andrewducker: (cat chases butterfly)
[personal profile] andrewducker
If you start your book by introducing five characters at once, who refer to each other by a mix of first names, surnames and nicknames (and occasionally by some identifying feature) then I will finish the opening chapter with no idea who anyone is, or what they are doing.

I have enough problems with names in real life - I need to be introduced to characters one or two at a time, with each one labelled and identified so that I have some kind of internal handle on them, before the next ones are introduced.  More than that and I will bounce right off of your book.

Date: 2009-07-29 01:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bohemiancoast.livejournal.com
I had trouble with this in a book recently -- but the book itself was fantastic -- and the multiple names for people reflects how real life works too, you know.

Date: 2009-07-29 03:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] channelpenguin.livejournal.com
Cyteen? Wow. I would never have thought that would be a problem one. I will have to in back and read the start and see what you mean. If you ever do crack it, do yourself a favour and never ever read the sequel - its pretty dreadful.

Date: 2009-07-29 06:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] channelpenguin.livejournal.com
just re looked at Cyteen. It's kinda obvious to me who are proper main characters and who aren't. I Think I am judging that the ones from whom we get internal dialogue are/will be main characters.

Date: 2009-07-29 02:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] opusfluke.livejournal.com
Names aren't too much of a problem. It's when writers jump-cut between plot lines I find myself in need of a chart. LOTR did that way too much.

Date: 2009-07-29 02:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pisica.livejournal.com
Heh. I was reading Ha'penny (the middle book in Jo Walton's alternate WWII series) and the main character and her sisters are the alternate Mitford sisters, which is fine, except that I can't keep track of all of THEM, so trying to keep track of a new batch twelve names (real names & nicknames for all six of them) just made me say ARGH.

I did keep up with the book. Thankfully, the Mitfordesque stuff was mostly Walton being cute (imho) so as long as I knew vaguely who was being referred to, I could stick with the main plot.

Date: 2009-07-29 02:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meihua.livejournal.com
*grins* Try the Deverry Cycle by Katharine Kerr. Not only do you have to keep track of similar-sounding names, but you also have to track who-is-who-reborn, through characters of different ages and genders through hundreds of years of history.

Date: 2009-07-29 03:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] channelpenguin.livejournal.com
See, neither names nor plot jumps bother me. Nor do timeline alternates, or stuff like that - as long as the author themselves has it straight and there are no inconsistencies. I really hate it when there are blatant renames or mistakes.

Date: 2009-07-29 03:22 pm (UTC)
simont: A picture of me in 2016 (Default)
From: [personal profile] simont
Yes. Of all the reasons one might get annoyed with David Eddings, the one I've never even begun to forgive him for was renaming Prince Gared.

Date: 2009-07-29 05:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] channelpenguin.livejournal.com
It was anne McCaffrey i was mainly thinking of on that front. Pointless. Of course CjCherryh does it as well to a few things (though not people) in the awful sequel to Cyteen. The people she just gives personality transplants. Or removals.

Date: 2009-07-29 06:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cybik.livejournal.com
I just read The Margarets by Sheri S. Tepper, which is about 7 people who are the same person..

Date: 2009-07-29 09:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cybik.livejournal.com
Oh, absolutely. She's an excellent writer, after all.

Date: 2009-07-29 06:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/
f you start your book by introducing five characters at once, who refer to each other by a mix of first names, surnames and nicknames (and occasionally by some identifying feature) then I will finish the opening chapter with no idea who anyone is, or what they are doing.


But Andy, Tolstoy did it... :-)

Date: 2009-07-29 07:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] call-waiting.livejournal.com
Hah, you beat me to it...

Date: 2009-07-29 09:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cybik.livejournal.com
Have you tried watching The Wire? By series three there are plenty of characters to get confused by.

Date: 2009-07-29 09:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cybik.livejournal.com
Except a lot of The Wire, especially the first season, has them referring to names while they listen to their voices on the wiretap.

Date: 2009-07-29 09:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cybik.livejournal.com
Yeah, they do, mostly. It's still a little overwhelming in places!

I highly recommend it, though. It's huge and sprawling, but the characters are all really interesting and rounded. You end up having massive sympathy for even the most violent people (my favourite character is someone who has no qualms about killing, none whatsoever. But he's fricking awesome).

Date: 2009-07-30 08:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] call-waiting.livejournal.com
The Wire is pretty twisty, but it's not all that bad for following the characters. It did, however, confuse the hell out of me through the first couple of episodes trying to work out the Barksdales' family structure because McNulty erroneously refers to DiAngelo as Avon's cousin. Confused the hell out of me, that did.

Date: 2009-07-29 11:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] opusfluke.livejournal.com
Just thought of another one for you all. "Capacity" by Tony Ballantyne. Get this- not only do you have to keep track of thirteen characters with the same name but you have "Atomic Judy" with her twelve digital "sisters" ("Judy1" through to "Judy12") who are all trying to track down an illegal copying ring. And on top of that Judy3 is being a bit of a deviant in her own right. Got me confused at the start...

Date: 2009-08-01 11:10 am (UTC)
moniqueleigh: (so many books)
From: [personal profile] moniqueleigh
Yes! I kept having to re-read bits just to sort out who was whom, or which. Arrrgh. Good book, but I'm still not 100% certain I followed all of it...

Date: 2009-07-30 02:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ekatarina.livejournal.com
My mother read lots of Georgette Heyer novels (regency romances) and I discovered she would actually write little family trees inside the cover to hep her keep track.

Ekatarina

Date: 2009-07-30 09:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lizzie-and-ari.livejournal.com
Try 100 years of solitude. Total opposite-about 30 characters with but 4 names between them. Much better ;)

Lxxx

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