The critics are out there, but as we frequently observe at the National Fantasy Fan Federation, there is so much being published in just the niche genres of fantasy and science fiction that no one person can keep up with all the novels, never mind the short fiction. And if there's so much to process in that one relatively tiny niche, who can possibly cover the larger genres of romance, thrillers, and the gigantic cesspool of mainstream literature? We (the N3F) publish a zine full of book reviews every other month, but even with a couple dozen reviewers, we only scratch the surface. There may be dozens or even hundreds of new Heinleins, Lovecrafts, Gordy Dicksons, Anne McCaffreys, and Andre Nortons out there that we're not seeing. We do our best, but there is definitely room for someone to point out quality critics and say, "These people are doing useful work. Follow them!".
The critics are out there, but as we frequently observe at the National Fantasy Fan Federation, there is so much being published in just the niche genres of fantasy and science fiction that no one person can keep up with all the novels, never mind the short fiction. And if there's so much to process in that one relatively tiny niche, who can possibly cover the larger genres of romance, thrillers, and the gigantic cesspool of mainstream literature? We (the N3F) publish a zine full of book reviews every other month, but even with a couple dozen reviewers, we only scratch the surface. There may be dozens or even hundreds of new Heinleins, Lovecrafts, Gordy Dicksons, Anne McCaffreys, and Andre Nortons out there that we're not seeing. We do our best, but there is definitely room for someone to point out quality critics and say, "These people are doing useful work. Follow them!".