What pulls you into a scifi book or franchise?

chelsie00xx

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I always find the types of scifi and fantasy novels to sometimes be very different from each other. With the Twilight and Hunger Games and Game of Thrones having grown so popular lately I wonder what pulls you personally into scifis?

For me there has to be a specific emotional element in them that I need to be able to connect with, and if it's too descriptive with science terms I get bored quickly. I have found different writing styles to not be my taste also though. For example, I've read the first few pages of Twilight and it didn't engage me very much because of the way it was written. As I read I felt like it wasn't enough of a challenge to read if that makes any sense. (Nothing personal to her though-the premise was a good one)
When I saw the Twilight movies (which was about 2 weeks ago and I watched them marathon style) I was interested in the first movie, but I still didn't care that much about the characters though. By the second movie my attention faded away.
The Chronicles of Narnia I always loved the first book.
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem I adored because of the human elements.
All of Ray Bradbury's books I love and admire because I really see the world he's writing about and I feel the emotions of the characters through the writing, it's not totally based on the fantasy aspect- but he sort of throws people just like us into the worlds he creates. (Which I think is the type that pulls me in the most)
I guess what it comes down to is I have to FEEL the feelings in the book, and I have to be able to imagine a world very vividly to be really into the books. : ) I've also noticed I seem to be more interested in third person point of view rather than first person point of view books, because I like seeing the whole world as I read not just through the main character's eyes.

What do you guys think? Do you have opinions about what makes an interesting scifi/fantasy book for different types of readers?
 

Wilde_at_heart

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Voice and premise, especially if it's a bit genre-bending.

My favourites are ones like William Gibson's Idoru or anything by Kurt Vonnegut. Delayney's Dahlegren was another that had highly stylised writing though I haven't read anything else of his.

I still haven't figured out why I never got into Iain Bank's more sci-fi type stuff when there's other books of his I really enjoyed though.
 

rwm4768

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I want characters I can actually feel a connection with. A lot of science fiction falls flat for me because of this. I need to feel like I know these characters, that they actually exist without the plot.

Some science fiction writers get so caught up in the worlds and technology they've created that they forget about the people who inhabit those worlds and use that technology.

I also like a fast-moving, action-packed plot.
 

Introversion

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My favorites have the elements of strong characters and plot, but also transport me to places that are very different than the world I live in. I guess I enjoy being an armchair tourist?
 

katci13

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For sci-fi? Interesting concept first. The last sci-fi book I read was enticing because I wanted to see how the MC survived getting half his body blown off. I knew going in that he was half robotic parts for most of the book. I just thought that was really interesting.
 

Roxxsmom

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It will need characters I can connect with on an emotional level, and an interesting problem first and foremost. As for world building, I tend to like worlds that are similar enough to the real one to be relatable, yet different enough to be intriguing. If there's an element of mystery, something that makes me guess and formulate hypotheses about what's really going on, so much the better.
 

rwm4768

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I also like that similar but different in science fiction. I think that's why some far-future space opera just doesn't work for me. There's so little I can relate to. I'm okay with some really weird stuff, but some authors seem to go for all the weird, and the characters gets lost in the process.

I do love some interesting concepts, though. Interesting places, too. But those alone won't do it for me.
 

Lillith1991

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World building and character. Those are my big things. I need to be able to immerse myself in those two things, or a series won't be able to hook me.
 

GeekTells

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World depth (as opposed to world building, per se) and characters I can love or hate. Bonus points if I can do both.

These are a few of my favorite things.
 

GingerGunlock

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Characters I can latch onto are a thing which keeps me reading after the first line/paragraph/page. Names need to be readable to me, pronounceable in some way. Ten character names with x's and stuff in them, while not on their own enough to make me put a book down, they contribute.

I also really love a fantasy or scifi world which manages to present to me a reasonable understanding of the world without infodumps.
 

kuwisdelu

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Names need to be readable to me, pronounceable in some way. Ten character names with x's and stuff in them, while not on their own enough to make me put a book down, they contribute.

I have a character named Xxxxxxxxxxxx.

Nickname: Dodecax.

:sarcasm
 

MkMoore

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Time travel. It's my weakness :D

For me, though, I want to have a good concept AND good character/plot.

But seriously. Time travel.
 

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Characters and premise/story. I'm willing to take a hit on either based on how strong one of them is but the characters can't be too weak story wise.
 
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Primus

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Believable/dynamic characters and a world that feels alive to me. I also love books that raise questions about relevant human experiences and manage to shed light or alter the perspective on a held belief/view.
 

Physsica

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Something different. An opening that just screams, this is going to be new and amazing, and then introduces a character that fits perfectly to the situation. I'm not much for laser wars and intense fight scenes, but more of how the people interact with one another in such a strange environment. That, and a problem is introduced from the get go (it doesn't have to be the main conflict).
 

LOTLOF

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A great villain; Vader, Cylons, The Master, Darleks. Give me someone to root against and fear and I'm in.
 

SianaBlackwood

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An interesting idea and a character who feels alive from the first page get me in. Putting the characters through hell and bringing them out the other side is what makes me stick with it.
 

Levico

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Concerning SciFi, concept makes me pick up a book. A Call to Arms, book one of the Damned Trilogy? Here's what's on the cover: 'The aliens thought their war was hell- until Humans showed them what war really was.' Yep, I'mma read it.

On the other hand, concerning Fantasy, I much prefer characters. Ones I can relate with, but also ones that challenge my view of life and the world. This requires reading the first few chapters, and rarely do I go in cold, but once in a while it pays off and I get hooked. For example, Sky of Swords by Dave Duncan. Bought it from the library on a whim, and damn, awesome read.
 

BethS

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Writing, voice, and the characters, to start with. To keep me going, you need all of those plus good storytelling.
 

PeteMC

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Characters, character voice, and setting. I don't care how your magic works. I don't care how your technology works. Please don't explain it to me for hundreds of pages, because I don't care. I care about the characters (if you've written them well, that is), and a cool setting. Cool setting equals "engages me", it does not equal "explained to the Nth degree".

The Dark Tower series is probably the best example of what I mean. Eventually the story died for me, but the characters were engaging and well written, each with their own distinct voice, and the setting was magnificent. And nothing was explained, ever. Perfect.
 
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yttar

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I start reading because of an interesting premise, but I keep reading because of the characters and voice. A little bit of romance doesn't hurt either.