Hey all! I just finished up the fourth draft of a 170,000 word epic fantasy novel I've been writing and am in need of a test reader or two. It's been through a professional edit and I have an editor lined up with a publishing house that will take a look once it's been through the critique process. The problem is finding people to critique it that aren't intimidated by the word count (comes to 637 pages, double-spaced, in MS Word), a new fantasy world, and an epic sized cast of characters. That's where I need some fantasy gamers and fans to help me out. So, if you're up to the daunting task of reading a new author's massive tome knowing you will only be compensated with love and gratitude and hopefully a good story to read, here are the types of feedback I'd be looking for a test reader to provide:
-Be able to articulate what scenes you did or did not find enjoyable and why
-Same with characters and pretty much anything in general.
-Point out parts where the writing gets confusing, to include POV shifts (this is written in classical 3rd person omniscient style).
-Glaring typos and inconsistencies (you said character X had green eyes in chapter 5, but now he has orange eyes!)
-While it will be obvious my story is influenced by the like of Tolkien, Terry Brooks, and Warhammer Fantasy, call me out when it appears I am blatantly ripping things off.

Also, look for the following things that editors, agents, and publishers will be looking at within the story
-Is there a beginning, middle, and end?
-Does the protagonist have a conflict that motivates him/her/it to change over the course of the plot?
-Is there strong, plausible conflict in each scene?
-Do we understand who, what, where, and why everything is in your realm?

Again, this isn't a task for the faint of heart. I'm in need of some serious, realistic feedback from someone who is willing to do this for no other reason than wanting to make sure the next epic fantasy novel published isn't utter garbage. I know hugs and kisses don't go a long way, but if you are up to the task, I can throw in a copy of two horror anthologies I had short stories published in signed by as many of the authors I can round up in a realistic timeframe. They are titled Never Fear-Phobias and Never Fear-Christmas Terrors if you want to check them out on Amazon.

So, if this sounds interesting to you and you'd like to participate, feel free to shoot me an email at [email][email protected][/email] or hit me up on the Twitter-verse @aidaninnod. Thank you so much for sticking with this post as long as you have.

-Aidan