Kirkus, we hardly knew ye. Or did we know ye too well? I forget. I’m feeling strange.

So Kirkus is closing. Is this the regrettable end of a venerable literary institution–a guiding light–or is this another happy blow to an elitist, canonical institution that will place greater power in the hands of smaller review venues and make way for the continued democratization of the written word? Or is it both? Or neither? I’ve never really paid attention to Kirkus Reviews’s reviews. Were they on target? Did they bring attention to work deserving of more exposure? Was the editorial direction righteous? Does anybody care?