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. :>

[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.