Quote:
Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy
This is what really bugs me.
I get so sick of "Dirk Pitt Syndrome", where the main character is a marine biologist/ex military/amateur archaeologist/linguist/computer hacker/mountaineer/pilot/hostage negotiator etc etc etc.
Although it can go the other way too, where the characters exhibit unbelievable skills for no real reason.
I've stopped reading books because despite the plot being very interesting and well flushed out, the main character suddenly displays incredible levels of marksmanship and Batman levels of calm under extreme pressure. Maybe a throwaway "Boy I'm glad Gramps taught me how to shoot the old .22" line and no one wonders why all of a sudden, the mild mannered vulcanologist can shoot like a JTF2 sniper.
(But then again, my favorite character is a magic wielding private eye wizard in Chicago, so I guess being relatable isn't as big as an issue as I first thought...)
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I've never read the Dresden Files, but my wife likes the series. I think there's a difference between accepting a premise - in this case that wizards exist - and accepting characters who don't act like humans. If wizards are humans, I expect the wizards to behave like humans. If we have aliens, I will accept them acting differently than humans - they ought to - but they ought to act plausibly, based on what has already established and upon reason. A Vulcan in a conga line at Carnivale isn't an impossibility, but requires some explanation. And a jetsetting realtor who is an expert in microbiology, an olympic fencer, archaeologist and steam fitter isn't any more plausible even if it is an alien.