"Different approaches to different sub-genres seem, to me at least, to be difficult to avoid. I'm going to open a thriller with different expectations to those a drawing room cozy would presuppose, hence I can't help but have different reviewing criteria.
"Take thriller's - I've got two broad classifications for them. Totally over the top, wild ride, take your disbelief and hang it in the wardrobe type; and the creepy, leave the lights on, things could get hairy type. Of course, some books can switch between the two categories seamlessly without affecting your overall enjoyment.
"With the over the top style - I expect protagonist super-powers, opportune co-incidences and some level of ludicrous goings on. Provided the pace keeps up, and we're heading somewhere, I really don't care how unbelievable the whole thing can get. I'm less happy, however, if I detect something preachy or “message” based as that isn't consistent with the style as far as I'm concerned. In the creepy, possibly true style I expect less of the absolutely unfathomable. In these books I can happily live with a bit of geographical twisting, a subtle message, a dose of weapon / threat pretense - but ultimately, this sort of book has to sail very very close to the realistic or at least believable. The protagonist isn't totally super human - maybe a bit of mild super-hero powers - but never to the point where the reader is made to think this is getting a bit silly now.
"Possible disastrous consequences? Well I have been told that some thrillers which I thought were supposed to be the wild-silly ride type - weren't. Books I thought were supposed to be hilarious - weren't. In those cases I guess, for me at least, that possibly, just possibly, the books missed their intended mark."
-- Karen Chisholm, who describes herself as "very new to reviewing, dedicated reading fanatic who would rather read than do anything else, especially the stuff I'm supposed to be doing." Karen's reviews can be found at Australian Crime Fiction
"I think the answer to your question is an obvious "yes" but not in a rule-applied way--I just think a reviewer can't help but apply different criteria to different books. While characterization and plot applies across all genres, the various genres and subgenres have different qualities that are expected. These qualities include tone, handling of reality, events, types of characters, and cliches that are allowed and/or expected.
"You can't review a fantasy novel and hold it to the same standard/rules as you would a mundane mystery. You also can't compare a cross-genre mysery/paranormal to a regular mystery. It doesn't make sense.
"Readers have different expectations when they pick up a book and while the characters or story may not stay within the limits they expect, that's part of what a review can discuss--did the author stray outside the lines and if so, how far? Was it a good thing or not?
"I recently built myself an anthology of short stories over at www.anthologybuilder.com--I mixed mystery, cross-genre, sci-fi and fantasy. By the time I get the book, I won't remember which story belonged in which genre. I'm sure I'll be reading along wondering when a paranormal element is going to jump out of me--only to find by the end of the story that it's just a "regular" mundane mystery. If I'm expecting the mundane, a sudden fantasy element may throw me out of the story.
"It will be interesting to see how it affects my reading experience. I'm not sure whether I'll enjoy not knowing because I am a mood reader--I often pick up paranormal books because I am in the mood for that particular element. I'll either love the surprises or muddle through and rethink my strategy for buildng short-story collections on the fly!
"The only danger in applying different criteria to reviews is that someone unfamiliar with a genre may miss obvious points that an experienced reader might assume. For example, if I'm reviewing a 'tough guy thriller' I expect that the guy is a bit over the top-indestructible. That's why I would *call* it a tough guy thriller in the first place. But someone who has never read mysteries at all--never mind thrillers--might expect a book that was more realistic. We've run into some confusion on FBS when discussing different genres. There's a lot of fantasy readers that can't quite bring themselves to enjoy a mundane mystery--they keep *waiting* for something "different" or extraordinary or unusual. Or perhaps they expect an "adventure" and what they get is a simplistic plot with characters they consider too ordinary. So when a reviewer recommends a "mystery" they not only don't know what to expect, they are disappointed in it because in fantasy, we wouldn't necessarily review all the fantasical elements--they are *assumed.* The fantasy reader may "assume" or subconsciously wait for something that may not even exist in your average PI or mystery.
"So sure, that may be a danger, but it's hardly a disaster."
Maria reviews for Mystery Bookspot. Her website is Bear Mountain Books.
