Entry tags:

books/authors, person: neo_prodigy, reviews

What's worse than getting a negative review on Amazon?
Getting caught leaving a positive review under a sockpuppet, of course!

Author Dennis R. Upkin Jr. reviews his own book under a sock account and is outed by Amazon.com's credit card verification system. ETA: Review's been removed, but here's a screencap from the sf_drama post.

Copy and pasted text of the four star review, left by "Roz Torres":

I heard about this novel on an online podcast and after constantly forgetting to pick up the book, I finally got a copy and read it.

The story is intense. It's got a lot going on. With the paranormal elements and the real world commentary. Upkins pulls no punches tackling racism and homophobia, but really surprised me was the interesting cast of women. I loved Ruby and Cassidy and it was nice to see women of color be shown in a light you rarely see. But my favorite character hands down was Neely. I wish there were more characters like her in the media. And I say this as a fellow bisexual woman. The little representation we have, most of it isn't good. Good story. And I'll definitely re-read again to see what I missed the first time.

ETA 2: Dennis R. Upkins, Jr. is also known as neo_prodigy on livejournal, and is known for wankiness already. (Link goes to unfunny_fandom.)

ETA 3: Someone on fail_fandomanon has pointed out that it is possible to get an Amazon-verified account with a phony name, although a "Rosalyn Torres" also left a positive rating on goodreads earlier this month (thanks for the link, sakanagi). Also, while the Amazon review is gone, but the account that posted it is still up, so you can see the real name verification for yourself.

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(Post a new comment)

	ridureyu 2011-08-31 05:26 am UTC (link)
	He, he just aspires to be like other famous authors - you know, Robert Stanek, who has written eighteen hundred books and been on every best-seller list, and is best friends with George R. R. Martin, and regularly has tea with J. R. R. Tolkien, who isn't really dead. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	grenadeofbees 2011-09-02 12:14 am UTC (link)
	The third result of Googling that name is a link entitled, "Robert Stanek shat directly into my soul." (Reply to this)(Parent)

sakanagi
2011-08-31 08:15 am UTC (link)

At Goodreads, some of the Amazon reviews have clearly been copypasted in, and there's an August 24 review from "Rosalyn Torres". Giving it 5 stars.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11587861-hollowstone

Quite amusing to see the person in the reviews who's tagged it as a book she'd rather eat her own vomit than read.

There's also a 5-star review there...from a Dennis R. Who is identified as the author of the book by the (Review from the author) in brackets next to it. He's also crossposted his blog to there, too. With comments left open this time, presumably because they couldn't be switched off.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	lainey 2011-08-31 12:25 pm UTC (link)
	Quite amusing to see the person in the reviews who's tagged it as a book she'd rather eat her own vomit than read. That amused me (perhaps) more than it should have! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	teaqueenie 2011-08-31 04:29 pm UTC (link)
	Hmmm, my white womynz tears are flowing- partly from laughing at this idiot's review fail and partly from crying over the painfully bad writing. And I'm lost as to why a gay man is laying down rules for his marriage to a woman. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	visp 2011-08-31 07:29 pm UTC (link)
	And I'm lost as to why a gay man is laying down rules for his marriage to a woman. Que? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	TW partner abuse emily_goddess 2011-08-31 11:04 pm UTC (link)
	He would force-feed his hypothetical wife contraceptives. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: TW partner abuse feenix 2011-09-01 01:26 am UTC (link)
	i what what the WHAT MAKES HIM THINK THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO SAY (Reply to this)(Parent)

	Re: TW partner abuse elektra3 2011-09-01 06:58 am UTC (link)
	Personally, I'm kind of stuck on the having-sex-at-least-three-times-a-day thing. Who has time for that? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: TW partner abuse ekaterinv 2011-09-01 10:59 am UTC (link)
	A person who will never know what it's like to have sex regularly, because he is a complete and utter douchecanoe. (Reply to this)(Parent)

Re: TW partner abuse -

enrythe8th, 2011-09-03 12:58 am UTC

	Re: TW partner abuse the_sun_is_up 2011-09-01 06:44 pm UTC (link)
	HAHAHA I love the bit where he's like "I'm rereading this and realizing that maybe this is why I'm still single." NO SHIT SHERLOCK (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: TW partner abuse -

mmanurere, 2011-09-02 07:42 am UTC

	Re: TW partner abuse ruslan 2011-09-02 09:22 am UTC (link)
	I think he's confusing heterosexual sex with that facehugger scene in Alien. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: TW partner abuse -

phosfate, 2011-09-02 03:19 pm UTC

	Re: TW partner abuse life_on_mars 2011-09-02 04:59 pm UTC (link)
	You know, I can think of at least one much more satisfying and very permanent way of making sure he never reproduces ... (Reply to this)(Parent)

	teaqueenie 2011-09-01 01:15 am UTC (link)
	IDK, I expect that a gay man would marry a man rather than a woman. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	visp 2011-09-01 05:33 am UTC (link)
	But why should he let something as silly as homosexuality stop him from ranting about how all those bitches are just crazy sperm-stealing layabouts? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	airawyn 2011-08-31 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	Wow, so Amazon's "real name" verification is totally useless. Good to know. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	jetamors 2011-09-01 03:18 am UTC (link)
	Though then again, there are other people saying that you have to make a purchase with that name to leave a review. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	anonyrat 2011-09-01 02:12 am UTC (link)
	You know, in most wanks, leaving a sockpuppet review is but one part of a greater whole. But here, a single sockpuppet review forms the entirety of a complete and beautiful wank post. I...I think I have something in my eye. Neo_Prodigy is truly the internet's Poet Laureate of epic failure. (Reply to this)

	neridne 2011-09-01 06:09 am UTC (link)
	Ask and ye shall receive. I was hoping to find out the author followed up his sockpuppetry of fail with more and now it's become a flailing train of half-assed sockpuppets. lolololol Am I a bad person to be happy to have gotten my wish? (Reply to this)

	ghostmaster 2011-09-01 07:59 pm UTC (link)
	Wait, so he was just being framed? I'm so confused. (Reply to this)(Thread)

agrias
2011-09-01 08:24 pm UTC (link)

He claims he's just being framed.

It's possible to fake an Amazon "real name", provided you've made a purchase on Amazon and have a real credit card. You just fill out the credit card under your false name, Amazon doesn't check.

So, hypothetically, someone with a grudge could make a fake "Dennis Upkins" real name badge, and create this sockpuppeted review in a cunning msscribe-esque maneuver.

The question is: which is more likely? That one of neo_prodigy's internet enemies was smart enough to make him look this stupid? Or that he is, in fact, this stupid?

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	jat_sapphire 2011-09-01 09:55 pm UTC (link)
	Especially since we already knew he was stupid. (Reply to this)(Parent)

chikane
2011-09-02 12:03 am UTC (link)

Nah, it's just slightly possible.

Just like it's technically possible that the "piano wire" comment was written by his nanny, and that all of his detractors are the same person.

Possible doesn't mean it's true or even likely. There's enough proof to show that he did it, since he used a sock with the same name to rate his own book highly on another site (without a "fake" review)

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	wallflower 2011-09-03 06:53 pm UTC (link)
	Apparently GoodReads has removed this review, because whenever I click on it, it says it doesn't exist. In the last day, the reviewer re-added it to her page under the same shelf, but no rating and no text this time. (Reply to this)

(Reply from suspended user)

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