Series--thrill or threat?

[sartorias]

Over at the Tor.com site, Jane Lindskold talks about series and stand-alones. The nice thing is, she doesn't sneer. I've taken to avoiding the sneer posts. Most of the time they just slang fat fantasy altogether (lumping it all together) or point to one or two examples that the poster didn't like, and again assuming they are All The Same. Life's

Comments

[danceswithwaves]

So I'm commenting again, but I think it's an interesting topic, and something my back-brain has been thinking about recently.

Even within the roman fleuve type of series, I break it down into two more categories: an epic series and a non-epic series. (Serialized series are inherently non-epic.) This is a somewhat subjective definition with grey areas, but my basic definition is that an epic series is generally at least three books (often more), generally has more character POVs (and has at least 2 POVs, normally 3 or more), and has a world mind-set where the characters often cross countries and are fighting to save at least their country, if not the world. In order to be epic, a series must have two, if not all, of these things.

I think the world mind-set is the most important part to that. And I mean that the book as a whole cares more about the pattern of characters' lives than what the characters think or how they act individually. This is not saying that epic characters are allowed to be bland, just that the story doesn't

[sartorias]

I think I know where you're coming from. My own perception of epic goes back to reading the Eldar Eddas and Beowulf and so on. Those tales did have characterization, but in such tiny bits, buried under obscure cultural clues and custom. Then along came Dunsany and the quest tales and many called those epic, which kind of blurred the definition for me.

I tend to avoid the term now, because I don't quite trust it. By some definitions, Gormenghast is epic--and in others' view, it's anti-epic. Eddison is sometimes seen as epic, others say no. Ditto about Tolkien. That's a quest tale, and it draws on bits of the northern epics, but to me, it has a strong focus on character, like you mention. So I think of those as broad or big canvas fantasy, though that's an unsatisfactory term, too. But these big stories get divided up into volumes, and sometimes they have totally unsatisfactory endings, a la Two Towers because of the exigencies of publishing

[danceswithwaves]

I think... I think the time between books matters more for roman fleuve stories than for serialization stories. Because you're left hanging more. So I guess then it would be better if they all came out at once.

But if you asked me if I'd rather wait for a new series four years and have the full series or get a new book every year and have to wait, I think it would depend on if I knew the author or not. If I know the author I'd probably say have a book every year, but if I didn't know the author I'd probably say I'd wait.

[sartorias]

*nod*

I don't know what I'd say. I've loved discovering series once they all came out, but if I get into a series that's in the middle of appearing, I have NO self control about waiting until the last volume is out!

[sartorias]

Oh boy, are you and I tuned in to the same bat station. Wow.

[jade_sabre_301]

Can I friend you/be friended and read these Tolkien posts? Because the whole thing--his whole attitude of being a transcriber--heck, the whole way he approached Middle Earth--has always fascinated me.

Man, every time I read these posts, and then the comments, I am reminded of how much more critical reading and research I really ought to be doing. *g*

[nyssa_p]

I'll just echo the hating of 'lag between books' that was mentioned in the article. It's horrible! Readers are not patient creatures (just ask my partner how many times a day I ask if my christmas present of a WII is in stock yet to go pick up :P)

In Australia, the big spec fic authors here usually publish one (sometimes even two) books a year, and it's very easy to keep up, I don't need to re-read them.
For J V Jones, for all that I enjoy her books, the latest one took so long that I had to go back and read the series. And everyone is getting on GRRM's case, whinging about the time it's taking to do ADWD. It's very hard because there are a lot of rabid fans eagerly awaiting it, and they're calling for blood now. http://grrrm.livejournal.com/ - They're actually getting nasty now (personally I like nasty humour, but I know not everyone does).

I have little idea where this rant was going, but I need more coffee! *ZIIIIING!*

[sartorias]

LOL!!!

[cedunkley]

Well there are really two types of series

[sartorias]

I like that about serial and series...though I've seen the two terms swapped, and I've seen people refuse to use serial because it reminds them of the old Saturday morning cliff-hangers.

[danceswithwaves]

That's an interesting perspective to WoT, and I think it makes sense. Perhaps that's one reason why I kept with the story and enjoyed it for the other characters when I felt like Rand's character changed in a not-too-convincing way. The problem, then, is that WoT definitely starts out as Rand's story, with other characters brought in as secondary, so when the boundary fades and it becomes more along the lines of many main characters, rather that one, people get confused/annoyed/denied expectations. Though the end of an Age part is apparent from the beginning...

[paragraphs]

My first attempt at writing fantasy was several years ago. Now I know it was a fat fantasy...it was broad, meandering, a gazillion characters, was wicked and cruel and and and and and...I loved it, my characters, so many of the passages I wrote so much. I wasn't bored, in fact writing was pure heaven back then. I made the decision at a point to share it with some fantasy-writing friends who kept asking to see--that decision had a very painful result when the now former friends slashed it to ribbons--and my heart in the process. I guess I believed them (that it 'wasn't working') because I stopped working on it

[sartorias]

I think that's a great idea, telling the story of one character first. It gives you a structure, and you can branch out from there.

[paragraphs]

*hugs