thoughtfulBy page two, I was ready to fling the book across the room. Why? Because the author had chosen to scramble the spelling of a common-to-the-genre word in a way that made it look not only pretentious, but difficult to read. This is a personal bug-a-boo of mine, since I really do feel that spelling was standardized for a reason, and while I managed to soldier through, it colored my ability to sink into the text for several chapters.
(As an aside, seriously: not all words become more interesting and mysterious when spelled with a vestigial "y." The worst example I've ever seen was in a YA series full of "mermyds," and the fact that I made it through all three volumes is a testament to the power of raw stubborn.)
One reader of Rosemary and Rue posted a lengthy, positive review, more than half of which was taken up by complaints about the pronunciation guide. Specifically, I didn't write down the correct pronunciation of "Kitsune." It's a fair cop—if you pronounce the word as written in the pronunciation guide, you'll be saying it wrong—and it's been corrected for A Local Habitation, but it was, for this person, as bad as if I'd spelled Toby's name "Aughtcober" and then claimed it was pronounced just like the month. Bug-a-boos for all!
Kate recently delivered a long and eloquent diatribe on "back cover buzz-word bingo," which I really wish I'd had a video camera running for, because it was awesome. The summation is that she watches the back covers of books for certain "buzz-words," and, if the book works up to a magical bingo score, she doesn't read it. I do something similar with bad horror movies, since there are specific buzz-words that mean "soft core porn" and "gratuitous torture," and those really aren't what I'm watching the movie to see.
So what are your bug-a-boos? Terribly twisted spelling? Pronunciations that you don't agree with? Buzz-words oozing off the back cover and getting all over your shoes? How about heroines with ruby hair and emerald eyes who aren't appearing in an Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld fanfic epic? Inquiring blondes want to know!
November 3 2009, 18:53:38 UTC 7 years ago
It took me forever to get through the Ring trilogy because Tolkien had the same effect.
Intentional misspellings of names, places or what-have-you is simple arrogance. Yes, I find that unacceptable. It does not make you look smart or intelligent. It makes you look like a spoiled teenager writing mash notes during Latin class. And then you want me to praise you for it like a yappy lap dog with a pink bow around your neck. (Yes, this attitude REALLY irks me.) Um.
I do not need another Celtic-based historical fantasy. There are some fantastic stories in many other cultures I never get to read about because the shelves are full of - you got it. But also, co-opting a culture to tell a story that has nothing to do with it originally, just needed different 'decoration' to appear new and shiny? That's just wrong.
Oh please, reconsider that vampire novel. Please. MUST it suck? Also (and I know I'm not making points here) MUST it be zombies? Consider that shelf space and what I'd like to see on it. Quit pushing my stuff off the shelf with 'just another brain drain.'
I can't tell you how many of the Wheel of Time books I read backwards because they took so bloody long to tell me what was going on. Is that page count REALLY necessary?
November 3 2009, 20:51:49 UTC 7 years ago