Either Mason or someone on his team is a complete douchebag. I certainly don't need him to teach me to not give a fuck. I already know how to do that quite well on my own. :)
As an author myself, I often give away free copies of my books to encourage reviews, especially when the book is new. That is a common pre-release or shortly post-release technique in publishing. And, any review is generally considered a good review, whether it's good or bad, because both generate publicity, get people's eyes on the book, and increase the likelihood of sales.
Anyone who wouldn't want you reviewing your book is obviously a person who doesn't understand book marketing.
Thank you exactly. I know quite a few authors myself and none of them see reviews as a negative. It is all publicity. Further most of them understand that a review is a textbook example of fair use and cannot be shut down. Sadly the way DMCA is implemented online does not take account of that.