SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion
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Question about creatures
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Kind of depends.Are you a professional artist, or do you have mad artistic skillz?
If not, then just pretend your book is radio. You know, it's better than TV because the picture's better.
No not an artist but some friends are and they are good. But its more of is it one of those things where its kind of cool to leave it to the imagination.
For example, (and I hate to admit this) three of the "hottest" male characters to me are: Rinzler (tron legacy), Master Chief (halo), and Snake Eyes (comic ruined it when they revealed his face) all because you somewhat get a feel of their stature and physicality but overall their ACTUAL appearance is left to the imagination (343 screwed this a little with showing the Chief's eyes).
For example, (and I hate to admit this) three of the "hottest" male characters to me are: Rinzler (tron legacy), Master Chief (halo), and Snake Eyes (comic ruined it when they revealed his face) all because you somewhat get a feel of their stature and physicality but overall their ACTUAL appearance is left to the imagination (343 screwed this a little with showing the Chief's eyes).
Again, it depends. Mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns don't need illustrations because everyone has their idea about them already. Creatures not pivotal to the plot probably don't warrant the attention, though probably won't spoil the image 'cause they're just not that important.But if you have a particular creature that is really critical to the plot and is complicated enough to make descriptions problematic, then you MAY want to have some done.
Example: The Shrike from Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I found it helpful that the book cover(s) included images of the beast. Obviously the reader's mind's eye will fill in details from the text, but having a general concept--I thought--helped in that case.
OTOH, even with main characters I prefer generalizations rather than details.
Awesome. Thanks for your input. I truly appreciate it.
Personally, I prefer to imagine my own image based on the authors explanation. If I were to see a picture and it didn't look like my imagining, it would spoil the experience for me. Same with characters in films.
There's a difference, though (I think) between a film's depiction of a book character and an illustration by or approved by the author.Films are just some 3rd party's interpretation, no more valid than the average reader's. But images by or approved by the author do at least carry the weight of some authority!
True enough, although I'm in Wolfgang Iser's camp of reader-response theory with the belief that the true depth of any story lies between the text and only truly comes to life in the mind of the reader.
I'd say post them on the website, or even as a plate in the book. I read a fantasy last year with a wee sketch at the start of each chapter, and I loved it.
A.L. that is an interesting idea!!
I always get a kick out of seeing creature art. I was happy I read some of the newer Dark Tower books, the ones with a few pictures in there. Really made me think of the story differently.
All I can say is that I'm sure glad I got to read Lord of the Rings and Lion and Witch before I saw them. It's ok to see someone else's vision later, but it's more special, I think, to see them yourself first inside.
It would be interesting to know if the readers that like illustrations are artistically minded or not. It may not be clear cut, but if it is, could it be that those with artistic ability prefer to imagine for themselves, and those without prefer an image to be provided?Personally, I draw and paint and prefer to imagine my own images.
I try to be artistic ;) and I personally love illustrations. I used to always flip though books before I bought them to see if there were any drawings. I remember a book called Urshurack (sp?) the Hildebrandt Brothers did the cover and illustrations inside. Anyway a little off topic but it stuck with me for years. Beautiful art, the story was so-so.
It used to be a thing, to have illustrations but doesn't seem like it as much anymore, unless it's for younger readers or graphic novels.
Glad I started this topic. So interesting to learn about the history of use and the different opinions everyone has.
Very interesting bit of history, Mike. :) What a shame that they started to get away from doing them at a time when it was becoming easier than ever to incorporate the illustrations. It would be nice if they returned to that practice. Maybe we are at an age, where it would be something to entice readers to buy print books again. Like how they've done with the return of vinyl records.
You've reminded me that I used to have an old copy of the Wind in the Willows around here. I haven't seen it in forever. I probably lent it to someone and now can't remember who. :(
"And what is the use of a book" thought Alice "without pictures or conversations"I don't need to reference that quote - it obvious, and its from the first paragraph in the book. But what was CS Lewis actually saying here? I grew up with a severe addiction to radio plays because my father used to say 'the pictures in your head are better than the ones on TV'
That remains true for me. A well-written story, read or heard, should stand up on its own without pictures.
Of course, that rule is not absolute - but it is worth thinking about. The recent films of LOTR and The hobbit add images that do not deviate too far from my own imagination - though I have some problems with them, in places. An older (early 1980s?) cartoon version of the first part of LOTR should have been banned - it added nothing to the narrative, and almost put me off cinema entirely.
An occasional illustration can add something to a book - but it needs to be handled carefully. "Done by the author" was suggested above (first three messages) - and my instinct says that should be OK . . . but then I remember Tolkien's own illustrations for The Hobbit, and I cringe!
I don't think there is a reliable answer here, it is too much a matter of personal taste - but Echo, you should go look at this recent discussion. Personally, I tend to look down on books that are over illustrated - but maybe that's just me (or possibly my age!)
Regarding mythical creatures, this might be of an interest to you. http://thebooktrap.weebly.com/anthony...Also, if you like fantasy games, join our forum for a little fun. Read the rules and play nice! http://thebooktrap.weebly.com/forum.h...
What are your thoughts?