Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 12:09:49 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
From: Candy Madigan <candymadigan at mindspring.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: reading likes and dislikes
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

At 11:54 AM 03/26/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Candy Madigan wrote:
> >
> > At 06:37 AM 03/26/2002 -0800, you wrote:
> > >I'm afraid I fall into Candy's camp where Bester is
> > >concerned.  I've enjoyed some of his short fiction,
> > >but The Stars My Destination really didn't do anything
> > >for me.  I think perhaps my expectations were too
> > >high, since everyone kept telling me what a
> > >masterpiece it was. don't think I hated it quite as
> > >much as Candy though.
> >
> > And actually, my dislike of TSMD grew gradually.  I actively disliked the
> > book the first time I read it, but it didn't stand out in my memory enough
> > for me to remember it the next time I read it, or the next time, or the
> > next time...  I finally memorized the author and title so as *not* to read
> > it again.  So I class it in the "never read" category and suspect that my
> > hatred for it would be less if I hadn't accidentally read it over and over
> > and over.
>
>Warning -- TSMD is easily the best thing that Bester did.  In
>particular, don't read "Golem<sup>100</sup>".  (Doncha just love authors
>who insist on funny typography?)
>
> > My tastes are rather plebian.  I also am easily upset by what I read, so
> > when I read something I want a happy ending.  And the middle better hadn't
> > be too scary or upsetting.
>
>I can deal with High Tragedy.  What I can't deal with are disposable
>characters.  Jack Chalker is especially bad with this.  Author
>introduces Neat Character, character interacts with Protagonist,
>character gets killed off.  Repeat as necessary.
>
>Any kind of deliberate cruelty is also a real turnoff.
>
>I suspect that the people who write this stuff (and possibly also the
>people who like it) have such a cheerful, bunnies- and- rainbows
>background that the dark stuff simply isn't real for them.  Same way
>Lovecraft doesn't bother me -- it's just not real enough to me.

Oh wow, that makes sense.  Things are too real for me.  That's the reason
that I would run out of the room when the headhunters came on Gilligan's
Island when I was a child.  Nearly 40 years later, they no longer scare me,
because they just plain aren't real.

I can't read anything that counts as horror.  That's one of the reason's
why I have always objected to the fact that for years SF and horror were
lumped together.  I'm much happier with SF and Fantasy being lumped together.

I love the Mercedes Lackey books with the elves in our world.

> > And we won't even get into the psychoanalyzing of the author that this
> invites.
>
>That Way Lies Madness.

;D

Candy