POV switches in follow-up books

[ctg]

I'm sorry that the title is a bit miss leading, because this whole thing comes after the first book in series, and I couldn't figure out a better title. Thing is, I've been reading the Expanse novels after Syfy's new series finished two months ago, and I've reached third book in the series. At the same time I've been comparing on how James SA Corey (actually two writers) has constructed his novels, and how I could improve my own ones.

What bugs me is that in the third book I have lost connection to the main characters, even though it has been evident in previous two that authors style is to develop new protagonist for every title. The only protagonist POV that is stable in all three, is Holden, rest has been changed completely and I feel that it alienates me as a reader completely.

I don't care about new ones, but actually I'd like to know what's going on with the old ones. In my own work I try my best to keep protagonist POV switches to minimal and only bring in new ones when and if I feel they've something to contribute to the long arc or short one to give the reader best understanding on what's going.

How do you guys feel about changing character POV's in the serial format?

 

[Wruter]

I'm not familiar with the Expanse series but interesting to hear your experience. Maybe the most famous example of a mid series POV switch alienating readers is when Ian Fleming wrote The Spy Who Loved Me from the POV of someone other than James Bond, and it was a huge flop because who wants to read a Bond book which isn't about Bond? Of course YMMV but I'd suggest the author has failed if you don't care about the new characters.

 

[Dan Jones]

Good question.

In my currently-parked fantasy series, I did bring in new characters in Books 2 and the as-yet-unstarted Book 3, but I never chose to "discontinue" the characters from earlier books. If they were there in Book 1, they were there in Book 2, and then Book 3, unless they died. It wouldn't occur to me to give them a break, so to speak.

I never really thought about it but I guess that's for the reasons you state - it disrupts (possibly even annoys) the reader. Look at the stick poor old GRRM got for not including Tyrion and Dany in A Feast For Crows. Sheesh. Yet the TV show doesn't have to make such omissions.

Book 1 of Expanse is currently sitting on my To Be Read pile, so it's something I'll look out for. @Dave recommended the TV show to me last time we met, so I'm looking forward to it.

Actually, thinking about it, and to complete the connection, one of James A Corey's alter ego is none other than GRRM's personal assistant... so maybe there is something akin to the AFFC/ADWD POV split going on in the Expanses series...

 

[The Judge]

I don't know the books either, and off hand I can't think of a series I've read where there's been a change of POV characters which annoyed me.

Having said that, I'd be wary of dropping major POV characters for no good reason -- death being a good reason, of course, as DGJ says. In my SFs I had umpteen POVs, but most of them secondary or even bit-part characters, so there was no problem in continuing with them or dumping them as necessary. The main characters remained there, and would continue throughout the series, and even if they weren't POVing we'd have information about them from the other POVs, so there would be minimal loss of connection with them. But then, my SFs were concerned with a small set of characters in one location. I can well see that it would be harder to maintain that with a cast of thousands spread over vast distances.

 

[prizzley]

It depends where you leave your POV characters at the end of the previous book. As a reader I want to know what happens to them. But if you've satisfactorily ended their part in the story and have the action picked up by others, that's fine by me.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Interesting. I'm okay with new point of views provided! They support the existing storyline. It's when the story gets more and more diverse down different avenues that I get narked.

I have 16 point of view characters - 9 in book one, 10 in book two and 10 in book three. 5 or so run consistently through the series.

What I've tried to do is introduce each one a little at a time. So, book two goes like this:

Prologue - established pov
Chapter one - new pov
Chapter two and three - established
Chapter four - new

And so on and so forth.

 

[Dan Jones]

9 in book one, 10 in book two and 10 in book three

Oh my, and there was me fretting that 8 was way, way too many!

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

POV changes happen. Steven Baxter does them in-book, often by killing off the previous POV character. For this reason, I find his books less engaging, despite the fact that they tend to be high-concept (which I love).
Changing POV per-book can work, but I think only if there's a good solid reason for it-- not just as a gimmick. But as an author, you have to work extra-hard to make sure that the reader accepts the new POV character.

 

[ratsy]

I have no problem with multiple POV's or switches in books as long as they are all moving the story forward and relevant to the central plot.

That being said, my novel I am almost done writing the first draft of is in first person!!

 

[Brian G Turner]

In Joe Abercrombie's Shattered Sea trilogy, the POV characters are different in each book.

 

[Gonk the Insane]

I've seen it work and I've seen it fail. Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles began, from what I recall, with a single character 1st person POV, and that continued for several books. It was only in the last but one (I think) book that he changed up a little and another major character got their own 1st person POV chapters. For me, it was fine: the character had been there since the beginning (albeit in a supporting role), and the switch between POVs worked quite nicely.

And on the flip side, it wasn't so much a switch in POV but a complete switch in characters and eras: L E Modesitt Jr's Imager series. I loved the first 3 books and read them within a week or two, but the fourth book went back in time a hundred or more years so none of the same characters were present. The new main character was okay, but that was it. I finished that book well over a year ago and doubt whether I'll revisit the series again.

 

[Phyrebrat]

This has occurred to me, too. Although I'm going to go ahead and do it as the story requires it, but not only do my POVs change, they jump back and forth through four time periods over 1000 years.

That's got to **** some people off. (If not, then I'll just have to jump about another millennia )

pH

 

[Cathbad]

That being said, my novel I am almost done writing the first draft of is in first person!!

Staying in First Person is hard!

 

[ctg]

Thank you for replies. It seems to me that in some cases, the worry is real and switching POV's can sometimes alienate readers. But, as it was pointed out, sometimes author kills POV character and then continues story with another one, while in another all POV's are changed per book. Personally, I will continue my own style and switch POV's when the story evolves into a point, where fresh eyes can deepen story for readers sake.

That being said, my novel I am almost done writing the first draft of is in first person!!

Cool.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

In my current WIP, it's first person all the way, but somewhere up to a dozen different POV characters. Except they're all the same person. Not sure how you'd characterize that....

 

[ctg]

. Not sure how you'd characterize that....

Nothing wrong in that. If the format works and it's readable then it's all good. In fact, I've done it myself in my current trilogy. Also don't be afraid to tell something in close third, if you feel that the story needs it.

 

[zmunkz]

In the Cycle of Arawn, we follow one POV for the first two books. In the third book, we get a second POV, and I think it did great things for the book. I suppose my answer would be, it depends entirely on how it is executed.