Discussion of Writing Style

Use this forum to discuss the July 2020 Book of the month, "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.
Laura Britos
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Re: Discussion of Writing Style

Post by Laura Britos »

kdhutchinson wrote:
> While reading this novel, I was quite taken by the writing style of the
> author. It seemed to me to not quite fit a usual "fantasy" style,
> but it also wasn't quite as alluring as a thriller or mystery.
>
> The closest thing I think I could compare it to, as strange as it sounds,
> is an Interactive Fiction game... one of those Text Adventures where you
> type the directions and the narration moves you through the game :lol2:.
> And I have to say, once I reached the realization that that is what it
> reminded me of, I loved it! I've never read a novel before that felt that
> way to me.
>
> I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on how they felt about the writing
> style, what they would compare it to, and if you think I'm crazy for my
> comparison! :techie-reference: :tiphat:

Your comparison is perfect. And I also think it is super interesting. This writing style somehow manages to attract the reader even more and engage the reader in the story.
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Post by vmarie+ »

Now that you mention it, the Facebook game "Pearl's Perils" comes to mind. At first, I thought "murder mystery" as I learned Grant's uncle had been presumed dead. So, there's that element of it. As the expedition gets planned, the elements of science and militarism smacked. The list of participants seemed to me a character development escape, and I had made a note that I preferred learning about the characters as they appeared. Animal attacks are definitely action-adventure. The megalo sizes of the creatures and communication with them is definitely fantasy. So, mystery/action and adventure/fantasy mixed with accurate expressions of the Russian language. While the story is not pornographic per se, the hints of Bacchus orgy behavior may not sit well with all readers. Again, fantasy. Since the author's background is hydrology, I'm not too surprised with the writing style.
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Post by Kachi_Ejiogu+_ »

Most times, it is hard to dictate the style of writing in a book, however, I concur with you. The writing style used by the author is unique. It is one of the components that made the book appealing to me.
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Vivian Paschal
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Post by Vivian Paschal »

sblake26 wrote: 21 Jul 2020, 14:50 I found that the writing style is the main point that makes this book stand out. I really appreciate when an author has such a unique style!
I cannot agree with you more. There are big names in literature whose books I struggle with. Writing styles need to be unique or relatable or both. I usually go with relatable, but if it's going to be unique, then let it be unique. If it's going to be typical of a genre, at least let it be relatable. Writing styles can be everything.
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Justine Ocsebio
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Post by Justine Ocsebio »

I didn’t think it that way until you mentioned it. I just thought it was unique but in an interesting way.
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Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker

Post by tracealace »

I won't argue that the style was definitely unique and different. But to be honest, at times I felt that the style made the pacing feel very weird. For example, we might be in a scene with a dramatic mood. Characters talking to other characters about serious stuff. And something unexpected would happen and we'd switch to an action scene. And this transition never felt smooth to me. I would be jarred out of one mode into another and it would take me out of the story. I'm not sure what authors do to make that actually work -- but Zona seemed to fail to handle these transitions.
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Post by VSuraj »

The writing style is definitely unique, so much so that I couldn't describe it at first. Sometimes I found the extra details were unnecessary, and the writing could have been tighter to get the story moving faster. But then I thought the writing works in a strange way that suits Grant's character; as an academic, he would seek to explain and question everything. So while I'm not 100% in agreement, it definitely works well within the context of the story.
Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic - J.K. Rowling
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Post by Christiana+- »

I strongly agree with you, the writing style is the real thing in the novel.
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Post by Nicholas Christian »

A very good question; quite thoughtful and insightful :D. The writing style was somehow like an interactive play. It was concise and refreshing, when compared to the winding, wordy style found in other books and I believe this style is better. This is because many people have a short attention span and, when you spend a lot of time on unnecessary details, they will get tired and zone out or find something else to do.
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Post by Adeniyi+samson- »

Seriously, it's so mysteriously written. The writing style is cool.
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Post by Saint Bruno »

While the author's writing style does not conform to the ones we always see in fantasy books, I found this style to be interesting and exciting. His way of introducing the characters and their backstories is fascinating.
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Post by antilochos »

miss_kinsella wrote: 17 Jul 2020, 14:40 I agree!! Almost like a bandersnatch type of book!
Yeah! I loved Bandersnatch. I think it's better that instead of us choosing, the options have already been pre-set and that we just have to read and enjoy reading the book.
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Post by Deval Sodha »

The writing style of the author is amazing. One gets glued to the book due to it.
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Post by Chigo Nwagboso »

The writing style was engaging from the very beginning. This is one thing g I admire in reading books, because when the book isn't catchy early, I begin to loose interest. That's genius of the author.
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Post by adhambakry »

I totally agree with you, the tinge of mystery in this book has made it very engaging and mesmerising.
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