Different POV in different books in the same series

Manuel Royal

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My girlfriend has read all of the Jack Reacher novels (by Lee Child). I've only read one (real page-turner) so far. It was told in first person, from Reacher's POV (in a very straightforward, unadorned style; the strength of the book was in suspense and storytelling, not prose).

I took a look at some of the other novels in the series, and was surprised to find that, although the prose style was the same, they were in third-person.


For some reason, this has made me reluctant to read the other Reacher novels, though I probably will because the character rocks.

I can't think of any other series of novels (centered on a single character) where this is the case. (Though if I recall, one of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories was narrated by Holmes, rather than Watson.)

Anybody else noticed this with other series? (And, I wonder why Lee Childs decided to change the POV.)
 

Revan

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In the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, the ninth book and tenth book take place simultaneously in different perspectives.

In the Twilight Saga, the author planned to write a book that was essentially the first book from the perspective of the vampire.

In my opinion, seldom does this provide anything new but the thoughts of the characters. The reader knows the events to come, just through different eyes. Some people enjoy it, but others like me find it akin to milking a series.
 

zegota

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In the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, the ninth book and tenth book take place simultaneously in different perspectives.

In the Twilight Saga, the author planned to write a book that was essentially the first book from the perspective of the vampire.

In my opinion, seldom does this provide anything new but the thoughts of the characters. The reader knows the events to come, just through different eyes. Some people enjoy it, but others like me find it akin to milking a series.

Well, adding a different perspective in subsequent stories is different than retelling the same story from a different perspective. I agree that the latter is redundant (though the Twilight book would have sold millions regardless, if Meyer hadn't have thrown a hissy fit).

But I don't know that the OP was talking about this. I'm not familiar with the Jack Reacher books, but in Fantasy, new POVs pop up often in subsequent novels. For instance, there is a supporting character in George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series who never gets a POV in the first two books, but becomes a main viewpoint character in the third. This is acceptable (at least to me) and not all that uncommon.

What it seems you might be talking about is a full shift from first to third, or third to omniscient, or something like that. I agree that's an odd choice for an author to make, and I don't blame you for being taken aback by it. I can't think of another series where I've seen that.
 

Maryn

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zegota, I think Manual means the Reacher novels have the same POV, that of Reacher (unlike Martin's many, many POVs), but changed from first person narrative to third.

I've read a lot of series mystery, enough that I burned out on it, but yes, I've seen it before. IIRC, Patricia Cornwell changed narrative voice from third to first person (but kept the POV--it's the same person) when she was well into her series about the coroner. (I'm blanking on the name. Is that Kay Scarpetta?)

I, too, wonder what the reasoning behind such a change might be. I mean, a close third limited can be like a first except for the pronouns used, so what's the point of changing horses in the middle of the stream?

Maryn, shrugging
 

Jonathan Dalar

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Ooo, a subject that strikes near and dear to my heart!

To start off, Orson Scott Card did this with Ender's Game and the pseudo-sequel, Ender's Shadow. Brilliantly. The story is the same, told from two different points of view. And there's enough different things going on that it works wonderfully.

Which brings me to why it's so near to my heart. I wrote a sci-fi novel about a guy who gets swept up in a time travel adventure by a beautiful woman. As I finished the book, the rest of it just opened up to me. There was far more to this story than I'd told, and far more to the other characters.

The first character is a normal guy - not even close to the stuff heroes are made of. Overweight, alcoholic, middle-aged. Blech. But it was his contrast with the villain that made the story work for me.

And that character is the basis for the second book. It's told from her perspective - a completely different perspective.

The third is told from the perspective of an agent chasing her.

And so on. Three done, six more planned for nine total.

The cool thing with this is that each time you visit through the eyes of a different character, you get a totally new experience. The camera pans out to wide screen, then panoramic, then 360 degrees, and so on. You find things are really different than you first thought, and motives aren't what they seem. It gives the story a much fuller and richer feel.

I don't switch from third person POV, so that part is different, but the perspective changes just the same.

I personally think it's an awesome way to deal with a story and have loved it every time I've seen it.
 

zegota

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Ooo, a subject that strikes near and dear to my heart!

To start off, Orson Scott Card did this with Ender's Game and the pseudo-sequel, Ender's Shadow. Brilliantly. The story is the same, told from two different points of view. And there's enough different things going on that it works wonderfully.

True, it can work. And it can also be a massive failure. I can't imagine how Twilight, Edward-Style would have added anything to the original story (and I don't have enough trust in Stephanie Meyer that she'd actually be able to exceed my expectations).
 

Jonathan Dalar

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True, it can work. And it can also be a massive failure. I can't imagine how Twilight, Edward-Style would have added anything to the original story (and I don't have enough trust in Stephanie Meyer that she'd actually be able to exceed my expectations).

Touche'.

Of course, I can't imagine how Twilight wasn't a massive failure in the first place.
 

sheadakota

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Not that I'm famous or anything, but I did this. In book three of my series. The reason- I wanted to write about one of my MC in depth- I tried to do it in third limited ( like the other two in the series)but it wasn't working- First lent an intamacy to the story that third couldn't. it seemed to work.
 

