1. Uberwatch

    Uberwatch Active Member

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    Your top 3 favorite and least favorite fiction genres and why?

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by Uberwatch, Oct 8, 2013.

    So what are your top 3 favorite genres that could relate to anything from books to movies?

    For me,

    1.) Science Fiction : My love for science fiction has not always been about the science itself, but where would Mankind go in the distant future. I read countless books and watch many movies of this genre and very good ones. Most of my writing is Sci-Fi which means it's the perfect genre that keeps me motivated.

    2.) Post-Apocalyptic Fiction : This was something that carried on to me when I watched a few movies that involved zombies or biological warfare. While it's sci-fi related, it stands out on it's own. I think a lot of books and movies relating to this genre are not well done, but the few explore those same messages and see in science fiction. Whether it's political or social commentary, it's there.

    3.) Horror (Sometimes). My taste in horror is limited because I really don't like horror, but I like it better than other genres. If it's stories about masked killers and ghosts, it's not what I'm looking for. I tend to like stories that involve real people in realistic situations but still have that creepy effect. It could usually involve a stalker tracking the MC with such creepy detail. This would tie with horror mystery which I could confirm, one of my favorite genres.

    Least Favorites

    1.) Romance : I just find them uninteresting. It's probably for the female crowd anyway. I don't know if any male readers/watchers like romance.

    2.) Erotica : Not a fan of that either. There's really not much to say about this. Either you like arousing words on paper or you don't. I don't really care for it.

    3.) Some Fantasy : Some fantasy stories I enjoy, some I do not. It's probably because these distance themselves so much from reality sometimes, it's hard for me to take seriously. But that's just me. Not saying it's a bad genre though.
     
  2. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    Favorites:

    1) Literary fiction. This is a catch-all description of almost anything, I suppose, but by it I mean fiction by writers who are artistically ambitious in some way. Writers who attempt to handle deeper themes than the run-of-the-mill, who use advanced and possibly experimental techniques, and who use language at a very high level.

    2) Science fiction. I grew up reading tons of this; I had an insatiable appetite for it. I'm an engineer by training, and scientific and technological subjects do not bore or intimidate me. And there is no other genre that provides the sense of wonder that science fiction does. Fantasy doesn't, because fantasy by nature is impossible. Science fiction is at least plausible - the futures presented by sci-fi writers might actually come to be. That's wonderful (or, sometimes, horrifying). Right now I write science fiction more than any other genre.

    3) I don't have a third favorite. If I did, it might be historical, but I don't read enough historical fiction for it to qualify as a favorite for me.

    Least favorites:

    1) Romance. This is just blah for me.

    2) Horror. I hate being scared, so horror doesn't turn me on at all. I include, in the horror genre, all those vampire/werewolf/etc. stories like Twilight - stories that aren't intended to be scary, but are still kinda crap. Anne Rice turns my stomach - her writing is so fetid and moldy and her subjects are simultaneously repulsive and dull.

    3) Contemporary mainstream fiction. By this, I mean stories that take place in the here-and-now but aren't artistically ambitious. I hate the here-and-now - I get enough of it by turning on the TV or opening the front door. It's not exotic, and therefore is not all that interesting.
     
  3. Darrell Standing

    Darrell Standing New Member

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    Fav
    1) Lit Fiction: because the standard of writing is more often than not better than genre fiction.
    2)Humor: Everyone likes a laugh.
    3) Horror: Adrenalin reads/films are always fun

    Least Fav
    1)Romance: Crap in genre-romance at least.
    2)Fantasy: I just prefer stuff I can relate to.
    3)Romantic Com/Coms like American Pie and other "gross out" comedies....do i actually need to give an answer to this?
     
  4. lixAxil

    lixAxil Self-Proclaimed Senator of the RPG subforum. Contributor

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    Not in order but...

    Fav

    - Mystery fiction (Or in fact anything that manages to put me clues and surprise me later)
    - Dark Urban Fantasy (Though I can appreciate a light one too)
    - Either Horror or Romance, is hard to pick xD.

