What horror aspect in a book turns you off?

Hellolost · **Joined:** Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:58 am **Posts:** 2120

We all have different tastes. But I started reading a book that gave me that "should I put this down" vibe. Luckily I continued reading and it is pretty good so far but it got me wondering about you guys. What aspect of a book makes you wonder if you should put the book down. Or not even purchase the book?

For me it is hard core religious overtones. A bit of religion is fine but when the entire book is spouting preachers or bash you over the head religious overtures I just can't get into it. I like a good good versus evil type story but I kind of cringe when someone starts preaching AT me. I think that has to do with my past growing up with the "if you don't believe you are going to hell". Even those weirdos at the Sharks games standing there yelling out how we are all going to hell make me want to go up to them and yell at them to STFU.

What about you guys?

JJHolden · **Joined:** Sat Apr 23, 2011 1:25 am **Posts:** 1712

Flat, cardboard villains and monsters. It's not enough for me to know they're bad. I want to know why, what, who, where and when. Character is everything for me. I'll put up with the crappiest, most unbelievable story in the world, providing the character is engaging.

I don't like agenda-pushers, either. A story should float on its own.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Aside from unedited prose, I guess the familiar. Knowing where something is going way too early.

TMLCrow · **Posted:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:37 pm

Rape. Probably why I haven't read as much Laymon as most others here. If I'm reading a book where I don't know that a rape scene is in, and one occurs, I'm right out of the story. I'll put the book down for a day or two, though I'll eventually go back and finish it.

Jazminsdaddy · **Posted:** Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:36 pm

Jazminsdaddy · **Posted:** Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:38 pm

Children dying is hard for me. Rape as well unless it is essential to the story and not put there for shock value.

But I'm with Janet, I don't enjoy stories with flat, undeveloped characters. If I am not invested in a story emotionally it does nothing for me. People criticize Doctor Sleep but I was completely invested in Dan Torrance and his story.

Hellolost · **Joined:** Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:58 am **Posts:** 2120

They sure do. They stand on some kind of box with a microphone and tell us we are going to hell. I really have a hard time not yelling at them. Or telling them that they are going about recruiting the wrong way. You want people to listen to you you tell them good stuff not bad stuff

Jazminsdaddy · **Posted:** Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:53 pm

You should just walk up to them and calmly say, "I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't do this."

JamesEverington · **Posted:** Mon Oct 14, 2013 6:13 am

For me, it's just any book that seems to think that lengthly, cliche-ridden descriptions of violence or gore are going to actually frighten me.

Sadly, there's a lot of such books.

Grymmscape · **Posted:** Mon Oct 14, 2013 4:08 pm

I don't like it when writers decide to use the "Everyman" or "Joe Blow" average guy-archetype in a story to justify the absolutley IDIOTIC, and sometimes needlessly reprehensible, actions of their protagonists. The characters don't need to be doctors or lawyers or cops or engineers or biochemists or college professors or bleeding heart liberals, but they DO need to demonstrate some reasonable modicum of intelligence within the story while they're trying to solve the big bad McGuffin-filled mystery driving the plot. A lot of these characters are just cliched beer-guzzling, redneck goons the writer is using to illustrate or put forth some personal agenda and I don't give a rat's ass what happens to them. Even within the confines of a fantastic plotline, people should still behave like people actually behave. And, in Reality, whether the person is a goon or a redneck or not, some people are actually sensible or smart, frequently both. I'm not talking about the all-knowing, always prepared "Mary Sue" cartoon characters who often serve as authors' personal alter-ego wish-fulfillment, either. I mean characters who are fully drawn people. The rampant anti-intellectualism and reactionary social politics occuring within a lot of published horror stories bothers me to no end. A lot of the characters/protagonists in these stories are really too stupid to live -- under ANY circumstances -- and no "What If?" scenario can justify it. They're not characters, they're caricatures, and if YOU, the writer, have some major problem with educated or professional members of the public, or with authority figures or with certain political groups, do me the favor of keeping that tripe out of your stories if you want me to take you seriously as a writer.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Joe, what brought this on? Are you reading or seeing a proponderous amount of redneck stories? To be honest, I've only read a couple over the last year, one of which was from John Mclliveen and it was hilarious as well as Peter Dubar's which was a novella. People enjoy or write different types of stories, and they should be able to do so without judgement. You seem overly harsh in your criticism.

Grymmscape · **Posted:** Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:26 pm

Hey, Tony, so sorry if I went overboard here, inasmuch I was actively trying not to go too far. I was venting my frustration at some of the responses I'd read on some other websites in response to an article last week on Reddit about "Anti-Intellectualism in Literature": http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/ ... on_reddit/. There's another such article on the Internet Review of Science Fiction, but it appears that link no longer works: http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10599‎ .

Ramsey Campbell and Laird Barron, separately, each addressed the same topic a couple years ago, also to mixed response.

Wasn't trying to go Off on anyone in particular.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Ahh...thanks Joe, I'll read these, and the comments.

JJHolden · **Joined:** Sat Apr 23, 2011 1:25 am **Posts:** 1712

I've read a lot of bad redneck horror (bad, for the same reasons as above). The last one, however, I thought I'd hate (it's not my fave sub-genre to be honest, so we're way into subjective territory for me), but it turned out very well written, I enjoyed and I'll pick up more by that author.

However, I think Joe has a point.

In reality there's no such thing as Everyman and he shouldn't exist in fiction. Characters should be fleshed out, treated with respect and not shoved from pillar to post in a misguided effort to make the story work. If that's what's happening, the writing's crap and needs to get a whole lot better. It's down to the nuts and bolts, really.

I think a lot of people hide behind the 'anti-intellectualism' banner and use it as an excuse, when instead they should simply try harder. Do better. And for fuck's sake aim higher.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Nice reply Janet!

Grymmscape · **Posted:** Tue Oct 15, 2013 3:08 pm

VERY well put, Janet! My thanks! Glad to read that what I was on about wasn't considered completely baseless.

NOTE: From now on all my rants will automatically go through the Janet-translator.

That is all.

What horror aspect in a book turns you off?

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