7 ms·
Was anybody else turned off by the author's approach to characterisation in this book? I feel like he's over-explaining their reasoning/motivation for doing the
by GantzGraf 10y ago
Was anybody else turned off by the author's approach to characterisation in this book? I feel like he's over-explaining their reasoning/motivation for doing the things they do to the point where it's irritating. It's like he's trying to tell you everything about a character in the shortest time possible. No subtlety.
Am I overreacting? I'm still within the first third but I don't think I'll be able to get through the book if it's entirely like this.
- dsr_ 10y agoCharacterization is not one of Stephenson's strong points. Try an experiment: skip to 2/3 through the book, where it says "Five thousand years later..." and pick it up as though it were a new book. I think you might be happier.
- dboshardy 10y agoNo, you're not. Stephenson is bad at character writing and development. His books just feel like ways for him to mentally masturbate onto the reader. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, once I slog through the first quarter of the book, I can't bring myself to stop reading. But at the same time I can't help but be frustrated by his "look how smart I am and all the things I know" writing.