    Least Fav

    - Old Fantasy (Kinda like epic, high, heroic, etc. they're just too repetitive)
    - Science fiction (I never manage to understand it. However I kinda appreciate CyberPunk)
    - Historical (For some reason I've always disliked history)
     
  5. TessaT

    TessaT Senior Member

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    Fave!
    1.) Fantasy - I don't want to read about this world. I want to read about a made-up world and I want to be able to explore it. I want to go on an adventure that I'll never be able to take here.
    2.) Sci-Fi- I'm not really sure how to separate Sci-fi from Fantasy mentally, but I know that there's a difference and that I love both pretty much for the same reasons.
    3.) Horror - This is mainly for movies, but sometimes for books as well. I love feeling scared, even though it'll eventually give me nightmares. It's probably the adrenaline rush.

    Least Fave!
    1.) Romance- It's all the same anymore! I'm tired of reading or watching a woman who can't seem to help herself, fall desperately in love with an asshole who will eventually turn into a sweetheart (or not). I'm just so tired of the damsel in distress.
    2.) Erotica - Now, don't get me wrong. I actually quite enjoy erotica...when it's done well. But I think mainstream erotica is sad shit and is full of horrible writing.
    3.) Steampunk - So perhaps this is a branch of Sci-fi, but I greatly dislike the steampunk genre. I feel like its constantly repeating itself. I just can't enjoy it.
     
  6. Duchess-Yukine-Suoh

    Duchess-Yukine-Suoh Girl #21 Contributor

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    Favorite:
    1.) Romantic Comedy or Drama (manga only)
    2.) Slice-of-Life (i.e. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.) Too bad there isn't more of it.
    3.) Comedy, like the Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart books.

    Least Favorite:
    1.) Non manga romance
    2) Anything with vampires/zombies. So overdone.
    3.) Dystopian, but badly done.
     
  7. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    I just remembered a third favorite! I like alternate-history fantasy. It's the world as it never was, but could have been (and, in some cases, maybe should have been). There's very little of this, relatively speaking. I really enjoy writing it.
     
  8. Thomas Kitchen

    Thomas Kitchen Proofreader in the Making Contributor

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    It's not a book, but have you ever seen Sliding Doors? It's a rom-com with alternate timelines. :)
     
  9. Darrell Standing

    Darrell Standing New Member

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    Yeah or Run Lola Run...
     
  10. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    Favorite: 1) Literary fiction because most of my favorite authors write in this genre.
    2) Sci-fi. My dad has a fairly large sci-fi collection, and I grew up reading those books.
    3) Fantasy. I admit I haven't read much fantasy, but there are some good series out there (A Song of Ice and Fire). There are also gems like Crowley's Little, Big.

    Least Favorite: 1) Romance.
    2) Erotica.
    3) Horror.
     
  11. jazzabel

    jazzabel Agent Provocateur Contributor

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    Most like
    1. Mysteries. Because I love puzzles, and looking at human psychology.
    2. Science Fiction. Because I have an analytical mind and love to imagine how things will be in the future.
    3. Literary Fiction. As per minstrel's description. Old and new, most of my favourite novels belong to this genre.

    Least like
    1. Horror fiction. Because it's rather juvenile, unless it's a psychological thriller of some kind, which I put under 'mysteries'.
    2. Fantasy. Unless it's classic vampire fiction (Stoker, Rice etc) which I adore.
    3. Chic-lit. Vacuous. Superficial. Boring. Contrived.
     
  12. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

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    Most like
    1. Chick -lit, teen, vampire romance
    2. High romance fantasy like anything by Terry Pratchett or Wise and Hickman
    3. Manga

    Least like
    1. Literary fiction- can't stand big words or metaphors
    2. Historic novels. That actually happened? Ugghhhh
    3. Hard sci fi- just too hard!!
     
  13. TessaT

    TessaT Senior Member

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    Isn't just saying 'Manga' a little broad? Do you really enjoy Baseball manga as much as you enjoy Slice of Life manga? To me, that's like saying one of my favorite genres is a book. o_O
     
  14. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

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    Trust me, it's all the same to me.
     
  15. Duchess-Yukine-Suoh

    Duchess-Yukine-Suoh Girl #21 Contributor

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    *high fives*

    On another note, I do like certain romance (i.e. Eleanor and Park) so long as it's not some sappy middle-aged-woman fantasy.
     
  16. TessaT

    TessaT Senior Member

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    But... but... how is that possible?! I love reading some manga, but just like books, there are genres that I like, and genres that I don't. :confused: Oh man, I just don't comprehend saying that "it's all the same". There's no way that The Prince of Tennis is on the same level as Death Note.
     
