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I am an on-again-off-again SF reader. The genre has one thing I can't get anywhere else- the ability to create your own universe & set your own rules. But one thing always frustrates me enough to stop reading it: the series.
I usually pick up book 2 or 3, then try to find the first ones.
I hate waiting 3 years for the author to put a new one out.
I hate all the time author's spend recapping the last books. by book 6 you spend 3/4ths of the book explaining who's who & what happened in 1-5.
In case you are wondering, I just read the entire Alvin Maker series. I saw Crystal City in the Library & it caught my interest. I bought volumes 1-5, then finally got to Crystal City. I was starting to get dissapointed by 5, then 6 had no real plot develpment & too much character re-introduction. You can tell that OSC loves his characters, and wants to brag on them a little. That's OK, but they didn't do enough. The rule is "show,don't tell". Actions speak, instead he was just telling you about them& their unique abilities. I wanted to see them continue to grow & surprise me.
I thought the same about the last Ender books that I read years back. The first one was awsome. The next book he does less and less.
This is my 1st post, and it is sounding much more critical and negative than I wanted it to. But I just spent two weeks reading the series, and feel a little ripped off, and now I have to wait years before seeing what happens next.
Any comments? Anyone read the King "Gunslinger" series- Has to be the worst offender.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Hmmm. Is this the reason that I'm not as fond of the later Alvin books? I never could put my finger on it. The only thing I knew was that in Heartfire...nothing happened. Your explanation seems to make sense.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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My feeling with the Alvin Maker series is that the first two books constitute the biggest set (as in volleyball) in American literature. They are amazing. And then . . . how can you possible come up with a payoff that will live up to it? The concept of the Crystal City--heck, Alvin's whole life--All we see at first is their promise. When Card actually tries to write about it, how can it not be a letdown? How can Alvin's accomplishments live up to the potential we see in him? How can the Crystal City? If Card could have done it justice, I think it would have far outshined Ender's Game as a writing accomplishment. Instead, we have to settle for four or five good to very good books that follow two amazing ones. Hey, better that than nothing.
-o-
As far as your general comment on series: I see that as a much bigger problem with fantasy than with science fiction. Fantasy series don't ever seem to end. Forget King . . . can we talk Jordan? Goodkind??
Posts: 1112 | Registered: Jan 2003
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When was he "just telling you about [the characters]and their unique abilities? I'm honestly really surprised to read that, because one of the reasons that OSC is one of my favorite authors is because he developes his characters so well without haveing to take the Ian Fleming route and talk about their bold actions and daring souls. But he also doesn't go all Hemingway and almost never let us inside the character's thoughts.
I do sort of see what you mean about OSC loving his characters, but IMHO that's another thing which makes his writing good, not bad. I think that it is in Characters & Viewpoint when he says that for a character to 'work' the reader has to kind of like them, or at least sympathize with them. Or something like that. And I think that it's true. Otherwise you would want to avoid them and not read the book, just like you wouldn't want to talk to a real person that you thought was a jerk or who makes you feel embarrassed for them. I hate to read the first two books in Tamora Pierce's Daine series because (kind of a spoiler) ........I can't stand Daine's complete lack of confidance and her tip-toe-ing around. I just end up wanting to shake her and scream at her that she shouldn't start on the assumption that everyone hates her. Of course, I probably have no right to give advice that I don't follow, but whatever...
Anyway, I do completely agree with you on this point: It is PAINFUL to be stuck on a cliffhanger with nothing to do but speculate on the contents of the next book.
Welcome to Hatrack!
Posts: 866 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Some quotes from Uncle Orson's Writing Class: (I hope this is kosher)
quote: And you did this because ... of those morons who told you "show don't tell"? Because motivation is unshowable. It must be told. (In fact, most things must be told.) The advice "show don't tell" is applicable in only a few situations -- most times, most things, you tell-don't-show. I get so impatient with this idiotic advice that has been plaguing writers for generations.
Motivation is precisely the one thing that cannot be shown. What movies do -- using dialogue or most-obvious-assumed-motive to communicate motive is actually not very good because there are no shades or subtleties and rarely can be (it just takes so darn much screen time!). It's one of the reasons why movies simply aren't very good at subtle motivation, and constantly have to reach for obvious audience sympathies .. . . .
In fact, this is what film does ... it shows you what the character is seeing so you know the connection he's making. But remember, the cinematic point of view is weak in novels. So ... show-don't-tell is a really bad idea, except in the scenes that you choose to show because they are the key scenes that give the drama.
So, OSC disagrees with you. Maybe that's it.
But I agree with you. I loved the first 3 Alivin books, but the latter three don't do as much for me. I was dissapointed to hear that he was writing Crystal City, because while I knew I would enjoy it, I would probably enjoy a different novel from him more.
But it's not just an OSC problem. It is very rare to have a series that doesn't loose steam and dissapoint by the end. As I think about it, I can think of only one -- OSC's Shadow series.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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I agree to a certain exstent.... I love almost all of OSC's work, but your right, crystal city was a little more drab. It didn't excite me as much as the rest. The series that I have the biggest problem with that is, the shadow series. Shadow of the Hegemon is arguabley my favorite book of all times, butShadow puppets was really really lacking. My best friend is reading it right now, and she is equally bored with it. She told me that Petra seeems to be a completley different person, which I can see and agree with. She was just getting really frusterated that Petra wasn't the wondrfully amazing character that she remembered.
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Your explanation seems to make sense.
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