McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Dresden vs everyone in the Genre
Lizard King:
I feel like my whole intitial point has been gradually skewed. I don't dislike female leads, or female authors. (I happen to love Patricia Cornwell and her character, Kay Scarpetta.)
What I hate is the SAMENESS of the genre as a whole. I want more characters like Jim's, whether it's male or female lead. What I want is a lead character with depth and, well, 3D, like Lightsabre said. For instance, if Murphy were the lead in DF, she would have to be balanced and fleshed out a LOT for me to follow it.
I want some UNIQUENESS in this genre. I'm being forced to search elsewhere to find it, and to wait like a twitching fiend for the next DF book. (if you like unique leads, try Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay. Insanely awesome book)
DragonFire:
--- Quote from: seradhe on October 21, 2007, 04:56:47 AM ---Are we discussing the gender of the author, or the gender of the authors creations? In books written in first person it's a real talent to avoid a gender Bias and write more than so many pages, eventually standard grammar or social practices will reveal it.
--- End quote ---
I was discussing author gender. Despite offending a few people (and finding novium's reply damn offensive), I stick to what I said.
Female authors, male or female lead characters, tend to emphasise romantic relationships and such, in their stories. That's fine. I LIKE The Otherworld series, I'm not so keen on Weather Warden, but that's me. I LOVED the first 9 LKH books, and I quite enjoy the Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison.
But I can look at all 4 of those series's, and find similarities in the content.
DOes this mean that female authors are WORSE?? Of course not. DOes it mean their work is different to male authors? Yes.
DOes it happen every time? no.
But look at Nightlife by Rob Thurman. I was confused when I read that, because it read, to me, like a female author, but I just assumed Rob was short for Robert. When I found out Rob Thurman was a woman, it made a lot more sense.
Does it mean it was an inferior book? no way in hell.
--- Quote from: seradhe on October 21, 2007, 04:56:47 AM ---I honestly can't think of the last book I've read where the characters gender became a non-point in light of the greater story, I don't think I ever consider the characters' gender to be an issue unless it's brought up within the book (IE the "tough female" character being picked on by a bunch of big macho-male types because they think of her as weak).
--- End quote ---
Character gender is irrelevant to a good plot, vital to good characterisation.
The only thing I'm sick of is there seems to always be the obligatory 'your a woman, you can't do what us men do'.....woman proves she can, scene.
It's really boring.
--- Quote from: seradhe on October 21, 2007, 04:56:47 AM ---
As for the authors gender... If I like the story they could be a eunich from Saturn for all I care.
--- End quote ---
I was never commenting men wrote BETTER books. I was telling Lizard king my opinion on what he was talking about.
Lizard King:
I appreciate the responses on this thread. I was not sure what kind of reaction it would get.
I have to agree with Lightsabre in what he's said regarding the way male and female authors approach their novels. It doesn't take away from their skill or talent. It all just depends on what the READER wants.
I'm going to say again, though, that what bugs me is how similar so many of the books in the genre are. I go from LKH to Armstrong, to Harrison, and I feel like I just flipped channels back and forth between soap operas.
And I don't happen to like soap operas.
Rook:
I think that's the reason why JB is really the only author of the genre that I'll spend money on without hesitation: i know I'll get something unique.
Who else but Dresden does things like send pizza to the middle of nowhere once a week as a retainer for faerie services? Or references Wile E. Coyote during a street fight?
I tried reading the Anita Blake novels, and just got bogged down feeling that I'd read it/seen it before ala Angel/Buffy. It's all about the same angsty, predictable bada**es doing the same sorts of things. Sexy vampires and detective agencies, yada yada. It's gotten to the point that, unless I get wind of something really original, I just don't bother.
Anybody else in that sort of rut?
DragonFire:
--- Quote from: Lizard King on October 22, 2007, 01:42:04 AM ---I appreciate the responses on this thread. I was not sure what kind of reaction it would get.
I have to agree with Lightsabre in what he's said regarding the way male and female authors approach their novels. It doesn't take away from their skill or talent. It all just depends on what the READER wants.
I'm going to say again, though, that what bugs me is how similar so many of the books in the genre are. I go from LKH to Armstrong, to Harrison, and I feel like I just flipped channels back and forth between soap operas.
And I don't happen to like soap operas.
--- End quote ---
I feel much the same way. Doesn't mean I don't like them, or that their skill is lower than any other author.
Simply that I'm not as into the things their books focus on.
Like poetry, an opinion on a novel is very personal.
As novium said in an apparent rebuttal to me, he/she didn't like Webmage, couldn't get into it. I damn near skipped work so I could finish it.
We;re all different. We like different things.
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