Series, series and more damned series!

[Kevin8or]

I prefer to keep it simple. If it's a story set in the future, and if it obeys natural laws*, then I call it science fiction.

If the story includes supernatural forces, like magic or vampires or dragons, then I call it fantasy.

I don't mind additonal labels like "urban fantasy" and "paranormal romance" -- they help me avoid stories I don't want to read -- but I really don't understand some authors' preference for the label "speculative fiction" rather than "science fiction." Puh-leese. It's science fiction, which has always been speculative.

If a story has fantasy traits then it's not "speculative fiction." Anyone can convince himself of this fact by reading the definitions of speculation and speculative.


*the author can specualte that future populations have a better understanding of natural laws, permitting features like faster-than-light travel, but there must be a theoretically scientific explanation.

[Yapyap]

I like to read books in series, as I do get attached to the characters (if I do, that is - if I don't, I'll just stop reading after the first book), but I really prefer it if the author has had a clear plan for the whole series right from the start.

In other words, I don't mind trilogies that have been conceived as trilogies, and I have no problem with longer series that have been planned as such from the start - Harry Potter, with its seven books, always felt natural like that (instead of "let's write a book - ooh, it sells! I know, let's now tack on more books!"). And the same applies to my current top favourite, Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant, which has been planned as a nine book series from the start - or rather a series consisting of three trilogies, each trilogy with its own main plot line but with an overall series arc carrying through the books (each of which has its own plot, which gets resolved by the end of the book, as well).

On the other hand, there are series which seem to have no planned ending - not planned from the beginning, anyway - and that just go on and on. If they're completely self-contained books, it doesn't matter as much (except that once the author gets past the tenth or twelfth or fifteenth book, the quality can start going down as the author runs out of ideas for more stories set in that universe), but if it's the serial type of series, with each new book's story line carrying over from the previous one, and it just goes on and on and on, with no end in sight... not my favourite sort of thing. Or at least so far I haven't come across one that would have entered my favourites list.

Having to wait for the next book is one major problem of liking series, especially newer ones! Although I don't mind that much if new books are released at a somewhat decent pace, say once a year or at least no more than two years apart. I'm far more wary of series that come out at a pace of 3-4 books a year - or have 16 books out already.

[TCSimpson]

I find in fantasy, some writers do write series, not necessarily because of money, but many have spent years building their world from its politics, to its religions, creatures, magic etc etc. Often times, it's easier to jump into that same world and build on familiar characters and concepts and make a compelling story than start a new world. Some already have several stories for their characters outlined or written that may be considered lengthy. To be honest, especially in fantasy, new authors are hardly ever signed with a work over 125k words. That's usually the recommended length of a manuscript for a new author. Some authors' stories are longer than that and due to the cost of paper and publishing etc, some publishers won't take that risk. Ebooks however have changed much of that. I can see the original point though and a good standalone story does make for a great read.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

IIf a story has fantasy traits then it's not "speculative fiction." Anyone can convince himself of this fact by reading the definitions of speculation and speculative.

I think you're wrong here. Indeed, one of the items in the first definition of speculative is conjecture, which is certainly part of creating a fantasy universe.

Fantasy is an exploration of how the universe might be if it obeyed different rules (or no rules). That falls firmly under speculation for me.

[Ron.]

I am OK with series if each book in the series has a beginning, middle and ending. What I am not OK with is a series that is one long story with no ending in sight ala game of thrones....

:P

[Kevin8or]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I think you're wrong here. Indeed, one of the items in the first definition of speculative is conjecture, which is certainly part of creating a fantasy universe.

Fantasy is an exploration of how the universe might be if it obeyed different rules (or no rules). That falls firmly under speculation for me.

I see. I hadn't considered it from that perspective.

Speculation generally means reasoning from the facts you do have to a conclusion that could be true but for which you have insufficient evidence. The speculation is bound by rationality: it must be hypothetically, theoretically possible. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is imaginative, but no one supposes (via reason) such a world is possible...

... unless you're speaking of a different universe with different laws. It's one hell of a proviso, but with that condition, fantasy can be called speculative fiction.

I'd encourage the traditional categories of science fiction and fantasy fiction. Lumping them together into speculative fiction doesn't seem useful to me, at first blush.

[Skip_intro]

Aren't 'Speculative Fiction' and 'Magical Realism' terms used by writers when they don't want their literary credentials sullied by having written what would normally be called Sci-Fi or Fantasy?

