system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Reviewing a bad book (Humanities)

Has anyone got any pointers for writing a bad book review? 

My honest opinion on the book I've got to review is that the research is dated, poorly argued, misses several key areas and is full of theoretical flaws (anachronisms, misundertanding of manuscript traditions, use of old transations etc). The book is also extremely poorly edited: its full of typos, a chapter is misnumbered and a chapter may possibly be missing all together (its hard to tell as the signposts between chapters are quite poor). 

I'd really rather not do it but thats not really an option. I've written the review as objectively as possible but its still nothing like any academic book review I've read - does anybody have any pointers for writing an honest and objective review that won't be a hatchet job?
gpt
Are you doing this review for the publisher, reviewing a manuscript that might get published, or are you reviewing (in an article to be published in a journal) a book that has already been published?

If it's the former, then have at it. The publisher needs to know whether or not to publish, and your responses can help the writer(s) strengthen the manuscript to resend out for review.

If it's the latter... Sigh. You might then try to figure out how your review can be most useful to the readers of the journal in which the review will go, since -- in this case -- they are your audience now, not the publisher or the writer(s). It sounds then as though you could use the review to ask questions about how this book ever made it through the peer review process and to emphasize the importance of chapter functions, etc., while also pointing to how the manuscript itself falls short.

You could also perhaps use this as an opportunity to write about research in the same area that does to what it should, in order to have that be the positive side of your writing, so that what you write isn't completely negative.

But please do let *your* readers know why you think this book is not worth their time; that's the whole point of doing what you are doing and your work helps us all strive toward more integrity. It sucks when you can't do a positive review, but sometimes....