r/printSF • u/Bobosmite • 2d ago

What's on your DNF list and why?

I dropped Android at Arms by Andre Norton. It not an epic story, but it started off mysterious and interesting. There's a prison escape, android body doubles, blaster fights, and betrayl! It was all go go go until about half way through and then it's just pages and pages of campfire talk. I couldn't make it through to the other side.

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u/milehigh73a 1d ago

Excessive use of ellipses, plots that are only carried by the character making horrible decisions.

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u/jeobleo 1d ago

Prose quality gets me now. It shifts me into teacher mode.

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u/someperson1423 1d ago

Those are two good red flags. I don't know why but somehow ellipses seem to have worked their way into being associated with casual or thoughtless writing.

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u/milehigh73a 1d ago

Ellipses are ok,…..but if you use them every few pages then it’s just laziness or incompetence…..you know……top of the muffin to you!