[xg4bx]

if a series has 13,14, 15 installments i may as well just read comics.

when a series hits #s that high i know nothing of any real consequence happens and i may as well skip it. any changes or "danger" are just as ephemeral and inconsequential as that found in an issue of spider-man.

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by Skip_intro

Aren't 'Speculative Fiction' and 'Magical Realism' terms used by writers when they don't want their literary credentials sullied by having written what would normally be called Sci-Fi or Fantasy?

I think it depends. I'd be inclined to consider magical realism a (sub-)genre of its own - if "fantasy" and "science fiction" were the only genre options, I'd put it under "fantasy", but to me it's more distinct and standing on its own than other sub-genres of fantasy, such as epic or urban fantasy.

Alternative history is also the sort of thing that I feel fits better under the "speculative fiction" umbrella than trying to shoehorn it into either sci-fi or fantasy. Steampunk would fit under sci-fi, but not all alternative history is steampunk.

[5thWiggle]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

I'm quite near the same but I have a deep and abiding love for murder mysteries and strange biographies. And for some reason I have a habit of snagging every free book I walk past... I've got to sit down and have a long heart to heart with my OCD to see if we can change that.

As long as you don't go all Lady MacBeth, let your OCD rein free!

IF, however, you start sleep-downloading then seek help!

Yet here's a freebee.

Download, damned freebee! download, I say!—One: two: why,
then, 'tis time to do't.—Interwebs are murky!—Fie, my
Kobo, fie! an e-reader, and Full???? What need we
fear who knows it, when none can call our Credit Card
to account?

[DiapDealer]

Speculation generally means reasoning from the facts you do have to a conclusion that could be true but for which you have insufficient evidence.

Don't get hung up on the literal definition of the word "speculation" when trying to determine if something is "speculative fiction." A fictional book about a stockbroker doesn't qualify.

I (and most others) don't use it to replace other labels (i.e. "Speculative fiction sounds way cooler than science fiction, yo. Let's use that instead from now on"). It's simply an umbrella classification. Many works blur the lines of science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism... and it's just easier to say/type "speculative fiction" when talking about all those clearly related "outside the realm of reality (currently)" works.

Not to mention, it avoids arguments when people invariably mislabel a work in conversation:

"Star Wars is science fiction, dude."
"No man, it's fantasy... check it out, it's got all the classic fantasy tropes."

Just slapping the speculative label on all of it stops nerd-fights (before anyone gets offended, I consider myself a nerd).

I'm into Speculative Fiction. Not just sci-fi, not just fantasy, not just horror... but ALL of it. So when I say "the never-ending, installment plan-type series is prevalent in the Speculative genre"... it's simply a shortcut of mine (and many others). You know... so I don't have to say/type; "Scifi, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal Romance,..."

It's just an uber-label. So how about we move past it and back to the topic at hand?

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Skip_intro

Aren't 'Speculative Fiction' and 'Magical Realism' terms used by writers when they don't want their literary credentials sullied by having written what would normally be called Sci-Fi or Fantasy?

Ooh! I've been waiting for this moment ever since I got my English degree. I just didn't know it until now.

"Magical Realism" isn't fantasy and shouldn't be used as such. "Magical Realism" is when the book is set in OUR world but then stuff starts going impossibly wrong and no one really bats an eye. An example would be Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" where a character turns into a satyr while in a police van and the police just keep on abusing him as though this is a perfectly normal occurrence.

Generally, "magical realism" is meant to convey something about the nature of humanity and is not really about the fantastical elements so much as it is about the metaphor.

I wouldn't call it a *genre*, though. A book can HAVE magical realism, but I wouldn't classify the book as "fiction (magical realism)". That's just me, though.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

So how about we move past it and back to the topic at hand?

But the topic at hand was boring. How many ways can people say "crappily written series are crappy"? I'd MUCH rather point out that obviously Star Wars is science fiction because IT HAS SPACE TRAVEL.

[DiapDealer]

I'd MUCH rather point out that obviously Star Wars is science fiction because IT HAS SPACE TRAVEL.

Philistine.

How many ways can people say "crappily written series are crappy"?

It's more like "Why are crappily written series so much more prevalent in the <insert desired one-word label that defines the uber-category formerly known as Speculative here>, than they are in other genres (and not so much crappily written, as crappily formatted and divided into separate volumes that are not conducive to telling a proper "story")?

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

- but I really don't understand some authors' preference for the label "speculative fiction" rather than "science fiction."

Science fiction is mere genre; speculative fiction is literature.

or so some speculative fiction writers would have you believe.