Ensemble casts.

[onyxhawke]

I happen to like them. Sometimes. When done right they are able to give the reader a far more complete view of the universe the writer has taken them too than any single character could do. When done wrong, they are just as deplorable as single character narratives that fail to make the grade. Some of the best fiction SF/F has produced in the last few decades has had an ensemble cast. The balance between a single character dominated, but still multiple point of view character book like Magician by Raymond Feist, or something with something nearer a plurality of viewpoints like Shadow of Saganami David Weber. Personally, I'd like to see a lot more of ensemble casts in the future.* Unfortunately, not all writers can pull off the admittedly difficult trick of having four or five characters that are each well developed enough to hold your attention, different enough for their to be an excuse to have that many co-leads, and keep all the plot lines relevant and entwined enough to make a coherent story in a well paced, book of some publishable length.

Anyone got a good writer of ensemble casts they'd like to recommend? Well, other than Dave Freer, although y'all can recommend him too.

*Note, this does not mean send me everything you've written with seventy nine viewpoint characters, it means (as always) send me the best you've written.