Post originally by Matt Drake at 2004-12-22 13:21:56
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This review is not an ad. I am not affiliated with RPG.net in any way. I don't get anything when they sell the products in the e-store. I am also not affiliated with Wizards, except that they send me products and ask me to review them.

The review I wrote is my honest opinion. I enjoyed the hell out of this book, and I'm delighted to own it. If others thought they paid too much, or that the product is inadequate, they are welcome to their opinions, and I will not argue. I am sorry you did not like this book, but I had absolutely nothing to do with creating it, and did not even know it existed until Wizards sent me one to review.

I will continue to provide the best reviews I can, but in the case of a product as completely subjective as this, opinions are bound to vary. I believe I described the book in enough detail to allow an intelligent reader to make up his own mind. and since these reviews are a product of my opinion, I also include my personal feeling toward the book. I did not note the same profusion of typographical errors that you did, though I did think a few of the 'celebrity guests' were poor writers (and I mentioned that). The tilted layout appealed to me. And I did not think the interior art pieces were misplaced, because they largely represented the topic with which they were associated. So I did not point out these things, because I saw benefit where others saw flaws.

I can think of one possible reason RPG.net did not run your review - it is short. You did not discuss the art, and considering the fact that this is an oversized picture book with some light reading, that would have been relevant. When I read your review, it felt more like you were trying to get revenge for paying too much for this book, as opposed to educating readers. Aeon's review (at another site) was clear and descriptive, where yours is short and derisive.

I'm not trying to slam you here. Your opinion is thoroughly valid. I have no knowledge of this book outside the actual product, so I had no preconceptions. I am merely trying to say that your review might have had a better chance of being posted if you had spent more time discussing the book.

Matt Drake