Both of them fail the OP’s third criterion, as do most series.
The OP isn’t looking for a series, as I’ve said above – it’s looking for a multi-volume single story, something very different.
A similar thread a little bit ago mentioned Dorothy Dunnett and her two series of books The Lymond Chronicles (6 books) and The House of Niccolò (8 books), which she considered one massive 14 part story. I haven’t read any of them yet, and to the op’s disgust they are definitely historical fiction (what an odd requirement…), but it seems like they might fit the bill.
expanding on my earlier post [indlulgent] - Multi-volume, single story - that would be “The Forstye Saga” by John Galsworthy. I like old fashioned writing, so I’m probably the only person still alive who still appreciate the Forsyte books. generational British soap opera with a point.
and Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet (which includes the Jewel in the Crown) does fit the criteria, I think.
as does Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet. and Anthony Powell’s Dance to the Music of Time series. Are all of those considered Historical Fiction?
I guess Balzac’s Human Comedy series or Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past series are definitely historical fiction, but the others I mentioned, I’m not so sure. I’ll grant you the Little House books as historical based on fact-fiction.
Just thought we should mention these.
I’m a bit surprised there haven’t been more science fiction or fantasy series mentioned here, given how popular long, multi-volume series are in those genres. But I’m having trouble thinking of good examples (besides Harry Potter) of exactly what the OP’s looking for.
Hmm, was Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain originally conceived as a five-volume work?
Forgot about that one. The Lymond Chronicles were excellent. The House of Niccolo started out that way but got sort of preposterous towards the end. Still well-written, but I didn’t believe the final revelations one tiny bit.
I’ve got another possibility – the Return to Nevèrÿon series, by Samuel R. Delany. It is only published in four volumes, but there are 11 ‘tales’ to it (ranging from short stories to novellas to full-length novel), plus some appendices, and it was written over a 10 year time period. It is probably not quite what the OP had in mind, but it is a series with an arc, which was more than likely planned out from the beginning. It’s also brilliantly written.
Aside from that, is anyone familiar with it? I’ve never really heard much about it.
My favorite that matches the OP’s description is SR Donaldson’s Gap Cycle. A science fiction story set in an interstellar empire, everything that happens in the last four (thick) books is foreshadowed in the really thin first novel.
I remember my first time reading it (after all books were published) and, at the end of the first book, wondering how in the hell is this guy going to make four more novels out of such flimsy origins. But he does, and in such a way that, at the end, I was left wondering how the hell this guy was able to derive this vast, compelling story from such flimsy origins. Surely he cheated by adding a bunch of crap that wasn’t in the original book, right?
So I reread the first book, and, shit, it was all there. The Amnion (one of the few really alien aliens in SF), Warden Dios, Holt Fasner, Hashi Lebwohl… all of it, in that first story.
A great example of plotting and setting. Also, one of my all-time favorite book reviews (for want of a better term) was written about this series.
While not yet complete (final book due later in March) and technically the first book was a stand-alone that the rest of the series built from, I’m going to say that F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack series has been a ton of fun from the beginning. It may not be high literature, and there are some moments when suspension of disbelief is in tall order, but I was never bored, and thoroughly enjoyed every book.
By the OP’s criteria, I would say that the *Harry Potter *series is a pretty good contender. They’re well written (though the latter volumes could do with a bit more editing), they were conceived as one long story (Rowling has said before that she had many of the ideas of how the series would end when she was writing the first book), and there are 7 of them, so they fit the number requirement.
Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah’s *Sime/Gen *series is another contender–there are 12 books in the series, and most of them (more than the 5 required by the OP) cover the overarching history of the Farris family and the House of Zeor, from “frontier” times through the future and space travel. I’m not sure I would call them “the best written series of books ever” (okay, I wouldn’t, though they’re quite good and entertaining), but given how restrictive the OP’s criteria are, I’ll offer them as a possibility, at least. And they are recognized as being good within their genre.
My favorite Sci Fi series is James P. Hogan’s “Giants Star” series. Each one of them is a real pageturner with pretty solid science, and great plot twists. Some of the US/Soviet parts are more than a little dated now, though.
Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle is well written (IMO), and form one long story. It was originally three LONG books, but it has been republished as 8 or 9 books, I think, allowing to meet the 4+ requirement. The original three were Quicksilver, The Confusion, and System of the World.
Cryptonomicon uses some of the same characters (actually, descendents of the characters, I guess), so you could continue on with that, although it’s not actually part of the story.
It’s historical fiction, though, so D’oh!
The Hitchiker’s Guide 5-book trilogy sort of has a continuing story arc, I suppose.
John Updike’s Rabbit books?
While i realize that it often polarizes fantasy fans, i’d also suggest Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant books.
In terms of organization, it’s actually three separate chronicles, of three books, three books, and four books, respectively. But all three chronicles (and especially the first two) form a clear and pretty coherent narrative.
I’d be tempted, for the sake of this thread, to stick only with the first two chronicles, or six books. The third set isn’t yet complete (roll on, 2013!), and in my opinion it hasn’t been as solid or as coherent as the first two. But i think that the first six books, from Lord Foul’s Bane through to White Gold Wielder, were excellent, and certainly qualify as the sort of single, coherent story required by the OP.
ETA: Although i really like the Covenant books, i don’t really think they’d qualify as the best-written series of books ever. I’m just looking for good, qualifying candidates.
The obvious answer is the Mission Earth dekalogy “by” L. Ron Hubbard.
It probably doesn’t work because of #3, but how about L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series? I doubt that she conceived of the entire series as a complete story arc, but the quality of writing is there.
Lemony Snickett’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. 13 novels recognized as being really good and definitely with a story arc.
The Sten Chronicles by Chris Bunch and Allan Cole. 8 books that are really one big mega-novel. It follows the rise and fall and rise of Sten in the court and military and spookdom of the Empire of A Thousand Suns.
For that matter, The Brotherhood of War series by W.E.B. Griffin qualifies as well.
Some great suggestions.
Apologies to historical fiction fans - I thought the term meant something else, I see it’s defined very widely. So strike that requirement from the OP.
I’m not a writer myself, but find it interesting to think of someone sitting down and laying out a grand vision, then having the skills to realise it without things going totally pear-shaped. And that’s working within the constraints of commercial publishing (as CalMeacham pointed out).
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I guess Balzac’s Human Comedy series or Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past series are definitely historical fiction, but the others I mentioned, I’m not so sure. I’ll grant you the Little House books as historical based on fact-fiction.
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Hard to argue with Proust as the definitive example. Can’t be many examples like this of someone pouring their life into a series of novels to such an extent (and have them become so critically celebrated).
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If you count the fifth book, Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun series probably qualifies. (Though it’s a four-book series with a one-book follow-on).
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The book of the New Sun is holy scripture, but the UotNS is quite separated (in quality as well IIRC). The BotNS was written as a single book and broken into 4 for commercial reasons, so this is probably a good way of keeping things hanging together.
For a sort of reverse example of that, Roberto Bolano’s masterwork 2666 was intended (by him) to be published in parts - Bolano was gravely ill and had just gotten major critical recognition for the Savage Detectives. He apparently wanted to split 2666 for the financial benefit of his surviving wife and kids. He died after completing the first draft and his literary executor and family decided to publish it as a single volume.
The Jack Ryan series by Tom Clancy?
I agree - the Gap novels are definitely through-composed and the series as a whole has a beginning, middle, and end. (The author’s notes talk a lot about how interested he was in making victims out of heroes and villains out of victims and so forth - over the course of all the books.) Who would have thought you’d feel the way about Angus at the end, way back at the beginning?