Too macho?

I’m reading the steel remains by Richard Morgan… 200 pages in and although i’m very much enjoying it, I can’t help thinking he’s maybe overplayed the violence side of it all. Because it really is … Detailed… Gritty… Disturbing… Lots of intestine spilling, Impalements and the like, all described in lingering detail.

The tale of the birds is violent, but I glossed over some of what could have been the worst parts. Perhaps not great in terms of realism, but I’m not sure how much delight typical fantasy readers take in magnified close up descriptions of murder and mutilation. Certainly, the very grittiness of the ten thousand by Paul Kearney slightly put me off.

Possibly there’s a place for a bit of sleight of hand when writing violence, maybe even telling not showing, or even just hinting.

Mind you, like I said, I am enjoying the steel remains. But it is very violent.

Tags: books, fantasy, fantasy authors, fighting, gritty, heroic fantasy, violence

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