WriteMinded

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The OP's question has been on my mind for a while. I am working on a series - sort of. Book One is written in 3rd person. It works for that story. It is stand-alone. No dangling threads. Many of the characters in Book Two are descendants of the characters in the first book, but the story is very different. I might be able to use 3rd with multiple POVs but omni might be better. The third book requires omni and, though it could stand alone, is a continuation of the story in Book Two. Hmmm. what to do.


I followed the link RobJ included for the interview with Lee Childs. In it he says something that confuses me:

" First-person is very intimate, and it's great for cementing a relationship between the character and the reader. And I believe it's a more natural way to write. So it's a good choice for a first novel. But third-person is very much more flexible in terms of what it lets you do with plot. You can see around corners, you can know stuff that the hero doesn't know -- much easier to create suspense that way.. . ."

You can see around corners and know stuff that the hero doesn't? Is he talking about using multiple POVs? Is that what he did with the second novel?
 

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Hm. I'm writing a quartet of novels, where each of the 4 will have a different first person narrator. That kind of thing makes sense to me.

The abruptly changing POV person mid-series really doesn't, and I doubt I would continue reading a series that did that.
 

Manuel Royal

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Thanks, RobJ! Great interview; very interesting. Here's a relevant paragraph from the interview:
Lee Child said:
First-person is very intimate, and it's great for cementing a relationship between the character and the reader. And I believe it's a more natural way to write. So it's a good choice for a first novel. But third-person is very much more flexible in terms of what it lets you do with plot. You can see around corners, you can know stuff that the hero doesn't know -- much easier to create suspense that way. So ultimately it's about horses for courses -- what does the plot need? Is this a book where a very personal point of view is needed?
Certainly makes sense. So, I've read the first Reacher novel, Killing Floor (a famous Howling Wolf song, and great title for a thriller, right?) Think I'll try the next one.

What really impressed me is how well Child, a Brit, gave his character an American voice. I'm something of an Anglophile, but would be hesitant about writing a novel narrated by an Englishman.

This year I'm making my second attempt at a first novel; hope I can make the first page intrigue the reader as well as Child did with Killing Floor.
 

Manuel Royal

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Funny how things happen. Here it is, seven years later.

1) I never read any more Jack Reacher books because Lee Child said something so obnoxious (in an interview) that it put me off the books. Also, he's got some annoying hacky repetitive prose habits.

2) I'm working on a novel, and just now thought about changing the narrative from limited third person (with each scene featuring one of three main POV characters) to a first person plural narrative (not often used, with good reason). But, I'm hoping to do a trilogy, and that style wouldn't work for the subsequent books.

So, I'll most likely keep a consistent narrative style, but even so, thought I'd look for other examples, and other people's thoughts on the subject. Remembered the Jack Reacher series as an example, did a Google search -- and immediately hit upon my own thread here, from 2011. It's a little worrisome how often I go through a whole line of thought and then find that it's a repeat of my own mental experience from years ago. (I'm old.)

Still a good topic, though.
 

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I'm reading New York 2140 and The Fifth Season now and in both, both the point of view and also the narrative switches between chapters. These books are well received. I don't know if a debut novelist could do this easily or not.

I find it jarring, but intriguing in an artistic sense.

I like multiple point of view books, and between books in a series, I like new points of view. Freshens up the storyline.
 

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Multi POV is practically the norm for sff.

My current ms is a mix of first person present, which most people say they hate, and third person present, which everyone says they hate unless for kids books. But I haven't had a single pov-based complaint from readers so far (other complaints, yes, just not about that) so whatever fits the book.
 

neandermagnon

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I find the idea of telling the same story twice from two different POVs interesting, but only if it gives a radically different perspective of events that couldn't be inferred from the subtext of the original story. However, if you can make it work, it could be excellent.
 

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I'm actually reading some short stories now (too) that a famous author hadn't published until her fans demanded more and she pulled out these character sketches.

A secondary character (non-PoV) in a published novel who came off as mostly horrific (due to his views and treatment of others), is drawn in such a complex way within his own point of view in these short stories that it leaves me simply amazed. Clearly she had his motivations worked out. He's a fully realized person.

Maybe writing from a different point of view is most effective when it is a very opposed point of view to the accepted line.
 
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Enlightened

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I find it amazing that the OP continued his own thread after a seven year hiatus and came back full circle just today. This might be an interesting blog post, or something relational, for him.
 

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The first time I read the same, but not exactly the same, story seen from four different characters was in "The Alexandria Quartet" by Lawrence Durrell, and I loved it. It probably influenced me in my writing. In my SF novel, the story is seen from several characters, and I think this adds interesting perspectives, and emotion.
 

Manuel Royal

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I find it amazing that the OP continued his own thread after a seven year hiatus and came back full circle just today. This might be an interesting blog post, or something relational, for him.
Seven years ago I was interested in the subject as a reader; now it's of practical relevance to the novel I'm writing (with a view to a trilogy).