[LMB] [LmMB] SFi vs Fantasy

[Paula Lieberman]

(moldy oldy stuff...  got up to my ears in things I couldn't put off, as 
opposed to responses to newsgroup/listserver correspondence...)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dorian E. Gray" <israfel at eircom.net>


> Paal said...
>
>> It doesn't -have- to be, but there very much are style and taste issues
>> involved. If someone goes into masses of passive voice other than for
>> the intentional purpose of lampooning that style, I tend to get annoyed.
>> "Can't this person WRITE competently?! or is it abominable editing?"
>
> Oh, certainly, readers' tastes are a big thing here.  I personally have a
> weakness for good setting info (so long as it's presented as the 
> characters
> interacting with the setting); I will re-read "Brave New World" solely for
> the setting - the characters and plot bore me silly, but the *world* is
> interesting.

I can take a certain amount of that (thought Brave New World was 
emphatically not a setting I liked or wanted to hang around in...) and 
travelogues--I stuck with the St Germain books for quite a while for the 
travelogues, but eventually the repetition of plot and same cast of 
characters as regards story roles and plot placement nd relationships to St 
Germain got to me such that the different times nd places and historical 
detail and scenery differences could no longer carry the books for me 
anymore.

I've started reading Legacy and notice that the pacing is MUCH slower than 
the Nexus books and the writing smoother/lower key as regards action going 
on, so far as I have read.   It's playing up Lois' versatility as a 
writer--she's not a one note, rewrite the same book with the setting changed 
and the same details and names changed cast of characters (Moorcock's 
Eternal Champion books, here is Elric/Erekose/Jerry Cornelius/Jihrek/Jhery a 
Connell/whatever-his-name-is-in-this-particular in carnation, over there is 
Moonglum/watever-his-name-is-this-incarnation, here's the Eternal Champion's 
Beloved reincarnation and assorted side dishes while waiting for the Love of 
His Life  this life to show up again, and oh there are the token 
antagonists) and a collection of repeated plots author.... but it is 
disconcerted to compare the Sharing Knife books and style, to the Nexus 
books and styles!

> I just don't think there is any good reason to inflict huge expository (or
> descriptory) lumps on a reader of a story - those who like such things can
> surely write (or read) textbooks.
>
>> Term is "infodump"
>
> (I am, by the way, familiar with the entire Turkey City Lexicon.  I just
> wasn't sure how many other listmembers are.)

"Turkey City Lexicon" ??  Huh?  I don't remember when I first heard or read 
the term, but it was in SF circles long long ago, and it's part of the SF 
critical vocabulary. Who/what is Turkey City?!