FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

There's likely a better word than 'series' to describe several otherwise unrelated stories set in the same imaginary place. I'm just blanking right now.

Thanks for the heads up!

Anthology?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ratinox

Anthology?

Anthology is usually a single book though.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Anthology is usually a single book though.

Anthology is a single book with short stories and/or novellas.

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

There's likely a better word than 'series' to describe several otherwise unrelated stories set in the same imaginary place. I'm just blanking right now.

Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, I don't know a technical name. On my spreadsheet I track series since I read a lot of them, and just put Series - Loose or just "Series". Like you said, same characters but not really series stories to me, just similar. Wonder if there is even an actual name other than them all being "series"

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Anthology is a single book with short stories and/or novellas.

Right. He's saying that word wouldn't fit what he meant either.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Anthology is usually a single book though.

"Ah, yah," as Peruvians so often say. How 'bout this:

Anthology series

Star Science Fiction Stories No.1 (1953)
Star Science Fiction Stories No.2 (1953)
Star Science Fiction Stories No.3 (1955)
Star Science Fiction Stories No.4 (1958)
Star Science Fiction Stories No.5 (1959)
Star Science Fiction Stories No.6 (1959)

...with the emphasis on both words.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Anthology is usually a single book though.

Yes, but the meaning does not preclude spanning multiple volumes.

Or as Dr. Drib suggests, call it "anthology series". Which is how "Thieves' World" and "Wild Cards" are described.

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by ratinox

Or as Dr. Drib suggests, call it "anthology series". Which is how "Thieves' World" and "Wild Cards" are described.

Those are "shared universe" anthologies, since there's more than one author.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Those are "shared universe" anthologies, since there's more than one author.

Athology means collected works from different authors. If the collection is from a single author then it would usually be described as "works" or "collection". "The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny" and "Hammer's Slammers" are collections of stories but not anthologies.

"Shared univese" is a specific kind of anthology series. It fits Zod's description of a shared fictional location making that a "shared universe anthology series" if you want to be that wordy.

[ekbell]

I'd just call them Midworld 'verse books.

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by ratinox

"Shared univese" is a specific kind of anthology series. It fits Zod's description of a shared fictional location making that a "shared universe anthology series" if you want to be that wordy.

I was replying directly to the examples of Thieves' World and Wild Cards. A bunch of authors working together to tell stories set in the same world.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ekbell

I'd just call them Midworld 'verse books.

Or the Humanx Commonwealth books. Midworld is listed as #1 (publication) or Nor Crystal Tears is #1 (internal chronology), but really the Humanx Commonwealth books don't have a continuing story. Alan Dean Foster just liked the universe he created and set several novels there (and some of those are a series, like Icerigger or Pip and Flinx).

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

I was replying directly to the examples of Thieves' World and Wild Cards. A bunch of authors working together to tell stories set in the same world.

Okay. This does describe shared universe, but shared universe does not necessarily mean anthology (and now I'm getting into persnickety distinctions between shared universes and collaborative works).

And yeah, I misunderstood Zod's question, title didn't click. Anthology usually means multiple authors so it's odd to apply it to the entire corpus of Alan Dean Foster's Humanx Commonwealth stories. Series indicates commonality across works including but not limited to settings, characters and themes. So I think calling the Humanx Commonwealth stories a series is accurate (see also: Iain M. Banks' Culture series) and let context show you don't mean a story sequence.

[salty-horse]

Since some of you lamented my previous posting wasn't available in the US, here's a repeat of the Amazon.com deal

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton is $3 on Amazon.com

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Since some of you lamented my previous posting wasn't available in the US, here's a repeat of the Amazon.com deal

I was coming to share the same