Babel Clash

Hey Paul,

I look at genre hopping and genre blending as two very separate things.  Dan Simmons is a classic hopper.  He bounces from science fiction to mystery to horror.  Since he does it all well, that’s okay with me.  On the plus side, hopping exposed his work to different audiences and opened a potentially larger reader base.  On the down side, his die-hard SF or horror fan might decide to take a pass on something out of genre.  Hey, I don’t blame them.  There’s only so much time in the day, and it is natural to prioritize those titles in your favorite genre.

The hopping can inhibit an author’s growth initially.  That’s purely a matter of shelf-space.  If an author has 10 books on the shelf, all beside each other, than that author is more likely to attract a shopper’’s attention.  If the books are scattered all over a store, in multiple categories, it is harder to grab that impulse browser.  Of course, that’s a bricks & mortar challenge more than an online one.

I’m in favor of genre blending if executed well and communicated well to the customer.  If the author is writing experimental work for the sake of experimentation or breaking down genre borders, then I tend to be less interested.  If the author is creating a great story with fantastic characters and breaks down genre barriers at the same time, then I’m more excited.

Stephen King’s Dark Tower is my favorite example of a great genre-blender.  It’s a Western - Fantasy - Science Fiction - Horror series.  He pulls it off.  Sure, that’s concept, but King’s talent also has something to do with it.

It will be interesting to see if Terry Goodkind’s fans eventually embrace his Law of Nines book.  It’s another genre-blender, walking a fine line between Thriller & Fantasy.  What’s everyone think?  Does the cover satisfactorially convey that it a Thriller, a Fantasy novel, and an excellent read for fans of either genre?