P.C. Parn's Blog, page 2
January 24, 2013
13 Books for 2013
So, I meant to finish 2012 with a blog of my 12 favorite books from the year, but as it turned out, I was working A LOT, so now that I’ve got a few moments of free time, I thought I’d do a blog of books you may want to consider picking up in 2013. Some of these books I’ve already blogged about, so if you happened to be on of the few people who read my last blog, just skip around until you find a book I haven’t already talked about. I’ll organize the books by genre, starting with my favorite section, science fiction.
(Also, these books are not in a ranked order, unless I specify.)
SCIENCE FICTION
1.) THE FOREVER WAR BY JOE HALDEMAN
This book is not funny, and it’s a pretty obvious protest to war (the Vietnam war in particular). Haldeman also has, what I can only describe as, a uniquely controversial outlook on homosexuality (no matter what you think of homosexuality you aren't thinking the same thing as Haldeman). With all this said, however, if you like science fiction, and I mean the nitty gritty theoretics of science fiction, you are going to dig this book. My favorite part of this book is most certainly the time dilation.
2.) WOOL OMNIBUS BY HUGH HOWEY
Self published by Howey, this Omnibus consists of 5 individual novellas. According to my Kindle, the entire Omnibus is over 500 pages, and according to my terrible sleep schedule, I read the entire thing in two days. Set in the future, the Wool Omnibus follows a society of people who live in a giant fallout silo. The people of the silo live and die within its walls, except for the few who are turned outside as punishment. Meticulously written and edited, Wool is easily my favorite sci-fi I read in 2012. If you like science fiction, READ THIS. If you don't like science fiction, THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU SEE THE LIGHT.
3.) ENDER’S GAME BY ORSON SCOTT CARD
A classic among classics, Ender’s Game is a must read for anyone remotely interested in science fiction. In a time when Earth is at war with strange bug-like aliens, the brightest of children are trained at what is known as ‘Battle School’ in order to be top tier fleet commanders. If you play/played video games, this book will speak to you. The children at Battle School are trained through a variety of computer and physical games, reminiscent to many strategic board and computer games. If you are like me, however, and don’t play video games, read this book anyway. The ending is amazing.
4.) DIES THE FIRE BY S.M. STIRLING
Life as we know it ends in Stirling’s Dies the Fire. Something disables all modern technology from guns to electricity, and Earth is plunged into the dark ages. From this madness arise three significant groups on which Dies the Fire focuses, the Bear Killers, Clan Mackenzie, and the Protector’s soldiers. The Protector and his guys are bad (warning, there is some violence against women in this book, committed by the Protector and his followers) while the Bear Killers and Clan Mackenzie focus on staying alive and returning to some semblance of normal life. If you like survival stories, westerns, actions, post-apocalyptic tales, and technology pre-dating the Industrial Revolution, you need to read this book.
COMEDIES
5.) SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER
So, maybe you aren’t into time dilation, dystopias, space travel, or the dark ages, but you do like a good fantastical tale. That’s cool. Perhaps you’ll dig what Wikipedia calls a steampunk paranormal romance? If you like smart and funny female characters and shirtless men who cannot die, you will like this book. Let me rephrase that. If you like corsets, cogs, and you are a woman, you will like this book.
6.) BOSSYPANTS BY TINA FEY
Do you like to laugh? ->Yes ->Read this book
Do you like to laugh? ->No -> Read this book. You need it more than the rest of us.
(I highly recommend the audio version of this book, as it is awesome.)
LITERARY FICTION
7.) CITY OF THIEVES BY DAVID BENIOFF
This is the story of two boys, one in his late teens and one in his early twenties, who are stuck in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II. I have no idea how Benioff pulled this book off. The subject matter is terrible, and by that I mean the siege of Leningrad was no picnic, and yet somehow Benioff manages to paint atrocious acts of humanity in a hopeful and really funny light. This is a quick read, despite the heavy subject matter. City of Thieves is easily the best of literary fiction books I read in 2012.
8.) SHUTTER ISLAND BY DENIS LEHANE
I saw the movie but still couldn’t read this book in bed at night. Fast paced and just creepy enough, Lehane brings his readers on a rollercoaster of a ride. Set in the 50’s at a ‘progressive’ psychiatric care center off the coast of Boston, Shutter Island follows U.S. Marshall ‘Teddy’ Daniels and his partner as they search for a missing female patient. What the reader soon discovers, however, is that not everything is how it seems on Shutter Island. Almost identical to the movie in terms of plot, Shutter Island is a quick and thrilling read.
