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Re: Mine too! Danae al'Thor Send a noteboard - 14/09/2010 06:34:25 PM
I'd argue that it's not a thriller, since it doesn't rely quite as heavily on certain specific thriller tropes - but the lack of certain horror tropes makes it harder to be fanatical about it. :)

If the scary comes purely from people, without any suggestion of something supernatural, I call it a thriller. If not, horror. Though admittedly that leaves me with movies like "Scream" that one would be inclined to call horror even though it's all just people. But people wearing that freaky inhuman mask, so it still kind of works.

What thriller tropes would you say are missing?
Read it anyway, Rebekah, and make sure Tim's around to give you hugs after!

Indeed.


I'd say that a thriller tends to have a plan, which is slightly different from horror - in true horror, the existence of the source of horror fuels the book - as in Misery or that car thing - there're things that can be found out, but very little in the way that can be solved - unless we mean the wholesale destruction of said horrific thing.

Thrillers tend to have their plots fuelled by the plan of some person, thing, organisation - I think of thrillers as more organised sort of plots in general. And thus, when stopping the bad thing that is happening in the thriller, I tend to think there's more mopping up to do (whether we see it or not) after the bad guy/person/institution/thing is stopped. If you survive the horror, you walk away, end of story.

Which is very vague of me, and King himself has loads of books that overlap between both definitions, except they're not always as scary. Senseless things are always more frightening, since we can rationalise them. <is huddled in blanket>
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~Roh
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Who's up for a wee challenge? - 12/09/2010 06:11:38 PM 2194 Views
I'm in! - 12/09/2010 06:46:40 PM 1559 Views
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My local library didn't have any of these authors.. - 13/09/2010 02:53:55 PM 1540 Views
Another option, then. - 21/09/2010 06:31:59 PM 1416 Views
One of my favourites - 23/09/2010 05:13:38 PM 1394 Views
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Hmmmmmmm. - 13/09/2010 05:46:18 PM 1509 Views
Re: Hmmmmmmm. - 13/09/2010 09:40:14 PM 1542 Views
Sounds good. Sci Fi / Fantasy *NM* - 12/09/2010 10:34:31 PM 846 Views
For some reason - 13/09/2010 03:38:40 AM 1453 Views
I just read that. - 15/09/2010 12:48:06 AM 1520 Views
I don't need a new challenge. I've already reviewed a yaoi - 12/09/2010 10:39:00 PM 1394 Views
I'm not sure we need to share that kind of pain. *NM* - 12/09/2010 10:39:57 PM 825 Views
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Fulfilling bets is not a good thing, sometimes - 12/09/2010 11:18:21 PM 1621 Views
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Haven't read it yet - 14/09/2010 05:40:37 AM 1521 Views
I win! - 14/09/2010 06:27:12 PM 1527 Views
why not? - 13/09/2010 02:32:37 AM 1679 Views
OK. The Collector by John Fowles. - 13/09/2010 06:26:58 PM 1426 Views
I'll do it, as long as it's a book I can find easily. - 13/09/2010 03:00:02 AM 1584 Views
Got one for ya. - 13/09/2010 01:38:38 PM 1485 Views
Sweet - 13/09/2010 02:30:15 PM 1476 Views
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I'm sure I can find it. - 14/09/2010 12:51:41 AM 1336 Views
- 15/09/2010 06:09:01 PM 1541 Views
I swear posted to tell you that I found it. - 05/10/2010 08:44:00 PM 1374 Views
I have a book you might like. - 13/09/2010 06:42:50 PM 1468 Views
Thanks. - 14/09/2010 12:50:16 AM 1460 Views
Dude. - 05/10/2010 08:44:33 PM 1557 Views
Re: Dude. - 05/10/2010 08:48:33 PM 1725 Views
