Week 6 Assignment #1:
For my genre link, I chose Tor.com, and for those who are unfamiliar with it, Tor has been a publisher for sci-fi/ fantasy for many years, and over time, the company has been bought and sold many times. Thus, I was glad to see a current blog site associated with this venerable name doing good work on the genre.
The first part of any site I like to review is the interface itself. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but with so many options these days, the physical look and feel of a site can directly impact the user’s experience. For instance, I know folks love Earlyword.com, and it is a good site, but looking at its clutter and crowded visuals just give me so much anxiety... it's too far jumbled for me to want to navigate. Tor.com, on the other hand, is very balanced and uncluttered, with the graphics being bold without being overwhelming. As for the content, it does a really good job balancing the various aspects of sci-fi/ fantasy, which so many people just lump together into a single genre. The reviews are well thought of and treat the subjects with respect (which again, sci-fi/ fantasy often lacks). In addition, the inclusion of the books with their multimedia "partners" just makes sense... from touching on the tv and movie adaptations to the re-reads of the classics, it keeps the genre relevant to the classic fan, the modern reader AND viewer.
Week 6 Assignment #2:
Prezi sheet
Week 6 Assignment #3:
Paranormal Romance - Lord of the Wolfyn/ Jessica Anderson
Paranormal romances are romances, yes, which means that the characters are usually from different worlds or opposites in some way, which can ratchet up the interior psychological aspect, but the paranormal aspect lends itself to fantastical situations that often utilize long-held romantic or erotic archetypes... vampires, ghosts, and the like. This allows a more escapist form of reading that many readers will enjoy - while still allowing them to return back to their own worlds when closing the cover. Most books in this genre are fast paced, but the deft romance writer will be aware of the language... too often, if they try to "educate" the reader in the new world with a whole new vocabulary, the reader can get lost and lose the focus in the plot or dialogue. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the focus of the story is not just about the romance, but the need to transcend the two different worlds so that the romance can succeed.
Culinary Capers - Diane Mott Davidson
Usually, culinary capers tend to feature quirky and charming characters that are very memorable, and the plotting, while a bit more intricate that most mysteries, is still comprehendible. The locales are also quirky and overly charming (think Cabot Cove), and less urbane than the big city. The dialogue is more external and there is less introspection, as plot drives this engine. And, as the name implies, there is usually a theme that rarely rises to the level of world-threatening scale, but still finds an importance in a person’s life.
Psychological Horror - Dennis Lehane
The appeal of psychological horror is not just the presence of a villain, but more so the fact that our hero has some sort of tie (conscious or not) to that villain (or vice versa) and the realization that evil can be found in not just a monster (human or otherwise) but the main character as well. This revelation often drives the story with a brisk plot, but also ornate language. There can be a strong sense of gore, but more so, it's what the mind leaps to that is the true horror... as in film when the most terrifying scare is when you don't see the monster, maybe just a hand or an eye. The pacing is usually fast but the main voice is internalized, which leads to deeper characterization and broader descriptions of the plot and setting.
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