Ready, set, action …

• Posted in About Books, On Writing

So I’m currently reading Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (one of his Dresden Files books). I’m enjoying it, but something keeps jumping out at me — all the action. The book takes places over a couple of days. I’m about halfway through, and our favorite Chicago wizard has already been attacked/threatened/injured half a dozen times — at least. And we’re not even up to the grand finale yet.

Now, I love me some action scenes, but it’s almost to the point where I want to reach into the book and say, “Harry, man, take some aspirin and crash for a few hours. The apocalypse will still be there when you wake up.”

The last book I read before this one, Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard, was the same way — nonstop action from beginning to end, with attacks and counterattacks and narrow escapes.

I’m wondering if this is new trend — authors ramping up the action in their books. If so, then I’m on the bandwagon already. There’s a lot of action in my new Assassin series — lots of blood and lots of death. Gin kills something like 15 people — and that’s just in the first book. 😈

What about you guys? Do you like lots of action in your books? Or do you like the characters to take a breather every now and then? Share in the comments.

4 Responses to “Ready, set, action …”

  1. Diana says:

    I ALWAYS feel that way reading the Dresden books. Harry gets beat up on so non-stop that I get tired just reading about it. I think I prefer a little bit of a breather and chance to regroup between big action scenes when I read action-packed novels. Also, it seems like there’s a little less room for character development when all they’re doing is fight fight fight.

  2. Jo Holling says:

    I like books that are written tightly. Lois McMaster Bujold does that with her plots. It is not constant violence or action. It is that the story plot moves right along. Every scene moves the story forward either by action or (just as important) character development.

    When the characters get too brutalized I want to jump into the book and help them. But there is a fine line between reading a story with some physical conflict and a story that resembles “The Perils of Pauline.” While I appreciate “Pauline” as a point of fictional history. I don’t want to read that kind of plot on a regular basis.

  3. Tia says:

    I like a breather every now and then. Character development, in my opinion, is more important than plot development. We read for the character (or at least I do), and how they solve their problems.

  4. Jennifer Estep says:

    Diana — I think it really struck me in this one since it’s been a while since I’ve read Butcher. But it seems like Harry gets beaten up in every single chapter in this one.

    Yeah, I like the characters to have a break too. I’d much rather read about Harry interacting with Murphy or Thomas than just getting the snot kicked out of him again and again. And Bob — there needs to be more Bob in this book. 😎

    Jo — I haven’t read Lois, but I’ve heard lots of folks mention her books. She writes The Sharing Knife fantasy series, right? I’ll have to check her out …

    Tia — I agree with you. If you don’t have a great character to start with, the best plot in the world isn’t going to help you.

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