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» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » What makes good SF/F.

   
Author Topic: What makes good SF/F.
Primal Curve
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Plausible motives.
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Kama
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elves.
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blacwolve
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No cliches, or at least, clihes that don't feel clichish.
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Scott R
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The right oven temperature.
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Da_Goat
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Either excellent character development, or no character development. Anywhere in between is terrible.

[ January 01, 2004, 05:10 PM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]

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Princess Leah
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Really cool aliens.
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Lalo
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Gratuitous sex.
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Kama
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Alien and elven sex.
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:Locke
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A world that isn't ripped off from Tolkien or Star Wars/Star Trek. Something that hasn't been seen before.
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Tresopax
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The same thing that makes any fiction good - an interesting story, with characters I'd like to meet in real life and issues that matter to the me
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Eryn
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murders pyschos suspense and plenty of sex
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kwsni
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torture.

Ni!

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Starla*
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Voluptuous women warriors and scantily clad sorceresses...

BTW---I'm selling my entire Mercedes Lackey collection if anyone's interested. I only read one book, so all of them are brand spankin' new.

Aside from dust and 9 years worth of yellowing.

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JonnyNotSoBravo
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Michael Whelan book cover art...

No, not really but they are pretty to look at...

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ae
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The lack of the label "SF/F" on the cover.
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UofUlawguy
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Two things: an original and imaginative world-vision with lots and lots of depth, and good writing.
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Teshi
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Characters who are cool, human and balanced at the same time.
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Scott R
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I'm sticking with the right oven temperature.

[ January 03, 2004, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: Scott R ]

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WheatPuppet
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Good fantasy is made by low-magic settings. Good silly fantasy is made by an ultra-high-magic setting.

Good science fiction is either talking about how the technology works when it matters to talk about it, or to never talk about it at all and make the technology beleivable enough for readers to assume it works.

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Kama
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Alien and elven sex in the right oven temperature [Eek!]
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Princess Leah
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Scott R must like Ray Bradbury. [Smile]
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eslaine
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The same thing as in any good fiction:

Good characterazations, preferably ones that you can identify with.

A plot which engages your interest and is internally logical.

Vivid imagery, whether visual or other sensory.

A clever writer who is always a step ahead of you, instead of behind you.

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Dagonee
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The best way I ever saw of describing it: “Real toads in a made-up garden.” I can’t give it attribution because I heard it from my 12th grade English teacher about 15 years ago.

His other favorite saying is if you mention the shotgun on the wall when you describe the room, it better go off before the end of the story.

he was big on characterization and implicit promise.

Dagonee

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