To Pan or not to Pan?

The writing community is huge…and it’s also very small, so when reviewing a book do you go with honesty or cover your ass to avoid causing offence?

I dither over this issue and swing from self-loathing for being a mercenary coward to self-congratulation for being ‘nice’.

But being ‘nice’ doesn’t cut it for me, not at the expense of honesty and frankly the self-flagellation wasn’t much fun either.

So I’ve struck a deal with myself.  I’m backing honesty all the way—I’ve read too much crap recently to do otherwise.   But I’m going to stress that my view is but a ripple in a heaving sea, a single voice in a massed choir, a solitary grain of sand in a vast desert…and bloody well hope that gets me off the hook.

So what is your preferred approach? Want to join me on the dark side?