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Steven Lyle Jordan · 10-09-2006, 03:47 PM

Yes, Virginia, books CAN be too long.

I've read a few books in the last few years that I honestly felt were padded with a lot of unneccessary character material that did not advance the story, nor make the characters or action more interesting or understandable. For this reason, I never finished Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series (got through Red Mars, skimmed Green Mars, lost interest 100 pages into Blue Mars. Sorry, Kim.), and I have a few other books that, once I finished, could barely remember what-all I'd read.

Obviously, you want detail, you want character development, you want background, you don't want any holes. But there is such a thing as too much exposition, too many character details or historical anecdotes, that do not advance the story. I may enjoy a Star Trek novel about Picard battling a Norsican, but I don't need to be interrupted by a half-chapter on how he first learned to pick out his favorite saddle and take care of it with Sythian leather balm.

Unless, of course, the balm reacts unfavorably with the Norsican's skin when Picard drops the saddle on his head...

Novels don't have to be long to be good. Brevity and concise writing can be as entertaining as exposition.

10-09-2006, 03:47 PM	#6
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Yes, Virginia, books CAN be too long. I've read a few books in the last few years that I honestly felt were padded with a lot of unneccessary character material that did not advance the story, nor make the characters or action more interesting or understandable. For this reason, I never finished Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series (got through Red Mars, skimmed Green Mars, lost interest 100 pages into Blue Mars. Sorry, Kim.), and I have a few other books that, once I finished, could barely remember what-all I'd read. Obviously, you want detail, you want character development, you want background, you don't want any holes. But there is such a thing as too much exposition, too many character details or historical anecdotes, that do not advance the story. I may enjoy a Star Trek novel about Picard battling a Norsican, but I don't need to be interrupted by a half-chapter on how he first learned to pick out his favorite saddle and take care of it with Sythian leather balm. Unless, of course, the balm reacts unfavorably with the Norsican's skin when Picard drops the saddle on his head... Novels don't have to be long to be good. Brevity and concise writing can be as entertaining as exposition. Last edited by Steven Lyle Jordan; 10-09-2006 at 03:55 PM.