call this a kind of research...

I guess the thing I look for most are good characters. I read a lot of Anne McCaffrey's books, particularly the Pern series, and find that her characters are so completely real and human, they come to life as I read. The dragons are wonderful creatures, very plausible and the background to Pern is well thought out and very realistic. I cannot bear long-winded and highly pseudo techincal writing, particularly in sci-fi

I do agree with recycledgoth that a lot has to do with the characters. Where you identify with him, want to root for them or hate them depending on if they are good or bad guys. They need to be believable as well. For myself I also like storylines that are believable or at least consistant. If it's an altered reality you need to figure it all out first so that you can be true to it. Also keep time lines consistent. If they are riding for example they are not going to go a hundred miles in a couple of hours type thing. You have to be consistent to that factor. One thing I do not like in fantasy novels or any novels for that matter is when they give character's names where you have no clue on how to pronounce it. Where it's too foriegn to figure out. I like some description of characters and geography but I do hate when writers go on for three pages on it. Something I do like though is a mix of things in there. Some comedy, some drama, some action, a mix of it all so that you don't get overwhelmed with one aspect. I hope this helps.

Hello Rhapsody1851, Fantasy is not my first choice, but really good fantasy does follow a particular recipe. All three previous responses point out key ingredients in that recipe. For example, the unrecognizability of names is a big turn off. Relatability is a must. Although that does not mean that the characters must emuluate human behavior. But, if they don't then the explanation of other type behaviors must be presented in a way that either compares or contrasts with typical human behavior. I'll further add that if an alternate reality is created, that if the story is told by either a first person narrator, or a third person omniscient, either must be able to bridge the reader to the other-worldly characters and their other-worldly behaviors. I find that fantasy writers all too often get caught up in their own perception of the other world. And, make the disastrous mistake of assuming that the reader will fall right through the looking glass into the other-world. I find that a useful literary tool is to introduce the reader to the banality of other-worldly mundane tasks. Of course, if the mundane in the other world is extraordinary to our world, then the writer has created an immediate lure for the reader. One that capitalizes on the powerful human emotion - desire, longing, or lust for the extraordinary. If the mundane of the other world is not extraordinary, then the writer must create a commonality between the character and the reader. Another successful tool is to create a shared emotional disatisfaction with the need to attend to the mundane. As for the antagonist, I tend to be more drawn to an antagonist who is faced with a moral dilemma. I prefer to be witness to the degradation of the antagonist's soul. So, rather than an all evil character, I find myself more drawn to a character who I can relate to in some ways. Then be privy to the moment and it's respective decisions that turn the antagonist irreparably to the dark. In other words, I really like there to be a moral to any good story. I don't just want to be entertained, I want to be given the opportunity to learn from the story.

a good fantasy novel should be like any other novel. it should have characters you can identify with, a plot that captures you, and the story should flow. i can't stand a hesitant or jerky plot....and please, don't make that first chapter boring just for the details. we can pick them up as we go along!

it's hard for me tell what i dont like in a fantasy novel so i'll just give an example of what i really like. in a fantasy novel, the description of the place and time must be clearly perceptible that if you close your eyes you can picture whatever was being describe. and also if there is a thing with a strange name, it would help if you describe what it is such as a muggle=a term use by wizards to describe human. i dont like too many characters. if a fantasy novel would require many characters, then at least only describe the important characters with depth. and i like the protagonist to have a distinct character that would seperate him from other. also, i dont like really long conversations, a fast phase novels is what i like.