Readers of epic fantasies know that there are different kinds of series — where the story is too large to fit into one book, where each book in a series has a definite conclusion, but plays an important role in the final picture, where each book in the series is self-sufficient but is written in a common universe, and one where each book in the series is self-sufficient but is chronologically mixed up.
Books like J.R.R. Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings”, Amish Triparthi's “The Immortals of Meluha” or George R.R. Martin's “A song of Ice and Fire” fall into the first category. J.K. Rowling's “Harry Potter” series, Stephen King's “Dark Tower” series and Stephanie Meyer's “Twilight” series fall into the second category. Terry Pratchett's “Discworld” series and C.S. Lewis's “Chronicles of Narnia” fall into the last two categories.
The question is, why are these series so popular? Or as a corollary, one could ask, why authors write in series? “I think one of the biggest reasons why fantasy writers write in series is because it sells. People like the suspense and drama,” says lawyer and quizzer Sivakumar.
Amish of “The Immortals of Meluha” (of the Shiva Trilogy), has another take. “The point of fantasy is that it creates a world. Fantasy is not just about a story. And people take time to get used to a new world. This world will not work unless a there is a strong storyline. Naturally, this builds up into a trilogy or a series.”
Another more obvious reason is that the story is simply too long and needs several volumes to be completed satisfactorily. A classic example is “The Lord of the Rings” where the three volumes are in fact one book, though each of those volumes has a conclusion.
“I don't think authors set out to write a series. It depends on what they are planning to write. For example, Ashok Banker's ‘Ramayan' is being published in eight volumes. The story needs that much space, considering the amount of details to be worked in. I think multi-volume books are a happening and topical,” says Paul Vinay Kumar, Executive Editor, Westland books.
A key challenge that authors face while writing a fantasy series is that the description should not be too short as to appear shallow or become so long that it takes away from narrative. There are several elements that go into a novel. One is the landscape, which creates the world, then there have to be characters that fit into the landscape.
“I think trilogies and series have been around since the sixties. It is not something new. That's because these worlds are based on big ideas and these ideas need more material for them to be explored. Also readers want to see more of the characters in these worlds. The same thing happens in films. Some films come out in series because they tell the stories of these characters,” says author Samit Basu of who wrote the “Gameworld” trilogy.
The landscape helps create the depth in these characters. Most epic characters have characteristics, which are usually expressed through various happenings and not descriptions alone, which needs space.
Then there are the secondary characters, with their intense characteristics, who even if it is for a short while, contribute to the plot. For instance, the character of Neville Longbottom, in the Harry Potter series does not occupy much space in real time but ends up playing an important role.
Once the landscape and the characters are employed, one needs an engaging plot and narrative to weave the two elements together. There can be multiple threads to the plot that need to merge at the climax. In the “Twilight” series, the narrative switches between protagonist Bella and Jacob and congregate into a sort of a climax in the first part of the fourth book, “Breaking Dawn”.
“To bring all the elements together consistently to create an engaging story, needs time and space. It's what makes a reader familiar with the world and makes him want to revisit it. Readers need time to build rapport with the characters,” says Hari, a writer.
“Reading a great story set in a new world brings out the child in us. For most people, nothing is a surprise in this world.
“A new world brings back that sense of wonder that we felt in childhood. It is this sense of wonder that enthrals people,” concludes Amish.