9.) ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT BY ERICH MARIA REMARQUE
I know what you are thinking, I read that book in high school and it sucked. I invite you to re-read it and look at with a little more perspective. I’ve been hearing a lot of arguments lately that PTSD is only an affliction of ‘modern’ war. All Quiet on the Western Front is all about PTSD, although it wasn’t called that during WWI. Concise and powerful, All Quiet on the Western Front is an important read that reminds us that all war is terrible, no matter how ‘modern’ the war. I’ve yet to read a stronger argument for peace than Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front.
10.) THE WINTER QUEEN BY BORIS AKUNIN
Set in the 1870’s in Russia, The Winter Queen is a mystery novel. While I am not normally a mystery fan, I greatly enjoyed Akunin’s work. Why you ask? Well, mostly because Akunin did his research, and I learned quite a lot from his book. For example, did you know that in the 1870’s it was hip in Russia to spice up one’s sentences with a smattering of French words? I didn’t, at least not until I read The Winter Queen. A fast and fun read, while reading The Winter Queen, one will discover not only who did it, but also learn about 1870’s Russian fashion at the same time. Who could ask for more?
Non-Fiction
11.) THE BOTANY OF DESIRE BY MICHAEL POLLAN
I have a weakness for botany related non-fiction. With that said, The Botany of Desire is an awesome book. Pollan traces the histories of four plants – the potato, the apple, the tulip, and marijuana – from the earliest known human domestication to modern day use. Pollan demonstrates how human cultivation of said plants helped them not only survive, but thrive which lead them to become some of the most highly successful crops all across the globe. A very interesting and informative read.
12.) THE PERFECT STORM: A TRUE STORY OF MEN AGAINST THE SEA BY SEBASTION JUNGER
This book reads like a Hollywood summer blockbuster, except it is a true story. By far one of the best non-fiction man vs. nature stories I’ve ever read, I now compare all survival and man vs. nature stories I read to Junger’s The Perfect Storm. Well researched and creative without taking liberties (i.e. none of the dialogue is in quotes unless it is a documented quote), the reader actually feels like they are there in the Atlantic during the Halloween Gale of 1991. The Perfect Storm is the best non-fiction book I read during 2012.
13.) THE HUNGRY OCEAN: A SWORDBOAT CAPTAIN’S JOURNEY BY LINDA GREENLAW
Written by the only known female swordboat captain, The Hungry Ocean sheds light on what it means to go out on a 30-day swordfishing trip in the Outer Banks off the eastern coasts of the USA and Canada. Mentioned multiple times in Junger’s the Perfect Storm, Greenlaw was the captain of the sister ship to the Andrea Gail (the ship lost in the Perfect Storm) during the Halloween Gale of 1991. After Junger’s The Perfect Storm came out Junger’s readers wanted to know more about the lone female swordboat captain, prompting Greenlaw to write her own book. Written without a flare for the dramatic, Greenlaw takes the readers through one of her 30 day fishing trips, touching on everything required to make the trip happen, from stocking food to dealing with crew disputes. An informative and interesting read.
(Also, these books are not in a ranked order, unless I specify.)
SCIENCE FICTION
1.) THE FOREVER WAR BY JOE HALDEMAN
This book is not funny, and it’s a pretty obvious protest to war (the Vietnam war in particular). Haldeman also has, what I can only describe as, a uniquely controversial outlook on homosexuality (no matter what you think of homosexuality you aren't thinking the same thing as Haldeman). With all this said, however, if you like science fiction, and I mean the nitty gritty theoretics of science fiction, you are going to dig this book. My favorite part of this book is most certainly the time dilation.
2.) WOOL OMNIBUS BY HUGH HOWEY
Self published by Howey, this Omnibus consists of 5 individual novellas. According to my Kindle, the entire Omnibus is over 500 pages, and according to my terrible sleep schedule, I read the entire thing in two days. Set in the future, the Wool Omnibus follows a society of people who live in a giant fallout silo. The people of the silo live and die within its walls, except for the few who are turned outside as punishment. Meticulously written and edited, Wool is easily my favorite sci-fi I read in 2012. If you like science fiction, READ THIS. If you don't like science fiction, THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU SEE THE LIGHT.
