I need to read a couple of sci-fi novels written in third person limited [multiple characters] to absorb the stylistics.
Can anyone make any recommendations from modern works?
Thanks,
Brian!
Posted by Betsy (Member # 1486) on :
Brian, Go to the link I posted in the Suggestions thread. You can pick from a pull-down menu, and find pretty much what you are looking for. Sean Russell's THE ONE KINGDOM and especially THE ISLE OF BATTLE have 3rd person limited, with many different perspectives. You won't be able to put them down, so you will get what you need quickly. Liz
Posted by DragynGide (Member # 1448) on :
Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler. OSC highly reccommends it in How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, and so do I. It's an excellent book, and has the POV you're wanting to study.
Shasta
Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :
The first one that comes to mind (because I read rather recently) is Xenocide by OSC. It has a slew of POV characters.
Shoot, I know I’ve read others… I’m just drawing a blank right now. If I have time later, I’ll do some rummaging through the collection.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Read anything by Louis McMaster Bujold, she's an excellent POV writer. Most of her books are from a single point of view, but Mirror Dance and Komarr use two POV characters in alternating chapters (one is a love story, the other is about the adventures of a man and his illegal clone who impersonates him, made possible partly because said man claims to be an illegal clone of himself in order to hide his true identity...'tis all very confusing). She has written a book with seven or eight POV characters, but I found it a little light for my taste.
Anyway, if you are not using a wandering POV (which you shouldn't use until you decide whether to cast it as epic renarrative, traditional, post-modern, or whathaveyou), then the rules of multiple character POV are the same as for single chapters of single character POV.
Posted by epiquette (Member # 1272) on :
I second the Wild Seed recommendation, but the first thing that came to my mind was Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. As much as I detest the content and drawn out plot, it may be just what you are looking for regarding technique.
Erk
Posted by Some Guy (Member # 1493) on :
Brain, Dude. What are you thinking? What website are you at? Orson Scott Card books. Any of them! Preferably something in the Ender's Game Series or the Ender's Shadow Series. They're the best! Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :
OK, two other Science Fiction titles with Multiple Third Limited POV’s (I think – this based on a quick flip and a memory of how the story unfolded -- been a while since I read these two). I personally found both to be enjoyable reads as well.
Dune by Frank Herbert 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
My favorite one to suggest for multiple character POVs (because it did the hopping from one set of characters to another quite a lot) is Vernor Vinge's A FIRE UPON THE DEEP.
Posted by Chronicles_of_Empire (Member # 1431) on :
Thanks for the recommendations, all. Will try to raise some money for shopping this week!
Posted by Chronicles_of_Empire (Member # 1431) on :
GZ -
Having re-read it, I think "Dune" reads as a Third Person Omniscient work.
HOWEVER it's proved extremely useful reading - the "how to become published" type books often lay stress on character conflicts and tensions. I noted that the only time Frank Herbert went into character thoughts was to communicate innner or outer tension.
Although sometimes melodramatic, I'm now trying to use the first chapters of "Dune" as a template for the rewriting.
Posted by Doc Brown (Member # 1118) on :
The Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournell is an excellent example. It illustrates the most important principles of multiple third person limited viewpoint books:
Mote makes the relative importance of all its viewpoint characters very clear, based on their "screen" time. This helps the reader have clear focus on who is the hero, and to understand the goals for which the reader should be cheering.
Mote shows the best example I know of why an author might introduce a new viewpoint character late in the book. Niven and Pournell had created a terrible disaster for Mote's climax. They wanted the reader to know the disaster was coming, but the main characters had to figure it out for themselves. The reader hung in breathless anticipation as the the disaster raced toward the main characters, who were slowly putting their scant pieces of the puzzle together. Could they possibly figure out this complex mystery in time?
The tension was delicious!
SPOILER:
To accomplish this in third person limited POV, Niven and Pournell introduced a new viewpoint character late in the book. The new character discovered the entire evil plot that was about to bear down on the heroes, then promptly died without telling anyone.
Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :
quote:Having re-read it, I think "Dune" reads as a Third Person Omniscient work.
Oops! I flipped through a bit more carefully last night and would have to agree. Like I said, it’s been a while since I read it, and I had just skimmed a few random pages to look for the POV. Must have gotten lucky with ones with only one person’s thoughts on them.
