Are there trolls on the Goodreads website?

How authentic is the five star scoring system on the Goodreads website? A visit will show the majority of averaged scores sits at 4.5 stars across the board. Hardly convincing as a basis for judging a work.

At the same time there’s a surprisingly large number of one star scores registered on books on the site unsupported by a written review. Trolls appear to be having a field day, spending their time setting up the damning single star scores, evidently without reading the books. Many authors have complained. It’s like having unwanted and misleading graffiti on the thumbnails without a commentary.

Interestingly my ebook versions of The Glass Cenotaph (Now Bright Flame Dark Shadows) and Life & Times of Gerrit de Waal (Now The Kite Flyer) are among the victims. Both are scored at one star, without written justification and without any other score. So don’t be put off by the apparently inauthentic record. Read my work and judge for yourself.