On someone's recommendation, I picked up a copy of Linda Nagata's novel Vast. As I read the first couple of chapters, the unmistakable signs of SciFi sequelness started to appear: brief summaries of dramatic events, for instance, and hints of complex relationship histories among the characters. I was liking the book, but figured if it was a sequel, it might be best to start by reading the earlier book or books, both because it's good to start a series from the beginning and because SciFi sequels are rarely as good as the original.
Is there any clear information on the book about its place in a series, though? No. There's a list of "previous books by"; one can be inferred by its title to be an earlier book in the series, but you'd only know that if you had, as I have, already read 80 or so pages of the later book. Is it the only previous book? Who can say?
Why do SciFi publishers do this? Why do they so rarely say "Third in the such-and-so series" on their cover? Fantasy novels do it all the time. SciFi novels almost never. Is it some subtle marketing trick I don't understand? Or is it just to frustrate me? Why would anyone want to frustrate and annoy potential readers? I just don't get it! Grrr!
Posted by Su Penn at June 3, 2003 03:25 PM | TrackBack