  17. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Ralph's side of the island.
    Non-fiction travel, especially some of the older stuff like the book, "Seven Years in Tibet" (it's very different from the movie), and Freya Stark's books about her travels all over the Middle East by herself in the early 1900s. "Miles from Nowhere", an account of a round the world bike trip, "Enchanted Vagabonds", there are so many excellent books in this genre, for a while I read every one of them I could get my hands on.

    Science Fiction, unquestionably one of the three.

    Mystery. I love a good story that keeps you guessing while it twists and turns.

    There are many other genres though, that books I love are in. If I listed my 100 all time favorite books, there are some in a dozen different genres.
     
  18. lixAxil

    lixAxil Self-Proclaimed Senator of the RPG subforum. Contributor

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    Manga is not a genre is a medium.
     
    TessaT likes this.
  19. Uberwatch

    Uberwatch Active Member

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    Manga isn't a genre. I mean I have read some Sci-Fi manga in the past so all sorts of japanese comics are in many genres.
     
  20. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

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    Faves
    1. Literary - especially experimental fiction
    2. Literature studies
    3. Poetry

    ( To be honest I'm up for any genre as long as it looks interesting. I'm more of a reader that goes by book. Though
    I do like horror especially if it's psychological - Dell put out a great line called Abyss in the 90's unfortunately they're
    super-hard to find. A good many of the authors made Stephen King look like a rank amateur. )

    least faves
    1. Erotica ( cause usually they're anything but erotic, just porny )
    2. Chick-lit ( really depends - bedhopping, love triangles, the glory of the shoe - all zzzz's to me )
    3. Fantasy ( really depends - getting kind of tried of the Martin clones, magic and kid's triumph angle. )
     
  21. platerawriter

    platerawriter Banned

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    Top Favorites:
    1) Romance: more so with movies and tv shows than books. Romance novels can often be boring to me, but on most other platforms I love it. I'm a hopeless romantic myself and movies and Disney may have even corrupted me because they make guys seem so kind, charming loyal, and just wonderful. When in actually, most of them are just d-bags..... But I just can't help but love them.
    2) Non-Fictional Historical: Maybe a little surprising given my top favorite, but I absolutely love a good history novel. I'm a huge history buff and enjoy learning actual facts, historical fiction I don't really care for/borderline annoy me if it goes in a direction I don't agree with lol.
    3) Comedy: overall, comedy probably is my favorite. A comedy movie or show beats a non-fictional historical movie or tv show & and a comedy book beats a romance book. But since comedy isn't my favorite of any media, I decided to list the other two ahead.

    Least Favorites:
    1) Erotica: no offense to anyone who likes it, but I don't even consider it a legitimate genre. It's nothing but filth and usually very poorly written.
    2) Non-fictional/ Fictional Science: science bores me like none other. I can barely even get through a single chapter lol
    3) Anime: unless it's Pokemon, I really don't have the patience for it. I don't really even like the style of animation.
     
  22. TessaT

    TessaT Senior Member

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    But Anime isn't a genre... it's a medium. And how sad I am at that statement. There's some amazing Anime's out there. It's just like any other TV show or plot in terms of patience (well, depending on what genre you're talking about). I suppose I can understand not being into the animation style, as its a thing of preference, but if you like Pokémon...

    I love me some Anime!! This Season looks to have some good ones, and last Season had the super winner of the year. Who loves Shingeki no Kyojin?! */end fan rant :p
     
  23. Uberwatch

    Uberwatch Active Member

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    Martin? Don't you mean Tolkein? I thought Tolkein's Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series inspired Martin. Still got to love how both their names sound similar (GRR martin/JRR Tolkien)
     
  24. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

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    Grr Martin. I'm okay with Tolkein - You can't really hate the person who inspires all the knock offs. It's not there fault. Though even
    as I say that I'm not crazy about King. I don't hate him, in fact I loved the Stand, but it's one of those things where although,
    he's not the best horror writer he still wears the kudos and the crown.
     
  25. TessaT

    TessaT Senior Member

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    I think King has everyone running for a loop. He's written some amazing things... but then, he's also written some 'WTF, WTH did this get published?!' books. When the end of a majority of your books is 'alien's, that's why', it can get a wee bit old. I love the Stand, I love the Tower books, and the Talisman... but he's definitely lost that 'horror' feeling for me. After I read his new Doctor Sleep, I'll have to see if I feel the same way. ;)
     

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