Hey, neversparks.

I see what you're saying, but I think you're getting the same misunderstanding that the other 'critics' got. I never claimed my first novel was fantastic and should have been a best seller. I stated my frustration over my friends not knowing what's supportive to a writer with the example of my book. The length it took was to show that the people close to me should appreciate the effort enough to look at it, something I wouldn't expect from regular readers. Also, I didn't mention this above, but they were the ones to instill that expectation in me.

The authors mentioned and the statements over weaving verses punching and dawn verses ...uh...rap? ...is a statement on style. There's no point in telling an author to switch their style because it doesn't please everyone. It never will, and you can see below, it pleases many. It's not pretentious, it's about the very frustration all artists go through.

If you didn't expect to succeed, it's still no easier to see yourself fail.

The work wasn't a cry for help. I know what works as much as the next author, I just chose a path less traveled. And it's still beautiful nonetheless.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the first bit of my book. I never expected to draw in %100 of readers, and it certainly sounds from your stopping point you weren't expecting it to be high fantasy. You might try reading it for fun as opposed to actively looking to form an opinion. You might find the journey-so to speak-is a bit more interesting that way.