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View Poll Results: What genre do you like best? | |||
Romance | 19 | 22.89% | |
Fantasy | 37 | 44.58% | |
Science Fiction | 43 | 51.81% | |
Realistic Fiction | 15 | 18.07% | |
Horror/thriller | 12 | 14.46% | |
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 83. You may not vote on this poll |
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03-19-2013, 09:13 AM | #31 |
Surfin the alpha waves ~~
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All of the above: good plot, good characters, good writing, etc.
In mysteries (as opposed to "Thrillers," which I'm not especially fond of) I need to find hints to the resolution in the storyline, but if I can figure it out and the protagonist plods along without making progress, I lose interest. My education and former day job were science related, so if a SF author tries to justify a plot twist or development with meaningless jargon, I'm likely to move on to the next story. |
03-19-2013, 10:54 AM | #32 |
Philosopher
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I like a plot that catches my interest and makes me think. I've read someone Larry Niven's stories about transport booths, and it kept me thinking about what would be the impact of faster and cheaper transportation. Sure, maybe his transport booths aren't realistic, but you can use them to think about trends in transportation technology. It used to be that shipping goods across the world took months or even years. When people emmigrated, they very often said goodby to their family forever. Now, coming over for a visit is very possible.
I like believable characters - an "awesome" character isn't as interesting a character. Such as a character with 3 Ph.D's, 10th degree black belts in multiple styles, an ace pilot, international financier, famous inventor and 5-star chef. The character who can do everything is dull. |
03-19-2013, 11:21 AM | #33 |
Witcher
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I like fantasy best.
A good storytelling makes a good book for me. It basically comes down to how interesting and innovative story is and whether is makes me flip pages going: What happens next!!!!!! |
03-19-2013, 03:18 PM | #34 |
Wizard
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Strong characterization. I want to be able to believe that at least three characters in the book could be real people in the setting of the book and the main character should have at least one admirable quality and relate somewhat to others even if evil.
Generally I prefer a fair amount of dialogue as well and a plot that goes somewhere eventually . |
03-20-2013, 09:44 AM | #35 |
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There are 3 ingredients that make a good book : the story, the story and the story...
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03-20-2013, 01:11 PM | #36 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
I have other critereia for what makes a book worth reading, but those are unique to my requirements, and don't necessarily apply to a general statement. |
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03-20-2013, 01:28 PM | #37 |
Philosopher
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03-20-2013, 01:31 PM | #38 | |
Inharmonious
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Quote:
In order of importance, my requirements are: Good writing Well-constructed characters Good story As far as what makes a good story, I'm sure there are almost as many answers as there are readers. Last edited by Istvan diVega; 03-20-2013 at 01:34 PM. |
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03-20-2013, 02:27 PM | #39 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
Story is king. The good writing and the interesting characters serve the story. |
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03-20-2013, 02:57 PM | #40 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Carry on. |
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03-20-2013, 11:34 PM | #41 |
Plan B Is Now In Force
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I like urban fantasy - not the sword & dragon type of fantasy. It combines elements of fantasy, horror, romance and science fiction, so I didn't know how to classify it.
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03-21-2013, 08:55 AM | #42 | |
Inharmonious
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Quote:
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03-21-2013, 09:04 AM | #43 |
Inharmonious
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Nothing wrong with disagreement. Personally I'd be happy to read utter nonsense with no aim or direction, just as long as it was excellently written nonsense. Still, in my experience it's exceedingly rare to come across a writer who writes well, but can't do characters, stories or plots, so the question is mainly academic.
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03-21-2013, 09:11 AM | #44 |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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For me, a good book must be internally consistent. The story should be interesting and the writing should be appropriate to the story. Impossible or improbable devices or inventions should be kept to a minimum, and their presence taken into account in the story.
Most of all, I should enjoy reading it, and be concerned about the outcome. |
03-21-2013, 09:15 AM | #45 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
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book, good, reading |
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