So his decision to assign several pages to these descriptions only succeeded in frustrating me. This got me thinking about the tight rope authors have to walk in this arena. For a fantasy novel to work, you must successfully bring the setting to life in the mind of the reader. But I’ve recently realized that people don’t read the same way.

Some readers are simply not visual. Complex descriptions of weather and landscapes and buildings mean nothing to them. They just want the basics; whether it’s hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, green or barren.  I don’t understand that. How do you read fantasy without bringing the fictional world to life in your mind? But you also have people who fall on the other end of this spectrum.

They understand what a pine forest smells like, what the presence of hydrangeas says about a setting, the sensation certain fabrics produce when you rub against them. You have to construct a convoluted puzzle of physical elements in their minds to make each scene pop. I don’t fall into that category. I endeavor to imagine the settings of every story I read.

But some descriptions are wasted on me. For instance, my eyes always glaze over the moment an author starts rattling off the names of tree, plant, and flower species.

Do you see where I wrote ‘Hydrangeas’ above? I had to Google types of ‘flowers’ to find that word. When I encounter such descriptions in novels, all I can see in my head is generic trees, flowers, and plants.

The names mean nothing to me, which is why I have no patience for these sections in novels. I have a similar experience whenever I read Steven Erikson’s Malazan books. The time he spends delving into the geological components of his story infuriates me because, personally, they serve no purpose.

I have heard other people complain about the sophisticated descriptions of food and fashion in fantasy, and I agree with them. I guess some of us just lack the imagination to bring the minutiae of these worlds to life.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have googled tree names to augment the detail in my imagination. But maybe the way one reads is irrelevant. The point is to be engrossed in the story.

If the descriptions enhance your experience, good; if you don’t care for them, just skim them. 

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