On Apr 5, 2:19Â pm, "Franklin Hummel"
world.std.com> wrote:> -
> Ye gods, I truly dislike to bring her at all (because of the pain in
> the ass she is and it will likely turn into a flame war) and
> especially by starting a topic myself, but I truly think this of
> concern to Lovecraftians and especially those who care deeply about
> *good* Mythos writing.
You are brave to crosspost this to alt.satanism. Be afraid. Be very
afraid.
>
> I was skipping around
Amazon.com today (I got a notice of Tim
> Curran's THE HIVE had been shipped and want to see where it was
> according to Tracking) and I started searches for Lovecraftian movies
> (a big interest many of you know) and books and such. Â (Found a
> collection of stories sent in Ohio where a friend lives, so I sent
> him a link, though it did get only 2-stars.)
>
> Sometimes I *really* wish I weren't so curious about everything.
> Thinking of bad Mythos fiction, I though I would look up Tani, a.k.a,
> Phyllis a.k.a P. March's OTHER NATIONS at Amazon.
Actually, in the case of OTHER NATIONS _P_ Marsh is Phil, her hubby,
and Tani is _T_ Marsh (for Tani, if that helps).
Those reviews are pretty much ancient history. The 5-star ones are
also available on one or more of her websites. And, yup, I do believe
the rave reviewers are either people she knows (members of her goofy
org) or socks. Who is surprised by this? Self-review via sock is
considered really shoddy on Amazon, so would be pretty much expected
from her.
>
> What did I find? Â Look and see for yourself, please.
>
> 7 REVIEWS.: 6 of them FIVE-stars and only 1 ONE-star reviews.
>
> Here are some of the subject headings of the 5-star reviews:
>
> Â Â "Best Mythos Novel out there"
>
> Â Â "Might explain alien and abduction phenonema [sic]"
>
> Â Â "Premium blend of Sci Fi, Mystery, Romance, and Horror"
>
> While the subject heading of the 1-star review is:
>
> Â Â "Crap"
>
> I will acknowledge that T. March, a.ka. "Mr. Jantsang" in his *own*
> review of the book there(!), got some positive statements from some
> Mythos-related people I know -- and some I have just never heard of.
>
> BUT...
>
> But, but, but... 6 *FIVE*-star reviews?! Â And NO other ratings except
> 5-stars and 1-star?!
>
> Many of those have gotten a fair number of "Helpful" checks. Â But
> heck, you don't even have to be a member of
Amazon.com to give those.
>
> So what about those six 5-star reviews. Â Strange, is it, for a book
> most Lovecraftian readers knew better than to read, let alone buy, a
> book co-author by Phyllis.
>
> Well, okay, as I mentioned above T. March gave his book a 5-star
> review. Â Looking at other productions he has reviewed at Amazon, he
> has done some others, the most recent was a *5-star* review for
> "LIBERAL FASCISM: The Secret History of the American Left, From
> Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning" by Jonah Goldberg. Â (Why am I
> not surprised?)
T. Marsh is Tani. The nakived nym is hers, a pun of sorts referencing
her fetish for secret police orgs of various totalitarian regimes. You
don't know much about her, actually, do you?
>
> (The person who did the 1-star review has also reviewed a number of
> other Amazon products.)
>
> So that leaves *five* other 5-star reviews. Â And looking at those
> reviewers' other reviews, guess what?!
>
> Those 5 "other reviewers" *only* have done *ONE* review each -- Â
> *only* for OTHER NATIONS.
>
> Hm.
Umm umm umm no surprise to almost anyone who had tangled with her and
her socks on usenet.
>
> Now Tani Jantsang is very well-known -- and has been known for
> years -- for creating a seemingly endless number of sock-puppet
> accounts on Usenet to give the impression to other, *real* people
> that there are many "other posters" who totally agree with her in
> everything she writes in her posts and "who" also seem to attack
> people who disagree with her.
>
> These "new posters" suddenly seem to appear, having never posted
> before and also seem to suddenly disappear when they are caught as
> being more of Tani's sock-puppets.
>
> I find the fact that FIVE "other reviewers", all who gave *5-stars*
> reviews to Tani Jantsang, have *never* post reviews *before* the
> publication of OTHER NATIONS or *after* (as of today) very
> suspiciously similar to Tani's Usenet sock-puppets. Â Especially when
> not a single one of these 5 "people" bothered to put anything but the
> very *basic* information about "themselves" -- usually just "name"
> and state -- up at
Amazon.com.
>
> Beyond Jantsang creating endless sock-puppet accounts on Usenet, a
> behavior I think best termed as *LYING*, what also concerns me is
> that someone might actually buy this novel thinking it is a GREAT
> Mythos novel -- only to find out it is "crap". Â I think that hurts
> all Lovecraftian writers and readers, to be lied to in order to
> stroke Tani's ego.
IMO, one stinker of a novel by one silly old woman can't do any harm.
Blow it off. Forget it. Don't give her free publicity!
>
> (Have a read the novel OTHER NATIONS? Â No. Â However, I have read, or
> have tried to read a number of times, 3 of the 5 of the original
> GLIMPSES OF OTHER NATIONS fanzines put out some years ago. Â That
> *was* enough for me.)
I've read a couple of her mythos short stories online. While there
were a few interesting ideas in them which could have been the basis
for good storytelling in skilled hands, Tani's writing style sux.
It's especially distracting (to me, anyway) that she writes about her
friends as characters...to the point that even I could recognize them
from simply reading their silly internet postings over the years on
various occult fora. B-o-r--i-n-g!
>
> I wish I had a smoking gun, but I don't. Â But I do strongly think
> that anyone who has dealt with Tani to some degree and has seek her
> M.O. repeated over and over again over the years, will likely reach a
> similar conclusion as I have.
>
> Sock-puppets on Usenet = Sock-puppets on
Amazon.com
>
> For your information, fellow readers; make of it what you will.
Personally, I just file it under Tani-as-expected: a lot of cyberfury
signifying not all that much LOL
Luv,
Kori
>
> Â Â Â Â -- Franklin Hummel in Boston, Massachusetts
>
> --
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