The Grand Illusion
What series of books that you wrote are you the most proud of, and why are they your choice?
Asking that question of an author is much like asking a parent which child is his or her favorite. Unless you have only one, there’s no good or accurate answer. Because I’ve done different things, often radically different things, critics and Monday morning quarterbacks to the contrary, in each series I’ve written, I’m proud of each series for differing reasons. Each of the fantasy series has a totally different magic system, for example, and I’ve written from the viewpoint of characters of differing ages and backgrounds, notwithstanding the belief by some that I only write “coming-of-age stories.”
One of the reasons I stopped reading your books was because of “coming-of-age stories” that repeated themselves more often than not. If you can suggest one of your books or series that doesn’t contain this theme then please do so. I need new book(s) to read.
You could try Flash, Haze, The Eternity Artifact, or Adiamante, for starters.
Or if you like fantasy try Wellspring of Chaos and Ordermaster
…or any of the Ecolitan Books or The Forever Hero or The Parafaith War
I guess most of your series could be considered coming of age series, and some of your stand alone books too, but for that matter what fantasy series isn’t? everyone grows from overcoming challenges, and it’d be a pretty dull book if the protagonist had no challenges to face.
If you ever read “The Soprano Sorceress”, you’ll find a very well-educated woman and mother placed into a situation that’s anything but common.
Modesitt always writes strong female characters, and this woman is no exception. I delighted in this book because it showed an intellectual, rational, and strong woman making wrong choices for all the right reasons.
I believe the “coming-of-age” refers to the underlying formula of many of the books, in that, the central character usually starts off at the bottom of society, or powerless and through the story, rises to the pinnacle of society, or becomes the most powerful. Whether that’s the Recluse characters, Soprano Sorceress or (as far as I’ve read in Corean) Alucius. All the stories are mainly focused on one character, excepting the insights into the occasional adversary or side character. It works. I like it a lot. They are addicting stories I can’t resist reading.
However I think it’d be great to have a few characters with central stories, all in one book and have them all come together. I know there are times in the different series when this happens, but I mean characters with the full treatment the main character gets, then coming together. Sort of like Wendra and Alucius at the end of Sceptors, or the first Recluse book, but bigger. And it’d be nice once if it didn’t end when a main character reaches the top. I don’t mean passing it on to a successor, but the main character could be laid out, lose everything they’ve built and have to somewhere start over.
Pardon me, I am a big fan and cannot write. I am just throwing out some ideas that I would have a blast reading and I realize that elements like that were in some of the books, but I am saying go bigger!
Actually, I’ve done, I think, something like what you suggest in two SF novels — Archform Beauty and The Eternity Artifact.
I know this is an old thread, but the second trilogy of the Corean Chronicles is definitely not a “come out on top” kind of trilogy for all characters involved.
It is one of my favorites because of that, the ending is both thrilling and bittersweet.