S&E Reviews

The Scout & Engineer blog will soon be dedicated, in large part, to literary review. Current book reviewers along with those who are interested and have some experience relevant to publishing or criticism are encouraged to contact Hannah Eason at editor@scoutandengineer.com. When applying, please send a brief cover letter and a sample review (published or otherwise). Please also indicate whether, in the event of your joining the S&E review team, it would be permissible for us to publish your sample review.

Our blog will feature brief (400-600 word) reviews of current and older novels, memoirs and other nonfiction books in which overall tone leans toward the literary, short story collections & poetry collections (single- or multi-author), and individual short stories.

Scout & Engineer reviews--which will partially summarize, not spoiling large, late-in-work plot points--will contain analysis based on factors such as the plot's coherence and intrigue level, characterization, consistency, overall style, and more. These reviews will also take into account a given work's conceptual congruity (does it present an integrated world view?).

Of note to potential reviewers is that S&E reviews should offer an examination of works in terms of Scout & Engineer's stated, championed, and incorporated philosophy: individualism. Reviews should acknowledge when and where a novel or other work advocates groupthink or depicts characters' actions as resultant of doomed genes, their existence within a malevolent universe, their cog-function within a crude social machine, etc. Also, reviews should highlight ways in which books or shorter works properly integrate the concepts of free will/volition, individual rights, cause-and-effect, egosim, etc.

Authors interested in submitting a work (self-published is fine) for review are also welcome to contact Hannah (editor@scoutandengineer.com) for further details.

Finally, for would-be reviewers: we cannot offer payment at this time. For that reason, this arrangement would be ideal for anyone interested in accumulating review clips and experience.

Thanks for reading.