telophase | (no subject)

Crossposts: http://telophase.livejournal.com/1859509.html

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linkblogging,
wank

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Christopher Pike writes book set in Turkey. A Turkish woman has problems with the many inaccuracies depicted in the book about Turkey and the Turkish people, and writes a review on Amazon. Pike's editor attempts to explain how he and Pike know more about Turkey than the Turkish woman. (His first response has been deleted by Amazon, but his second response, accidentally duplicated, is still there.)

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That book was available on NetGalley. I requested it, read the first few pages and was like, "OMG, I can't do this!!!" and clicked decline super fast.

I am very glad I never read it!

I would like to send big boxes of chocolates to some of the commenters. They way they pile in and back Caligirl08 up is heartening.

That was both hilarious and maddening.

(I've never been to Turkey, but even I can tell that Pike has things terribly wrong! Plus, the whole flying carpet thing... I think I'd be bothered a little bit in a book that's respectful just because it's such an overworn stereotype, but in a book that apparently treats all those Muslim people the same, it's even worse.)

This woman rules the world.

I would recommend Pike hire more capable and professional help in the future. For example, hiring a REAL editor as opposed to an IMAGINARY FRIEND named Michael might be a good start.

OMFG. That is ... Actually, that is perfect in its utter wrongness.

Yup.

Man, that's like the paragon example of 'mansplain'.

Page 14. THERE ARE NO DESERTS IN ISTANBUL

For some reason, that really cracked me up.

Did you see the last comment? Seems the "editor" might be Pike himself.

It wasn't up when I read the thread. Hah! XD

AWESOME.

Mansplaining. Yes. There needs to be a TV Tropes page so this can go on it.

Awesome and hilarious. The imaginary Turkey full of veil and turban wearing Arabs with Indian names is a particularly nice touch.

I loved the explanation that Ahmed is a Turkish name, therefore Ahmesh is a Turkish name - especially when the OP pointed out that, in fact, it is Ahmet and not Ahmed that is a Turkish name.

Kind of like saying, "Bob is an American name, therefore Gob is an English name."

(deleted comment)

ta-daaaaaaaaa

Genius.

Oh good grief

That's amazing. I mean, there are lots of authors who don't spend enough time researching their settings, but this character apparently can't even be bothered to spend five minutes reading the Wikipedia entry for Turkey.

It looks like he publishes about three books a year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Pike_%28author%29) - of course he doesn't have the time to look up minor details like these! He's a busy guy!

There's never time to do research, but always time to argue with people on Amazon about the lack of research!

+10

I dub this Pike's Law!

(deleted comment)

If only there were something like an encyclopedia, only online, in which we could look these things up!

Not Constantinople?

Well, of course this comes about just as I'm about to embark on a reread of some of Pike's books...

Perhaps random fact-checking is in order? :D

*peeks*

I have:

1. White kids stalked by serial killer! (Multiple books)
2. 5000 year old female vampire! (2/3 of 9~ book series)
3. Various random supernatural stuff. About white kids.

Oh my.

*puts another author on her "no more of my booktime for you!" list.

Whoa. Not cool.

My brain has to be special. When I read "Christopher Pike writes book" my very first thought was "how could he do that when all he can do is beep for yes or no questions?" ... And then the rest of my brain woke up and slapped the silly bit, reminding it that that Christopher Pike was a fictional character and clearly this was on about some real person. I wear my special hat with pride! :D

As for the actual link, once I'd read it all I wanted to do was facepalm and I haven't even had breakfast yet!

Hee! XD

(p.s. - will be in London late next week! Wanna meet for lunch or something?)

You mean actually meet an internet person for real? Le gasp! :D

Heh, but seriously, I would love to! Maybe I'll even be able to ~~ransack your list of places to visit~~ ~~not be too weird~~ not get lost finding you. XD

Hee! I can send you the Google Doc I've got made up with lists of possible places to go, things to do, etc if you want.

And since you know London better than I do, I'll leave it to you to suggest a place to meet & eat. We'll be at the Sumner Hotel (http://www.thesumner.com/)* which is near Marble Arch, but can go anywhere, whee.

We arrive Wednesday, but will be staggering around trying not to drop from jet lag and thus not good company. We leave for Wales on Monday. The only plans we ahve at the moment are to go visit the Dennis Severs House (http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/) on Sunday, and it's only open from 12-4 so we'll probably be there then. When and where's good for you?

* I olike to take 3 weeks to go on a trip. Toby's job only gives him 2. So I compromised by spending on lodgings like we were going on a 3-week trip. XD (Honestly, it has a lift, and I'm officially Too Damn Old to be hauling my crap up four flights of stairs anymore.)

I'd like that, if/ when you get time. It's very much that when you live within travel distance you completely fail to notice all the cool stuff on your doorstep. :) My usual email is my wyrdness at gmail address.

I can do any time and any place really, once I get in to central London everywhere is hardly more than a 15 minute tube ride away at most. :) I'd suggest the Friday though, gives you time to get your bearings but it'll be a shade less busy when half the population are still in work and we just have to contend with other visitors and slackers like me. ;)

Gah! You want me to remember places to eat?! I usually head to the closest Wagamama since I'm a noodle fiend, or Wetherspoons because they used to be cheap and I keep forgetting they keep increasing their prices. I've unfortunately never quite grown out of my poor student eating habits. XD Though if it's not desperately important for you to eat in a fancy place there's a wide variety of pubs, steakhouses and noodle places all over. I guess it depends what you fancy eating on the day. :)

Well, what about meeting at the hotel at 11 or so? That'll let us worry about what we want to eat then, and we can either walk around the area until we find something that looks promising, or suggest something one of us heard about or wants to try. We'll be in the lobby then (we'll be checking email often and getting cheap phones once we get there so there will be Ways to Contact Us if something happens and you're extra-early or late).

We don't care one way or the other about eating in fancy places as long as it's good, but at any rate it's our treat. :)

After a brief internet mishap I shall now reply! Note: Don't accidentally submerge 3G wireless devices in pools of water, it makes them cranky.

That seems like a good time to meet and an excellent plan. Especially since my back-up internet help squad could only suggest various forms of Wetherspoons or noodle places too. We're so diverse in our eating habits over here. XD

Oh and the place you're staying looks awesome too. I wish my bed looked as comfy as there's do. I wonder how hotels manage to make everything look so fluffy...

Awesome. We'll try to be in the lobby at that point, but by Friday we'll probably have given you the phone numbers of the cheap phones we're planning on getting so you'll be able to go "Where are yoooou?!" XD

I wonder how hotels manage to make everything look so fluffy...

Careful camera angles and photomanipulation! (http://www.oyster.com/hotels/photo-fakeouts/)

What's even better about that?

Pike's "editor" isn't - that's Pike, using a pseudonym. He's admitted it on reviews he's left /on his own books/ that that's actually him. X)

way to be an asshat dude

It's a wank that just keeps on giving!

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