3.) ENDER’S GAME BY ORSON SCOTT CARD
A classic among classics, Ender’s Game is a must read for anyone remotely interested in science fiction. In a time when Earth is at war with strange bug-like aliens, the brightest of children are trained at what is known as ‘Battle School’ in order to be top tier fleet commanders. If you play/played video games, this book will speak to you. The children at Battle School are trained through a variety of computer and physical games, reminiscent to many strategic board and computer games. If you are like me, however, and don’t play video games, read this book anyway. The ending is amazing.
4.) DIES THE FIRE BY S.M. STIRLING
Life as we know it ends in Stirling’s Dies the Fire. Something disables all modern technology from guns to electricity, and Earth is plunged into the dark ages. From this madness arise three significant groups on which Dies the Fire focuses, the Bear Killers, Clan Mackenzie, and the Protector’s soldiers. The Protector and his guys are bad (warning, there is some violence against women in this book, committed by the Protector and his followers) while the Bear Killers and Clan Mackenzie focus on staying alive and returning to some semblance of normal life. If you like survival stories, westerns, actions, post-apocalyptic tales, and technology pre-dating the Industrial Revolution, you need to read this book.
COMEDIES
5.) SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER
So, maybe you aren’t into time dilation, dystopias, space travel, or the dark ages, but you do like a good fantastical tale. That’s cool. Perhaps you’ll dig what Wikipedia calls a steampunk paranormal romance? If you like smart and funny female characters and shirtless men who cannot die, you will like this book. Let me rephrase that. If you like corsets, cogs, and you are a woman, you will like this book.
6.) BOSSYPANTS BY TINA FEY
Do you like to laugh? ->Yes ->Read this book
Do you like to laugh? ->No -> Read this book. You need it more than the rest of us.
(I highly recommend the audio version of this book, as it is awesome.)
LITERARY FICTION
7.) CITY OF THIEVES BY DAVID BENIOFF
This is the story of two boys, one in his late teens and one in his early twenties, who are stuck in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II. I have no idea how Benioff pulled this book off. The subject matter is terrible, and by that I mean the siege of Leningrad was no picnic, and yet somehow Benioff manages to paint atrocious acts of humanity in a hopeful and really funny light. This is a quick read, despite the heavy subject matter. City of Thieves is easily the best of literary fiction books I read in 2012.
8.) SHUTTER ISLAND BY DENIS LEHANE
I saw the movie but still couldn’t read this book in bed at night. Fast paced and just creepy enough, Lehane brings his readers on a rollercoaster of a ride. Set in the 50’s at a ‘progressive’ psychiatric care center off the coast of Boston, Shutter Island follows U.S. Marshall ‘Teddy’ Daniels and his partner as they search for a missing female patient. What the reader soon discovers, however, is that not everything is how it seems on Shutter Island. Almost identical to the movie in terms of plot, Shutter Island is a quick and thrilling read.
9.) ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT BY ERICH MARIA REMARQUE
I know what you are thinking, I read that book in high school and it sucked. I invite you to re-read it and look at with a little more perspective. I’ve been hearing a lot of arguments lately that PTSD is only an affliction of ‘modern’ war. All Quiet on the Western Front is all about PTSD, although it wasn’t called that during WWI. Concise and powerful, All Quiet on the Western Front is an important read that reminds us that all war is terrible, no matter how ‘modern’ the war. I’ve yet to read a stronger argument for peace than Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front.
10.) THE WINTER QUEEN BY BORIS AKUNIN
Set in the 1870’s in Russia, The Winter Queen is a mystery novel. While I am not normally a mystery fan, I greatly enjoyed Akunin’s work. Why you ask? Well, mostly because Akunin did his research, and I learned quite a lot from his book. For example, did you know that in the 1870’s it was hip in Russia to spice up one’s sentences with a smattering of French words? I didn’t, at least not until I read The Winter Queen. A fast and fun read, while reading The Winter Queen, one will discover not only who did it, but also learn about 1870’s Russian fashion at the same time. Who could ask for more?
