MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > General Discussions
Reload this Page How Long Do You Think a Sci-fi Novel Should Be?

Notices

Reply
Page 3 of 3 12 3
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 08-04-2026, 12:43 PM   #31
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 84,436
Karma: 153744815
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
This is as silly a question as how long is a line?
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2026, 07:54 PM   #32
Apache
Readaholic
Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Apache ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Apache's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,360
Karma: 91300796
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: South Georgia
Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"
Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB View Post
Long enough to reach the ground was one reply to that question.
I think it would be the only one.
Apache
Apache is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 06:13 AM   #33
John F
Grand Sorcerer
John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 8,286
Karma: 72602129
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: Kobo Clara 2E
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apache View Post
I think it would be the only one.
Apache
Long enough to reach the top shelf in the grocery store.
John F is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 06:16 AM   #34
bluepeter
Addict
bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bluepeter ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 331
Karma: 1028630
Join Date: May 2024
Location: Salisbury, UK
Device: Assorted Kobo, Boox, PocketBook & Kindle readers
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apache View Post
Asking how long a book should be is like asking how long your legs should be.
Apache
Well, that's an easy one to answer: about six inches (or fifteen centimentres, if you prefer) longer than they are.
bluepeter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 08:23 AM   #35
Dr. Drib
Grand Sorcerer
Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Dr. Drib's Avatar
 
Posts: 46,190
Karma: 61420397
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Peru
Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluepeter View Post
Well, that's an easy one to answer: about six inches (or fifteen centimentres, if you prefer) longer than they are.
Well, certainly longer than the (false) 12" Subway!
Dr. Drib is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 08:49 AM   #36
Pajamaman
Wizard
Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pajamaman ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Pajamaman's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,905
Karma: 10700629
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Canada
Device: Onyx Nova
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
This is as silly a question as how long is a line?
A more interesting question is: How long is a line that is easy for a reader to digest?

A single line can be too long. Some authors can write a very long line and it remains readable, but it is quite hard to do, and some authors are particularly good at it. Like Banks, for example. But most authors are generally good at writing medium length sentences.

So I argue the same is true of SF books. There is a generally optimum length for a book with a tight narrative. In this context, "tight narrative" parallels a sentence that is easy to digest. Long books, like long sentences, are harder to pull off, without becoming a meandering sprawl.

Of course, some readers enjoy a meandering sprawl, myself included at times. But I am speaking _generally_.
Pajamaman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 12:22 PM   #37
arjaybe
Wizard
arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.arjaybe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
arjaybe's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,078
Karma: 12500000
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Okanagan
Device: Sony PRS-650, Kobo Clara
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Drib View Post
Well, certainly longer than the (false) 12" Subway!
I saw foot-longs advertised at 25% off, making them 9 inches.
arjaybe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 04:57 PM   #38
Quoth
Still reading
Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Quoth ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Quoth's Avatar
 
Posts: 15,615
Karma: 114630515
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Ireland
Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Drib View Post
Well, certainly longer than the (false) 12" Subway!
Subway rolls (subs) don't qualify as bread in Ireland as the sugar content is too high. You get far better "made while you wait" filled bread rolls in many convenience / mini-supermarkets in Ireland.
Quoth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 05:12 PM   #39
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 84,436
Karma: 153744815
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
In the US, we have a competitor to subway call D'Angelo's. You get nicer bread, and the subs are made for you a lot more fresh then sitting in a tray getting stale.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 06:03 PM   #40
Sirtel
Grand Sorcerer
Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sirtel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Sirtel's Avatar
 
Posts: 15,542
Karma: 248046501
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Estonia
Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2
"Bread" is black or dark brown, made from rye. White bread is not bread where I live, it has a separate word for it.
Sirtel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2026, 08:49 PM   #41
Dr. Drib
Grand Sorcerer
Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Dr. Drib ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Dr. Drib's Avatar
 
Posts: 46,190
Karma: 61420397
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Peru
Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjaybe View Post
I saw foot-longs advertised at 25% off, making them 9 inches.
Dr. Drib is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 3 of 3 12 3

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Calibre truncates long names on Win10 with long paths enabled. maximx86 Calibre 47 07-13-2025 07:10 AM
Free (DRM-free) Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett [Vintage Sci-Fi Post-Apocalypse COA] ATDrake Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 11 04-04-2016 04:24 AM
Western Brand, Max: The Long, Long Trail. v1. 14 Jan 2013 crutledge Kindle Books 0 01-14-2013 04:38 AM
Western Brand, Max: The Long, Long Trail. v1. 14 Jan 2013 crutledge ePub Books 0 01-14-2013 04:37 AM
Calibre taking a long, long time to update metadata on sony prs650 hydin Calibre 5 06-05-2012 12:21 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:42 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.