Nuttall, Christopher G. Outside Context Problem. Outside Context Problem No. 1. Kindle, 2012.
Christopher G. Nuttall has made a career self-publishing on Amazon’s Kindle platform. For almost 20 years he has published almost two books a year there—mostly fantasy and military science fiction. It is hard to believe that any traditional publishing house would have enabled him to be so prolific. Since I like to see independent writers succeed, I applaud his success. But there is a price to be paid for publishing quickly and independently, a price beyond proofreading and advertising help. Independent authors are usually dependent on beta readers to critique their work and perhaps save them from their worst excesses. A good traditional publisher, on the other hand, can provide a skilled book editor to help authors shape their work and tell writers when their work needs a rewrite or a major cut. In Outside Context Problem, Nuttall could have used an editor to suggest a rewrite to tighten things up and rebalance character development. Everywhere in this novel there are signs of hurried writing—unnecessary repetitions and dropped threads. One quick example. The title, a term probably coined by Iain M. Banks in Excession, suggests that the novel will be about how being colonized by aliens will radically alter human culture. But the story arc and several plot details are self-consciously drawn from Independence Day, about how culture survives the existential threat. Individual action scenes are done well. So, as long as you keep turning the pages and don’t worry too much about theme, structure, and character, you might enjoy the novel. ( )