Non-Fiction
11.) THE BOTANY OF DESIRE BY MICHAEL POLLAN
I have a weakness for botany related non-fiction. With that said, The Botany of Desire is an awesome book. Pollan traces the histories of four plants – the potato, the apple, the tulip, and marijuana – from the earliest known human domestication to modern day use. Pollan demonstrates how human cultivation of said plants helped them not only survive, but thrive which lead them to become some of the most highly successful crops all across the globe. A very interesting and informative read.
12.) THE PERFECT STORM: A TRUE STORY OF MEN AGAINST THE SEA BY SEBASTION JUNGER
This book reads like a Hollywood summer blockbuster, except it is a true story. By far one of the best non-fiction man vs. nature stories I’ve ever read, I now compare all survival and man vs. nature stories I read to Junger’s The Perfect Storm. Well researched and creative without taking liberties (i.e. none of the dialogue is in quotes unless it is a documented quote), the reader actually feels like they are there in the Atlantic during the Halloween Gale of 1991. The Perfect Storm is the best non-fiction book I read during 2012.
13.) THE HUNGRY OCEAN: A SWORDBOAT CAPTAIN’S JOURNEY BY LINDA GREENLAW
Written by the only known female swordboat captain, The Hungry Ocean sheds light on what it means to go out on a 30-day swordfishing trip in the Outer Banks off the eastern coasts of the USA and Canada. Mentioned multiple times in Junger’s the Perfect Storm, Greenlaw was the captain of the sister ship to the Andrea Gail (the ship lost in the Perfect Storm) during the Halloween Gale of 1991. After Junger’s The Perfect Storm came out Junger’s readers wanted to know more about the lone female swordboat captain, prompting Greenlaw to write her own book. Written without a flare for the dramatic, Greenlaw takes the readers through one of her 30 day fishing trips, touching on everything required to make the trip happen, from stocking food to dealing with crew disputes. An informative and interesting read.
August 13, 2012
8 Books in 8 Months
It's August. The eighth month of the year. I thought I would share with you my eight favorite books I've read this year. Here they are, in no particular order, unless I say so:
1.) WOOL OMNIBUS BY HUGH HOWEY
First of all, I would like to say that Wool is at the number one spot because it is awesome. Self published by Howey, this Omnibus consists of 5 individual novellas. According to my Kindle, the entire Omnibus is over 500 pages, and according to my terrible sleep schedule, I read the entire thing in two days. If you like science fiction, READ THIS. If you don't like science fiction, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? READ THIS.
2.) CITY OF THIEVES BY DAVID BENIOFF
This book is in the number two spot because it is also awesome, but in a completely different way than Wool. This is the story of two boys, one in his late teens and one in his early twenties, who are stuck in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II. I have no idea how Benioff pulled this book off. The subject matter is terrible, and by that I mean the siege of Leningrad was no picnic, and yet somehow Benioff manages to paint atrocious acts of humanity in a hopeful and really funny light. This is a quick read, despite the heavy subject matter.
3.) BOSSYPANTS BY TINA FEY
Do you like to laugh? ->Yes ->Read this book
Do you like to laugh? ->No -> Read this book. You need it more than the rest of us.
4.)THE PRINCESS BRIDE BY WILLIAM GOLDMAN
You've no doubt see the movie, right? Well, the book is funnier because Goldman wrote the movie and just used the book's dialogue in the movie verbatim. I say the book is better because there is more funny dialogue in the book than in the movie, which makes sense because in order to condense the book into a 98 minute movie, and still have time for awesome swashbuckling and storming the castle scenes, some dialogue had to get cut.
5.) THE FOREVER WAR BY JOE HALDEMAN
This book is not funny, and its a pretty obvious protest to war (the Vietnam war in particular). Haldeman also has, what I can only describe as, a uniquely controversial outlook on homosexuality (no matter what you think of homosexuality you aren't thinking the same thing as Haldeman). With all this said, however, if you like science fiction, and I mean the nitty gritty theoretics of science fiction, you are going to dig this book. My favorite part of this book is most certainly the time dilation. With those four sentences I know people reading this have either skipped to point six or are googling The Forever War now.
6.) SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER
So, I see you've skipped point 5 and have moved on to what Wikipedia calls the steampunk paranormal romance. Good job. If you like smart, and funny female characters, and shirtless men who cannot die, you will like this book. Let me rephrase that. If you like corsets, cogs, and you are a woman, you will like this book.
