# [Discussion] What is it you look for in novels/comics/books



## Katergaris (Feb 15, 2018)

I've wondered what others view are on this...
What is it to you that differentiates the "meh" from the "wow!" I've always been a sucker for a character you can relate to, or at least one that I can empathize or attempt to understand! Of course the art and structure are rather important as well! But, that's just my opinion! 
What do you all see as vital for a good novel/comic/book?


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## Okami_No_Heishi (Feb 15, 2018)

It has to keep.me engaged. When I read, it is like a movie playing in my head. The rhythm has to be high tempo. I like action. But suspense is great too. Page turners have to be good stories to be good. If it is 2 in the morning, and you tell yourself just one more page, and now it is 3 am and you have read three more chapters, THAT'S a good book.


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## Varg Stigandr (Feb 17, 2018)

Action is good. A good plot is a must. Some stories just ramble on and while I'm ok with slow progression (as long as there is action) there still needs to be progression. "Freefall" by Mark Stanley is a good example of this.

Originality is also important. I don't see a reason to read a story that's a little twist on something I've read before. There's a difference in taking another idea and making something knew and tweaking. For instance: I liked Robert Heinlein's "The Puppet Masters", which dealt with an invasion of parasitic, mind controlling aliens. "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer also has an invasion of mind controlling aliens but they are very different in everything from physiology to method of control and personality, and even thought they are much more peaceful than Heinlein's I find them far more intimidating. It's also a sci-fi told as a love story, and written from the perspective of one of the aliens, again different from Heinlein. I loved it, and I am not a romance person. (No, I didn't read Twilight, and I have no intention to.) 

I've actually enjoyed more "amateur" writing/comics than things in print because of it being original in ideas compared to most of the "professional" things published. I have yet to find anything like "Carry On", "Freefall", "The Whiteboard"(More like a collection of short stories), TF-12, or stories like that of Greg Howell, Jonawolf, RedWolf, or many others around here on the shelf of Barnes and Noble or Amazon (but I can't flip through pages on Amazon, either).

I'm not bashing other publishers, either. They need to make money to stay in business, and that means printing books that sell. Some of them I find very good ("The Sight", "Name of the Wind", "The Martian", "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", etc,), but by and large I have little luck on finding good reads that way. If I do they're usually recommended to me by those with more time. I didn't know furry specific publishers existed until I attended a few writing seminars/panels at MFF, so I'm looking forward to checking them out as a potential source of reading after this semester (current homework load is brutal).


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