Eight deadly words

[jhetley]

"I don't care what happens to these people."

Just dumped a book unfinished, from an author* I've liked before. I got about fifty pages into it, muttered the above to myself, and put it down.

Characters are important, folks.

I don't have to _like_ the characters -- my form of "caring" in the above may involve suggesting eternal torment in the fires of a hypothetical hell, but blah just won't work. No level of gee-whiz skiffy or swords-and-sorcery will carry a whole novel without characters that give me some kind of connection.

*To remain anonymous. Author's sales-figures remain _much_ higher than mine.

Comments

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

You'll undoubtedly be pleased to know that one of my very favorite things about DRAGON'S TEETH, then, is Jane White, a character I quickly grew to care about. I just sent the review off to Green Man Review for their use. But for what it's worth, you definitely win in the "Make people care about the characters" angle. :>

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked her. She sorta slinked into the tale unannounced and took over her own space.

[wolfette]

That was my exact opinion on "Bridget Jones Diary" - the book hit the bin so fast, I haven't ever even tried to see the movies.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Yes, very much so. This is why I don't read the Cat Who books, despite their overwhelming popularity -- they don't have characters, they have quirks with legs, and I lost interest very quickly.

Contrarily, I'll forgive a story a lot of flaws if it has characters who engage my interest. Much of Mercedes Lackey falls into this category.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I've tried a couple of the "Cat Who..." books -- research on books that sell, just as I've read some Anne Rice and Stephen King. As you say, they don't have characters. They also seem, on my limited sample, very spotty. Gaps in research, where even a minimal background causes me to go "Huh?" on things. Like a steam locomotive that features as a central plot element, but isn't described in essential terms that you could pick out of easy research. Or talking about hitting somebody with a welding rod. _Stabbing_, maybe, but I've never seen a welding rod that would serve as a decent blunt instrument...

De gustibus non disputandum.