Over the
past year or so, I’ve really tackled some long books (some people call them
door stoppers); and at the end of the day I would say that they were too
long—even the ones that I’ve enjoyed. In my opinion, these types of stories get
bogged down with too much world-building and/or character-building—which can be
good, but they slow the story down. The problem with some of these books are
that they are the first book in a series (by talented, acclaimed authors). Why
are established fantasy writers wasting time building a world and characters
without giving the readers a good, gripping story in the process? Is it that
they think their new idea for a world and its magic system are worth hundreds
of pages instead of an intriguing story?
I just
finished a long book by one of these talented, acclaimed authors, and it’s like
nothing really happened throughout the entire book. It seemed to be a
regurgitation of the same thing over and over, which I guess was supposed to
give the reader the sensation that we are really experiencing certain characters’
growth—but it did not work for me. And it seemed to just be chapter after
chapter of world-building. Introductory books like this quench my desire to
read on to the next big volume in the series.
I won’t
name any of the books that I’ve thought lowly of, as I believe that everyone is
entitled to their own opinion; and everyone has different tastes. Personally,
my take is that an author should really work to put forth a story that lays out
a pace that keeps the story moving. Of course, I’m not talking about the
typical fast-paced book where the characters seem two-dimensional
and the story is not worth remembering. I’m referring to books that are published
to pull readers into a series of large volumes meant to be epic and engrossing,
with epic world-building and strong characters. But if the characters—or what
the characters are experiencing—in the story do nothing worth caring about, then
it’s like watching a boat sitting in the middle of the water just going around
in circles, and around in circles, and around in circles... That’s not good
pacing. That’s boring. The reason that most of us read fantasy fiction is so
that we can experience (through the life of the characters) a lifestyle that is
more than monotonous—more extraordinary than our own.
When
reading Stephen King’s It, I thought
the book was too long, but I could not stop enjoying it. The characters were so
interesting and their extreme experiences throughout the entire book kept you
moving with the engrossing flood of happenings within the story. It was good
characters with good pacing that got me through.
Though I
enjoyed the first two books in the A Song
of Ice and Fire series, the pacing in A
Storm of Swords almost made the book feel shorter than the first two, but
it was actually longer. Martin picked up the pace a little more in that book,
and I found myself enjoying the (dark) journey.
Apart from
the long books, I found the pacing in Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass (Northern
Lights), one of the best well-paced, intelligent pieces of fantasy fiction
that I have ever read. However, I felt the latter books in the series lost such a
pace.
I’ve really
enjoyed The Kingkiller Chronicle;
however, I’m hoping author Patrick Rothfuss picks up the pace in the third and
final book of the series—yet to be released.
My fear
with a lot of long books is that good pacing would be lacking. It’s a lot of
wasted time (for me) to invest in, if the story’s pacing is dowsed with other
non-essentials. Again, I’m not expecting a Star Wars-like read, but just
something that forces me to follow to the end—like E.T. picking up Reese’s
Pieces along the trail to Elliot’s house (Oh, and what wonders he found in that
house).