Found it, and am reading it. - 18/07/2011 08:07:48 PM 1621 Views
Sci-Fi/Fantasy - 13/09/2010 05:45:26 AM 1585 Views
A short book for you, then. - 13/09/2010 06:29:41 PM 1465 Views
Sure, could be fun. - 13/09/2010 03:39:19 PM 1515 Views
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Vathek at least shouldn't be too difficult - 13/09/2010 05:55:08 PM 1498 Views
Well, found and read it now... - 18/07/2011 08:33:08 PM 1785 Views
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That's easy - 13/09/2010 06:49:12 PM 1505 Views
Need a mental break? - 14/09/2010 01:12:08 AM 1468 Views
I'm willing to CONSIDER it...but what would people recommend for me? - 13/09/2010 09:54:32 PM 1430 Views
The Bone People by Keri Hulme. - 13/09/2010 10:05:59 PM 1492 Views
Oh, I have a few you might want to research - 13/09/2010 10:15:08 PM 1583 Views
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I should join in too. - 13/09/2010 10:13:58 PM 1409 Views
I realize this is the cliché suggestion, but there's a good reason for that... - 13/09/2010 10:18:17 PM 1263 Views
Oh yes. I've read that. - 13/09/2010 10:19:50 PM 1391 Views
You and Tim told me to read it! - 13/09/2010 11:58:39 PM 1450 Views
You should totally read it. - 14/09/2010 10:21:36 AM 1443 Views
Oh, I know the perfect sort of book for you then - 13/09/2010 10:18:54 PM 1255 Views
Pffft! Reading stuff other people haven't heard of isn't outside my comfort zone! - 13/09/2010 10:26:13 PM 1431 Views
Both are Penguin Classics - 13/09/2010 10:30:22 PM 1445 Views
Re: Stephen King's Misery. - 14/09/2010 05:37:51 PM 1400 Views
Good call. Great book. - 14/09/2010 06:17:21 PM 1437 Views
Re: It is scary. Scarier than most of his others. - 14/09/2010 06:21:48 PM 1545 Views
The line in my head between thriller and horror is fairly simple... - 14/09/2010 06:28:36 PM 1398 Views
Re: Mine too! - 14/09/2010 06:34:25 PM 1341 Views
Dunno if it counts as Horror per se - 22/09/2010 07:37:17 PM 1308 Views
The Stress of Her Regard by Tom Powers *NM* - 29/09/2010 05:13:32 PM 778 Views
I like the title. - 29/09/2010 09:34:29 PM 1513 Views
OK then - 14/09/2010 02:55:58 AM 1490 Views
How romance is romance? - 15/09/2010 06:13:21 PM 1317 Views
You tell me. - 15/09/2010 08:57:58 PM 1580 Views
I don't read romance either, so I'm having trouble. - 15/09/2010 09:23:04 PM 1512 Views
I agree with nossy re Austen. - 21/09/2010 06:34:10 PM 1514 Views
Yes, I love that book. - 23/09/2010 05:03:29 PM 1264 Views
Ok, I now have Persuasion! - 24/09/2010 03:16:41 AM 1389 Views
I don't read them either, but I did once read a Danielle Steel book - 23/09/2010 11:51:52 PM 1458 Views
I might do that sometime - 24/09/2010 03:19:27 AM 1408 Views
Re: I might do that sometime - 24/09/2010 05:55:20 PM 1483 Views
Alright, I'm in. I read mostly Fantasy with a smattering of Sci-Fi. - 15/09/2010 07:09:26 PM 1503 Views
Two options, then. - 21/09/2010 06:30:38 PM 1541 Views
I do believe I'll go with Holmes. For two reasons - 22/09/2010 07:34:37 PM 1406 Views
Re: Two options, then. - 23/09/2010 05:06:31 PM 1357 Views
I've begun Holmes. Read the first two or three "Adventures" so far. I've been liking it. *NM* - 28/09/2010 06:53:38 PM 770 Views
That's fabulous. - 29/09/2010 04:50:34 PM 1336 Views
I've completed my assignment. - 04/10/2010 08:57:49 PM 1437 Views
Re: I've completed my assignment. - 04/10/2010 11:42:46 PM 1297 Views
I might just do that. As long as it doesn't lead to any more 3 digit expenditures. *NM* - 05/10/2010 07:29:03 PM 799 Views
3 digit expenditures? - 05/10/2010 07:30:17 PM 1480 Views
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My wife thought it was a joke at first, too. *NM* - 05/10/2010 08:57:25 PM 808 Views
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