7.) HIS DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY (the Golden Compass books) BY PHILIP PULLMAN
Yes, these books are YA, but Pullman is a master at existential fantasy. Pullman does a phenomenal job of combining heavy hitting questions (what is a soul? What is original sin?) with vivid descriptions of sweeping landscapes and of course, armored bears and river boats. What more could you ask for? Oh, you want armored bears, river boats, and Texans in hot air balloons? DONE.
8.) FAREWELL TO ARMS BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Don't roll your eyes at the modern classics. Hemingway is the master of concise prose. Every word has the same importance as every other word. That cannot be said about most writing (this blog included, as obviously the words cogs and armored bears have far more importance than whatever I am typing right now). If you want to read extremely well written prose, read some Hemingway. It's quick and powerful.
So, there they are, 8 books for 8 months.
1.) WOOL OMNIBUS BY HUGH HOWEY
First of all, I would like to say that Wool is at the number one spot because it is awesome. Self published by Howey, this Omnibus consists of 5 individual novellas. According to my Kindle, the entire Omnibus is over 500 pages, and according to my terrible sleep schedule, I read the entire thing in two days. If you like science fiction, READ THIS. If you don't like science fiction, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? READ THIS.
2.) CITY OF THIEVES BY DAVID BENIOFF
This book is in the number two spot because it is also awesome, but in a completely different way than Wool. This is the story of two boys, one in his late teens and one in his early twenties, who are stuck in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II. I have no idea how Benioff pulled this book off. The subject matter is terrible, and by that I mean the siege of Leningrad was no picnic, and yet somehow Benioff manages to paint atrocious acts of humanity in a hopeful and really funny light. This is a quick read, despite the heavy subject matter.
3.) BOSSYPANTS BY TINA FEY
Do you like to laugh? ->Yes ->Read this book
Do you like to laugh? ->No -> Read this book. You need it more than the rest of us.
4.)THE PRINCESS BRIDE BY WILLIAM GOLDMAN
You've no doubt see the movie, right? Well, the book is funnier because Goldman wrote the movie and just used the book's dialogue in the movie verbatim. I say the book is better because there is more funny dialogue in the book than in the movie, which makes sense because in order to condense the book into a 98 minute movie, and still have time for awesome swashbuckling and storming the castle scenes, some dialogue had to get cut.
5.) THE FOREVER WAR BY JOE HALDEMAN
This book is not funny, and its a pretty obvious protest to war (the Vietnam war in particular). Haldeman also has, what I can only describe as, a uniquely controversial outlook on homosexuality (no matter what you think of homosexuality you aren't thinking the same thing as Haldeman). With all this said, however, if you like science fiction, and I mean the nitty gritty theoretics of science fiction, you are going to dig this book. My favorite part of this book is most certainly the time dilation. With those four sentences I know people reading this have either skipped to point six or are googling The Forever War now.
6.) SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER
So, I see you've skipped point 5 and have moved on to what Wikipedia calls the steampunk paranormal romance. Good job. If you like smart, and funny female characters, and shirtless men who cannot die, you will like this book. Let me rephrase that. If you like corsets, cogs, and you are a woman, you will like this book.
7.) HIS DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY (the Golden Compass books) BY PHILIP PULLMAN
Yes, these books are YA, but Pullman is a master at existential fantasy. Pullman does a phenomenal job of combining heavy hitting questions (what is a soul? What is original sin?) with vivid descriptions of sweeping landscapes and of course, armored bears and river boats. What more could you ask for? Oh, you want armored bears, river boats, and Texans in hot air balloons? DONE.
8.) FAREWELL TO ARMS BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Don't roll your eyes at the modern classics. Hemingway is the master of concise prose. Every word has the same importance as every other word. That cannot be said about most writing (this blog included, as obviously the words cogs and armored bears have far more importance than whatever I am typing right now). If you want to read extremely well written prose, read some Hemingway. It's quick and powerful.
So, there they are, 8 books for 8 months.
May 24, 2012
Characters You Love to Hate
While listening to Q & A by Vikas Swarup, the book that the movie Slumdog Millionaire is based on, several thoughts occurred to me. The first thought was, I don’t like the book Q & A. I dislike the writing, and most of the plot points I find clichéd. My second thought was, despite the fact that I dislike this book, I am a fan of Swarup's character Neelima Kumari, the aging Bollywood actress. I like Neelima Kumari because I hate her. I hate her because her character is consistent, not because her character is badly written. She is a self-obsessed, spoiled actress who jumps off of the page at me. Everything she does goes against what I believe and that makes her come alive.
