> Please give me your opinion on what you like to read in a fantasy novel or short story. I will write one so that is why I am conducting this survey. Thankz.

Maybe it's too late, or maybe not.

In novels, I like hideously complicated plots. Tie them in knots and put them in the dryer on high, add a dash of reversals and a pinch of revelations, serve with a steady rise in interest utilizing several mini-climaxes, followed by relief sequences, but in an unmistakeably relentless upward progression culminating in a ridiculously nerve-wracking and giddy climax with a tidy wrap-up of all but one or two loose ends at the end. Leave a few mysteries unexplained flatly in the text, but hide adequate clues in the form of scattered details.

I like unique and engaging characters. Characters are vital--they can hold up a lousy story or sink a great one. Each should have a perceptibly different style of speech and modus operandi which matches the characterization given them. Don't go overboard with outrageous or farcical characters, but don't underwhelm by making them too ho-hum. Then again, if a character is only a device for symbolism or foreshadowing, it's perfectly fine and necessary to make them dominated by a single attribute. Thus, the character should be no one we've ever met, but someone whom we certainly might.

In fantasy and sci-fi novels, I like worlds that are much the same as the way I like my characters. I want to be taken somewhere I've never been, never seen or heard of, perhaps never dreamt of, but I don't want it's uniqueness to be the focal point of the story. Ideally, it should be both foreign and familiar.

I like the books I read to bring out a bit of philosophy or a new perspective on an old subject. It's best when these aren't tangents but actually relevant to character development, and worked into the plot well enough that it's not clearly a time-out in the story. Humor should derive from the situation and the characters, not jokes or silly gags.

The text should not draw attention to itself; it should be the window between the reader and what is happening. Use the best word available, but avoid high-flown constructions. Metaphors are wonderful as long as they aren't contrived or clichéd. Make sure word choice fits the setting! Modern language like "electrifying" is counterproductive in medievel-type fantasy.

gab"I know what it is I like, now I just have to find it"by