary in the far north. One of that group, known as the Lyric, may not be sane since her personality changes almost daily. I found that character to be the most interesting of the bunch. The authors keep the scenery changing, along with the type of perils Drakis must face. This keeps the pace brisk and the story interesting. Of course, being the first of a new series, many strings are left dangling for the second title to pick up. Readers need not fear of a cliffhanger ending. In my opinion, the story halts in a good spot. Yet I am eager to continue the journey to see what other surprises the authors have in store. A solid beginning to a new fantasy series. — Detra Fitch

So, maybe the evil elves approach wasn’t so bad after all! And, perhaps, after all these years as a writer, I need to stop looking for validation from critics — good or bad. The point for me is that whenever you write counter to the expectations of your audience to run a risk … but sometimes that risk is worth taking.