Consistency is what makes a strong character. All too often I find myself reading about characters or watching characters who don’t make decisions that fit who they are supposed to be. Next time you read a book or watch a movie or TV show, think about what the character’s motivations are. Maybe a character only wants to get home. If the whole book is about the main character trying to get home, and suddenly she abandons her desire to get home for little to no reason, that character is not consistent, and therefore not very strong.
This is why I think I find myself partial to bad or evil characters. I have noticed that most often the most despicable characters are the strongest characters. (Characters with questionable moral compasses are often the easiest to write.) The characters we love to hate are the best. Take Scorpius (played by Wayne Pyram) from Farscape, an Australian-American science fiction TV show from the early 2000’s. Scorpius is a very bad dude. Just look at his picture. He looks like a skeleton wearing a rubber ninja mask. Scary. Even though he is the bad guy on the show, he is one of the most consistent characters on the show. He is always showing up when you don’t want him to (and in some cases when you want him to) and he is very powerful. He wants to capture the main character Crichton and essentially destroy him to get the knowledge in his brain. Scorpius will do ANYTHING to achieve his goal, and he never waivers. The audience can always count of Scorpius doing what it takes to ruin Crichton. Crichton on the other hand, the hero of the show is inconsistent. Crichton waffles in his actions and motivations. I never know what he will do, not because his character is supposed to be unpredictable, but rather because his character is poorly written. He is inconsistent.
I find, good characters are often the most inconsistent characters. I think this is because often the person writing or playing the character often doesn’t see the need to develop a good character as much as a bad character. Going back to Farscape, often other characters will tell Crichton how good of a guy he is, but he never shows it to the audience. Crichton is a weak and inconsistent character because the audience has to rely on other characters stating he is an upstanding guy, rather than learning it for themselves through Crichton’s actions. With Scorpius, however, the audience learns he is a bad guy because they see what he is capable of.
For me, the mark of truly good character development is when not only are the bad characters consistent but so are the good characters. When I like the good and bad characters almost equally (because let’s be honest, sometimes the bad characters are just more fun to like) I know I have found a good book or film.
Consistency is what makes a strong character. All too often I find myself reading about characters or watching characters who don’t make decisions that fit who they are supposed to be. Next time you read a book or watch a movie or TV show, think about what the character’s motivations are. Maybe a character only wants to get home. If the whole book is about the main character trying to get home, and suddenly she abandons her desire to get home for little to no reason, that character is not consistent, and therefore not very strong.
This is why I think I find myself partial to bad or evil characters. I have noticed that most often the most despicable characters are the strongest characters. (Characters with questionable moral compasses are often the easiest to write.) The characters we love to hate are the best. Take Scorpius (played by Wayne Pyram) from Farscape, an Australian-American science fiction TV show from the early 2000’s. Scorpius is a very bad dude. Just look at his picture. He looks like a skeleton wearing a rubber ninja mask. Scary. Even though he is the bad guy on the show, he is one of the most consistent characters on the show. He is always showing up when you don’t want him to (and in some cases when you want him to) and he is very powerful. He wants to capture the main character Crichton and essentially destroy him to get the knowledge in his brain. Scorpius will do ANYTHING to achieve his goal, and he never waivers. The audience can always count of Scorpius doing what it takes to ruin Crichton. Crichton on the other hand, the hero of the show is inconsistent. Crichton waffles in his actions and motivations. I never know what he will do, not because his character is supposed to be unpredictable, but rather because his character is poorly written. He is inconsistent.
I find, good characters are often the most inconsistent characters. I think this is because often the person writing or playing the character often doesn’t see the need to develop a good character as much as a bad character. Going back to Farscape, often other characters will tell Crichton how good of a guy he is, but he never shows it to the audience. Crichton is a weak and inconsistent character because the audience has to rely on other characters stating he is an upstanding guy, rather than learning it for themselves through Crichton’s actions. With Scorpius, however, the audience learns he is a bad guy because they see what he is capable of.
For me, the mark of truly good character development is when not only are the bad characters consistent but so are the good characters. When I like the good and bad characters almost equally (because let’s be honest, sometimes the bad characters are just more fun to like) I know I have found a good book or film.
