I just finished Sandman Slim, the first of a popular series by Richard Kadray, which I found wanting, because as a reader I demand a sympathetic viewpoint character and his I just couldn't warm up to. Last night I dipped my toes into Johannes Cabal The Necromancer, and again confronted a main character that I found unappealing. Obviously, I'm missing something here, and I fear that lack of popular sensibilities limits my ability to write popular fiction.
The same problem transcends fantasy. James Ellroy's crime fiction strikes me the same way. I sloughed my way through his 900-page The Cold Six Thousand, waiting to find a character I could care about.
This doesn't mean the mc needs to be a comic-book hero. I was more than willing to walk in Lee Harvey Oswald's shoes in Libra by Don DeLillo. Although I didn't admire the main character, I was able empathize with his journey.
I try very hard to keep current with music, not wanting to be one of those old fogies who refuse to credit any music written since Jimi Hendrix's demise. I make the same effort with science fiction and fantasy, but can't find traction with many of the authors, such as China Mieville (The City & The City excepted) or Kim Stanley Robinson. If I don't enjoy the writing of those who lead the market, how I can expect to write fiction that finds similar success?
