TCoC: Standalone novel?

[Geoff]

I know that the Curse of Chalion is the first of a series, but how well does the book work as a standalone novel?

[MarkB]

Perfectly well. It isn't really a series - it's a set of standalone novels sharing the same general setting.

[Stefanie]

I felt that Curse took great care to wrap all storylines up and give closure. There is a definitive hint of "could be more to come", like how in many movies you have a scene towards the end that leaves the door ajar for a potential sequel without taking away from the feel of completion in general. But that hint doesn't involve Curse's main characters or their plots, so even if you never read the other installments, there'd be no sense of unfulfilled plot threads. Curse is a perfectly fine standalone.

[Geoff]

Thanks for the input.

[Sandi]

It wasso refreshing to read a book that actually had an ending.

[Lainey]

It works as a standalone because Cazaril's story is over. The second book follows Ista as the protagonist, so in a sense it could also be viewed as a stand alone. I haven't started the 3rd book yet, but I've heard that it takes place in a completely different kingdom. All of these books are really their own stories taking place in the same world.

[Derek]

while they are stand-alones, if you enjoyed CoC, you need to read the next one, Paladin of Souls. it deals with some of the aftermath from the end of Curse, and give Issta a chance at redemption.

[Andreas]

Maybe it is obvious to everyone and I'm stating a silly question.

What exactly defines a standalone novel?

[MarkB]

Andreas wrote: "Maybe it is obvious to everyone and I'm stating a silly question.

What exactly defines a standalone novel?"

It's a novel whose major plot threads are introduced, explored and resolved all within its own pages.

[Andreas]

MarkB wrote: "It's a novel whose major plot threads are introduced, explored and resolved all within its own pages."

Thank you!
So, its definition is based on story alone, but not on characters (like Ista) or world building (like the 5-gods-mythology)?

[MarkB]

Andreas wrote: "MarkB wrote: "It's a novel whose major plot threads are introduced, explored and resolved all within its own pages."

Thank you!
So, its definition is based on story alone, but not on characters (l..."

If a set of books share the same character as a major player, and that character undergoes considerable change and development over the course of the books, that would tend to make them more of a series than standalones - the Vorkosigan novels are a good example of this, although I think even they generally manage to stand on their own quite well.

However, simply sharing certain characters is not enough in itself. Ista is a very minor character in The Curse of Chalion, and doesn't get enough page-time to undergo significant development, so the fact that she takes on a more prominent role in Paladin of Souls doesn't prevent either novel from standing on its own.

As for setting and world-building, if you need to read one novel to understand what's going on in another, then clearly they don't stand alone, but Bujold tends to sprinkle enough setting detail into individual novels that there's no need for outside references.

[Rob, Roberator]

I would argue a book can be stand-alone even if it's part of a series.

This happens with movies all the time. A movie does well at the box office so they make an unplanned sequel.

In general I think a series is much better when it's planned rather than a tacked on sequel, but I've seen some authors write the first book of a series that could be read by itself. (ex: Mistborn: The Final Empire)

I think that sort of thing is harder with later books in the series, though not impossible.

Some series may have multiple characters in a large shared universe that can be independent. Terry Pratchett's discworld comes to mind.

I know some people recommend The Color of Magic since it's the first published book, while others say you can start with Guards! Guards! without issue.

[Rick]

Well, not all series are alike. A standalone book can be a one off or a part of a series. Mostly, i think we mean the former when we use the term. The latter variation works for books that are all set in the same world but that aren't linear and especially aren't one long story spanning multiple volumes. For a good examination of t he different kinds of series see this post by Jo Walton: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/so-w...

[D. H.]

Stefanie wrote: "I felt that Curse took great care to wrap all storylines up and give closure. There is a definitive hint of "could be more to come", like how in many movies you have a scene towards the end that le..."

I agree. I really liked how everything wrapped up, and while you can assume that running the kingdom will require a lot more adventures, this story was finished. I'm impressed with the storytelling that allowed everything to be wrapped up so neatly in the end. In that sense it seems to be a stand alone novel.