An Aversion to Sequels
Fezariu's Ephiphany is an epic fantasy tale: 12-year-old Fezariu
thought his mother died when he was little, but when his beloved stepfather
dies the boy discovers she is alive and well - and working at the most famous
brothel in all of Elenchera. When she cruelly rejects him it's more than he can
bear, and he runs away to join a band of ruthless soldiers for hire. The
Merelax Mercenaries will fight for anyone who can pay them, no matter the
justice of the cause.
Fezariu grows up among the soldiers and becomes one of them. He thinks his time with the mercenaries has hardened him. But a campaign in his old home town pushes him too far, and he discovers what really happened to his mother. Maybe there are some things money shouldn't buy... and maybe it's time Fezariu took his revenge.
Fezariu grows up among the soldiers and becomes one of them. He thinks his time with the mercenaries has hardened him. But a campaign in his old home town pushes him too far, and he discovers what really happened to his mother. Maybe there are some things money shouldn't buy... and maybe it's time Fezariu took his revenge.
Sounds intriguing... but what about those sequels? Over to you David.
When I published Fezariu’s Epiphany back in May 2011, I sometimes found interview
questions wanted to explore the possibility of a sequel. I can say for certain
that you will never find me writing a follow-up about another epiphany Fezariu
has. The Elencheran Chronicles are intended as a series of self-contained
novels, a visit for the reader to a different period of history, and a brief
amount of time spent in the company of some of the characters. The timeline currently
stretches to 47,000 years and may go further when I revisit the world history
at some point, so readers are not short of literary destinations for their
summer holidays.
So, am I saying that sequels are completely
taboo? My next novel, A World Apart,
will not have a follow-up. It’s a long novel but by the end there have been
enough resolutions to say the story is well and truly over, there isn’t a need
for any more from the three main characters – Demetrius, Eleyna and Halcyon. That
said the idea of writing a series of novels about the same characters is not
one I can readily dismiss, the history of Elenchera simply won’t allow it!
Looking through the history I find I have
many ideas waiting to be written and it becomes more difficult trying to decide
which one will be the third book in the Elencheran Chronicles. Some events in
the history are so action-packed and stretch across a vast range of years that
one novel may not be enough to contain them all. I think inevitably sequels
will be necessary, perhaps a trilogy, but no more than that, I simply can’t
commit to that many books.
When I first started writing about the
world of Elenchera I knew that I wouldn’t and couldn’t write a series like
Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time or
Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth.
I never got into Jordan’s work despite completing the first Wheel of Time book but I read every one
of Richard and Kahlan’s adventures in The
Sword of Truth series. Goodkind did very well to sustain those characters
through one long and continuous narrative but I did find the later instalments
inferior to the earlier books. I didn’t want to go down that same path. I love
my characters but the thought of spending half a dozen books with them is not
an appealing one. I would strangle them before their stories were finished!
This is one of the reasons I am drawn
towards Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.
They’re always in the same world but they are self-contained novels and feature
a wide range of characters, always plenty of variety. Although regulars like
Rincewind, Death and the Guards of Ankh Morpork would request that you read
their books in order I don’t always think it’s essential. Elenchera will be
just the same. If you saw a pile of books about Elenchera you could pick any of
them up and not be missing anything.
When I come to write those longer novels I
will have to commit to a maximum of three books to tell the story but no more
than that. I’d rather have just one novel to tell a story but some are such
long narratives I fear they could stretch to 2,000 pages which is an epic book
for any reader, it would even put War and
Peace to shame. I’ve seen many people roll their eyes at the mention of
Tolstoy. I don’t want that to happen to me!
My aversion to sequels means that some
much-loved characters may only get a brief time in the spotlight but although
that saddens me to a degree I think it’s also a mark of great characters if
readers can get attached to them after knowing them for only a short time. The
more I focus on self-contained novels, the more of Elenchera I can show you.
There is a lot that goes on in those 47,000 years, certainly more than I can
tell you in a lifetime but I will endeavour to whisper as many secrets as I
can. Just remember that if a novel of mine does not end on a cliff hanger then
the chances are you won’t be getting a follow-up.
Thank you David. And if you want to find out more about David's books, please follow these links:
The
Elencheran Chronicles: http://elenchera.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/elenchera
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/fezariu
Comments
Thanks again,
Dave