I can see how this story may be difficult to get into unless one has the knowledge of how a magazine publishing house works. Moreover, the setting is in Hong Kong, which seems to be a place set back in time as to the treatment of women.

The plot is fine as is the premise. In the story, the head and founder of the Pronto Media Mark Chiefly hires Craig Fox as the editor of one of his magazines, but Chiefly is a slave driver when it comes to his journalists, and eventually, the plot unfolds with most of the characters finding their different ways, away from Pronto. In the meantime, the story revolves around after-hours bar-hopping of the journalists with excessive drinking and womanizing.

On the plus side, there are some cultural tones and a good storyline; however, the characters need to appeal to the readers more in some way, especially because they come from several very different countries. Although Fox’s character is more elaborately drawn, other characters also need some serious detailing as to their personalities and backgrounds.

This is a story that keeps the reader reading due to its action and the author's good use of the language; however, other elements of it need care, too.

how the journalists worked and related to one another.

the machoisms and the treatment of women, which I doubt is due to a different culture. I only hope the author himself isn't like that.

is Robert Blain who was born in Glasgow, Scotland and immigrated to Australia. He has lived and worked in Hong Kong and Melbourne for various international and trade magazines as an editor.

despite its shortcomings, there is a story there that is different, and as writers, most of us can relate to the work setting in a publishing house.

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Created Aug 20, 2018 at 5:48pm • Submit your own review...