How Important Is Dialogue...?

[kale]

Recently I've been putting books down purely because of the lack of credible dialogue that exists within the story. The writing can be suffused with lucidity and good depth in atmosphere, but once a character speaks and the words are just wrong the book loses its appeal.
I've noticed this can develop in authors over the length of a successful career. Stephen King certainly springs to mind along with Tad Williams and various others who ,at the moment, I wont try to defame. One author who I can happily let get away with this is Richard Laymon. His novels are so outlandish and caricatured the dialogue fits snugly into place.
I'm just wondering/speculating whether this is a singular trait/problem that I've developed or is it more widely spread amongst other readers?
I do apologise if a similar thread is on the loose somewhere in the forums but I can't seem to find one.

[Fried Egg]

Dialogue for me is very important in a story. I love reading the verbal interactions between characters, particularly when the dialog is driving the story and resolving conflict.

[Allegra]

I think dialogue is very important for characterization, more so than description. Often no need to be long, a few words can portray a character vividly.

[Connavar]

I think it depends the type of story and writer.

For example a good fast paced,hardboiled first person crime book doesnt need great dialouge. Plot,characters are much more important

But a book that is more about character interactions or the story takes places in the emotions of the characters its hugely important. A PKD wouldnt be the same if the characters talked in very bad dialouges.

[pyan]

Originally Posted by Connavar

For example a good fast paced, hardboiled first person crime book doesnt need great dialogue.

Surely a book in the first person is nothing but dialogue, between the character and the reader?

[Coolhand]

Originally Posted by Connavar

I think it depends the type of story and writer.
.

Nailed it. Personally I love reading witty, well written dialouge, but I can forgive middle of the road "it does the job" dialouge as long as other interesting things are going on in a book. BAD dialouge however, really drags me out of a story, to the point where I've sometimes put the book down.