When there are a lot of characters, do you get confused?

[Chancie]

I'm sure we've all read that one book (I'm asking about books only, not games/animes/etc.) where there were a TON of characters in it.

When you read books with say, more than 4 to 5 characters, do you get confused easily or can you keep them all straight?
The reason I ask is because I'm writing a story now and I have many characters that I've written about for a long time, but I'm trying to find the right balance how many to use.

So, what would you say is your "max limit" of characters?

 

[hittite]

Sometimes. It depends on how developed they are. If a character is just introduced and not really characterized, I have no way to really tell them from the rest of the cast. That gets really confusing real quick.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Not really.

I love Books/Manga/Games with a lot of GOOD characters.

Iv never really kept count though...so i couldn't help you there.

It all really depends if you can give each character enough Development time without holding up the plot.
Play around with a number and see how many character you can make without loosing track or leaving any behind.

 

[The Random One]

No, not with books. But I have to imagine what's happening in my head or I lose track of who's who. I don't do that with all books, but if I try reading an Agatha Christie mystery novel without doing it I get completely and utter lost.

That said, if you succesfully read One Hundred Years of Soliture by Marquez you are immune from that for the rest of your life.

 

[delet]

Only if I'm unfortunate enough to be forced to read the series broken up, say over the course of a few years. Otherwise I'm fine.

For example: Harry Potter. Because each book came out later and later after the other, and because I steadfastly hate rereading books (I can see why sometimes, but the material tends to stick in my head long enough that this becomes redundant) so I ended up not knowing half the characters in those books...

 

[Marter]

No, I don't have trouble remembering characters for books/movies/games I deeply enjoy.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

Yes, depending on the story.
In the Dune series the characters are so very real, and complex, and unique, and identifiable, that I can tell you who they are right away. In fact, I can tell you why Gurney plays a Lute, why the Baron is fat, why the Bene Gesserit are such feminists, etc etc.
If I hear Maud Dib, I immediatly think these things:
Prophet
God
Orphan
Freman
Vicious
etc...
(Oh dear, sorry for the gush)

But when it comes to insanly complex books with little to no character development?
Meh, they don't really matter anyway.

 

[Vergast]

It really depends.

All of a sudden at the begining of a book really puts me off. Like:
'Dude, son of That-guy, traveled to meet Dudeson, the man who Dude and Fella had once did that thing with. That thing where they met Love-interest and Obvious-bad-guy in Another-persons' house.

I once read a book where there was like 10 people in a room and all were given names but only like 3 were important and talking alot and so when the other ones butted in on the convo i had to pause a sec and think who they were. It might have helped if teh author had done something like:
'This is outragous!' bellowed his many chins bouncing benith his elaberate mustache.
Instead of: 'This is outrageous!' bellowed . shot him a glance.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

Have you read the Song and of Ice and Fire series, they have a 40 page appendix dedicated to all the characters.

 

[Vnwater]

Harry potter, the series of books were so spread out in their release that after a year or less I already forgotten all of Harry's buds.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

I usually don't have a problem with it, except its set in Russia or Asia and every name looks the same (like in Tolstoi's works sometimes).
Alexandr Alexandrowitsch met Alexej Alexondrawitsch an Alex Alexondorski with his best friend Alexejndr Aloxandrejitsch and wtf? (exaggerating of course)

 

[Lord Beautiful]

It only becomes a problem when many are introduced at once. For example, in The Name of the Wind (a book you should fucking buy now), the professors at the University are all introduced so quickly that I couldn't remember who had what characteristics until many chapters later.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Only when they are properly established. I HATE IT when characters are introduced alll at once, and your immediately have to start caring for them. Characterized them first!

Done Well: One Piece, Persona 3 and 4, Naruto (To an extent),
Done Badly: Bleach, Gantz ( Alot of characters weren't even that important to begin with, so excused) Xenosaga series

 

[DefunctTheory]

I once read a book (Can't remember what it was called) where the two main characters had the same name. The only way to distinguish them was by WHO they were talking to.

Shitty. Author.

EDIT: There is no max. Dan Abnett can make me care about 12+ people at a time (Gaunt's Ghost). THAT'S how it should be done.

 

[Psychophante]

It depends how well written it is.

 

[Yureina]

Not really. Worst thing is that in movies/animes I forget the names of characters, but I usually pick them up again before the end.

 

[latenightapplepie]

I'm struggling with this very issue at the moment with The Count of Monte Cristo. The fact that I don't read it consistently doesn't help.