Supernatural Fiction Readers discussion
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What supernatural element is a turnoff, or you just don't like to read about?
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Jim, you're right, that's a better way of identifying where that discussion is (especially since the way I did it, you'd miss posts that didn't actually have the word "Twilight" in them, and they're shown in reverse order!). The messages that discuss that are # 134-40, 142, and 146. (Again, it's the third frame when you go to that thread.) The posts before and around these are about other aspects of the Twilight series and vampire fiction/drama (and you contributed a couple of them).I agree with you and Mike that dropping your weapon in a hostage situation is (usually) very unwise and ill-advised, for the reason you mentioned. But I'm not sure that it's always completely unrealistic, especially for characters who aren't used to that sort of situation. Elementary logic would tell you not to do it; but people in a panicked emotional state, with no time to think, often don't react logically.
It's not just dropping the weapon when it's obvious that only the hostage's continued health is keeping the bad guy alive that gets to me. I've seen a lot of movies where we have this tough, loner hero who kicks butt to find the bomb or major threat. Hundreds or millions will die if he doesn't stop the device. Then the bad guy holds a girl or kid hostage & the hero drops everything.Come on! The past 1:45 minutes have been spent showing how tough this guy is & how important his mission is, but he's going to let it all go down the drain so this 'innocent' (Usually too stupid to walk & chew gum at the same time or else why would they be in that position?) can be saved.
I'm telling you, it makes me root for the bad guy, but he always winds up making a speech & the hero miraculously pulls off the save. Frustrating.
Lady Alice,I'd say that if you don't mind it mostly being a love story, you could try the first Mercy Falls book, Shiver. These are pretty much just wolves, not werewolves or wolves with super powers, which is probably why I like them. It's a disease or condition that the characters are still, at the end of book two, trying to figure out--people who turn into wolves under certain conditions.
I've never read Alice Borchardt, although I have thought about trying her. Where are her novels set?
Jim, Werner most everyone is familiar with "Evil Overlord list" (http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/ove...) There used to be (but I can no longer find it) a 100 Things to do if I'm a Hero list. One entry was that all friends and loved ones will know that I will assume them dead as soon as they are taken lest they be used to as leverage. I suppose the argument that someone who is "new" to danger might give in is true, but it's still frustrating. The villain has already demonstrated his/her willingness to kill (possibly masses) why would anyone think that, if I just give him/her my gun then "everything will be alright"? Tough situation, but come on. I can see (if it were my son or daughter for instance) I'd be sick, but hopefully I'd realize their best chance as well as mine would be if I kept the gun.
Mike, I actually wasn't familiar with that list, but thanks for the link! I haven't read all of it (yet!), but what I did read was a scream. :-)
It's referenced in a lot of fiction (I remember at least once when Harry Dresden points out that someone has must have read it). There were a lot of "spin-off" lists several years ago (a hero's list, a henchman's list etc.), but as I said, I can't find most of them now.
That's a fun & true list, Mike.One of the things that I always loved about "Firefly" was when the captain needed to shoot, he shot. The scene at the end of "The Great Train Robbery" where he offers the money to one of the henchmen was perfect.
I liked the guy's response...the second one. I also like the way he hired Jane.
I don't like to read about zombies. They are the one thing that can give me nightmares. They freak me out because I don't like contagious diseases. lolI definitely agree on preachy books and witches with religion. Actually, I think I am pretty much over witches in general.
Another great Firefly moment is in the original pilot episode,"Serenity", in which Simon, Book, and River are introduced. Near the end, an Alliance agent is holding River hostage, and Mal just walks in and shoots him without hesitating. I think I read somewhere awhile back, that the police are trained not to lower their weapons in that sort of situation. The bit where the bad guy will kill the hostage if the cops don't put down their guns.
I'm agree with you Jim, about the hostage being too stupid to keep themselves out of that situation in the first place.
@ Lady Lavender - I will have to pass on those books you linked in your first post. I am already a bit OCD as it is.lol I do want to read that series in your second post, though.
For some stupid reason, yesterday I gave in and read a zombie book. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. It was pretty darn good and only slightly terrified me. Still, NEVER AGAIN.
Vampires. I used to love vampires but after what Twilight did to the genre and now that the Twilight version of a vampire is OVERLY popular, I just got sick of hearing about them.
I agree, Shay, not interested in Zombies. Also not interested in werewolves that turn into man/wolf combination. I think I kind of like the "softer" if that is the right word, supernaturals. Werewolves that are real wolves, vampires that aren't totally evil, witches and sorcerers. But then I do not like horror stories.I do love the Wolves of Mercy Falls, but it is a true and sweet romance for those who do not like that genre. And I love Firefly since it is mentioned above!
I'm leaning more towards the cosmic and weird end of the horror spectrum myself these days so I guess I'm getting less and less of a kick from the mainstream conventions in the genre as I grow older. Not so much a turn-off maybe as much as of less interest.
Zombies or anything in the horror realm.
I love almost everything mentioned here! Werewolves (High Moorwas pretty good, vampires(as long as they do NOT sparkle)and zombies (Dead of Night: A Zombie Novel. I love them all, if they are well written and engaging.
