Quote:
Originally Posted by wallcraft
There is a distinction between a series and a trilogy. In a series, each book should stand on its own although reading in series order may be a good idea. In a trilogy, the three books really need to be read together and each book might not stand on its own. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, is the first of a trilogy. It, and The Wise Man's Fear, are worth reading on their own but some things won't be clear until (presumably) the 3rd book comes out. It is a particular problem with trilogies that readers have to wait for the 3rd book. In the case of Patrick Rothfuss, we had to wait 4 years for the 2nd book in the trilogy (it was worth the wait).
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Actually the term Trilogy is supposed to be reserved for three books that can stand individually on their own, but are tied loosely together (by either characters or setting). They can be experienced individually OR as a whole. That's why Lord of the Rings is NOT technically a trilogy. Tolkien wrote them as one big volume in three parts—and wanted them published in one big volume, but his publishers nixed that idea and split the volume into three individual books. None of which can really be read independently of the others. Same goes for Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles. Neither of the first two books in that series can possibly stand on its own. It's not a trilogy. It's a 4000 page book chopped into three sections (with little regard for a natural story-arc in each section). I love the way Rothfuss writes... but I absolutely hate the format he's chosen (that's quite often my dilemma these days).
An example of a Trilogy (as it was conceived) is Terry Brooks first three Shannara novels (
Sword of Shannara,
Elfstones of
Shannara, and
Wishsong of Shannara). Each book is complete unto itself, but are tied together by familiar families (though generations removed) and setting. Brooks has written several three part series since then, but not a single one has been a trilogy. They've been one story spread across three books. All three must be read to experience the satisfaction of reading an entire natural story-arc.
I have no problem with true trilogies and tetralogies. In fact, if more of them were being written in the speculative genre, I'd have no beef (OK, no
big beef).