A serious turn off for me would be anything to do with human or animal suffering. Possessions, torture, maulings, and so on. I get that there's an element of violence both physical and emotional that is part of conflict but I've found some authors get a bit too wrapped up in depicting what the character goes through and it takes me out of the story. That's about the only thing I don't like.Oh, and fuzzy bunny slippers. But that's all. Just suffering and bunny slippers.
I think Christopher is on to something. There's something seriously twisted about fuzzy bunny slippers...especially pink ones (shudder).I'm sort of a traditionalist. I hate friendly, romantic, nice, helpful vampires. Dracula as the prototype for me...evil, blood sucking creatures who are not the people they look like anymore.
Stake 'em and move on.
Stake em and move on...that's pretty funny. You might like Alan Ryker's vampires then Burden Kansas.
These aren't your daughter's vampires or your father's either. There's two of them and I liked them both.
And I also fear the fuzzy bunny slippers.
The pink ones with the big ears.
Yep. Creepy.
Honestly, it's not any one of those things. It's any one of those things set in high school. It's almost an immediate dislike for me. I did accidentally venture into the tv show The Vampire Diaries, and since there are no actual teenagers in the show, I actually like it.I also like YA perfectly well, and the high school setting doesn't bother me at all when the story is NOT paranormal.
~SM Johnson
Sounds interesting Charlene, but the library doesn't have it...I'll have to buy it. Maybe in a bit. I already own a few hundred books waiting to be read LOL.
SM wrote: "Honestly, it's not any one of those things. It's any one of those things set in high school. It's almost an immediate dislike for me. I did accidentally venture into the tv show The Vampire Diaries..."I love vampires, I do like ADULT vampire romance. I have tried to read YA and want to bang my head against the wall. I hated Twilight and all the other popular YA vampire romances, I couldn't get into. I am actually reading a very good vampire book right now with teenagers as the main characters but it is not the sappy kind that is so overdone right now. The vampire is evil and the kids are trying to stop it.
I don't Tim, in the large view I'd say that ALL ideas have been used in one way or another. New novels and so on take ideas or idea fragments that have been around and approach them from a different direction or with a slightly different twist. Of course everyone won't like every approach but that's a part of what we're discussing here. Twilight sells and so do the Dresden Files.
Yes, there are several themes that offend me. Bu tto avoid offending anyone else, I'll just summarize as I don't want to read any novel that is just a thinly-disguised attempt by the author to preach their own world-view. I read for fun, not to be philiosophized at.
I have never understood the threat of living dead Zombies...how fast could a corpse possibly move, or even what strength could they possibly have....I have also figured they are probably highly flammable with all that formaldehyde or formalin within their veins..:-0
John, I highly suggest you read up on zombies on Cracked.com. They have a couple of excellent articles on it. One is 5 or 10 reasons why it couldn't happen & another is the reverse. Both very interesting & fun.
Thanks Jim I will check it out..as a kid I would go over to my grandfather's funeral home, my dad's side were all morticians...it was what i felt to be the ghosts upstairs that frightened me more than the cadavers....
5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happenhttp://www.cracked.com/article_15643_...
7 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Outbreak Would Fail (Quickly)
http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_...
Cracked.com Zombie Overview:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-38-zombies/
Hey Jim, thanks for the links. That driving a stake thorough the one guy's nether regions made me all cringe up...lol You may enjoy this also, I made friends with the mom of a child actor named Leila-- when NBC Universal did a film shoot using out property a couple of years ago. The mom has been producing a televison show locally out of Princeton called Zombie Etiquette. I gather thats what Zombies are up to now in the 21st century..taking over the entertainment industry. Newscats next at 11...lol. http://www.zombieetiquette.com/
Hah! Marg would let me watch that when Hell freezes over, but thanks.;-)
Supernatural Fiction Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Darkening Dream (other topics)Burden Kansas (other topics)
Dead of Night (other topics)
High Moor (other topics)
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Alice Borchardt (other topics)George R.R. Martin (other topics)
P.N. Elrod (other topics)
Jim Butcher (other topics)
Dale Brown (other topics)
Atmosphere is important to me also which is why I like Norah Lofts books so much. My fav Afternoon of an Autocrat starts out just perfect for me with her autumn description and Sir Shelmadine's last ride.
I am trying to get a copy of The Wolves of Mercy Falls. I just read Ballad which is what I was able to get at our library. It was very good until the very last when it was too much for me. Last night we were in Barnes and Nobles and I was tempted to go ahead an buy a copy as sometimes I have to wait so long to get a book I want to read. I ended up buying all the Twilight books as I could never get one from the library. They told me they had 100 copies but they were in hot demand.
I have always been more interested in werewolves than in vampires. That just recently changed with Twilight. About 20 years ago I even attempted to write a werewolf book. Should I go ahead and buy The Wolves of Mercy Falls?
I have one of the books of Anne Rice's sister - Alice Borchardt. It was not as good as Ann's writing but I enjoyed it. I really only read her books as my son was reading them and I wanted to see what he was reading. I really didn't approve of them.
Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie
Alice Borchardt
Afternoon of an Autocrat