The Pathways in the Dark commentary continues! SPOILER WARNING ahead!!! One last look at the short story Trustfall from the collection…
The Return of the Kitsune
Last time I discussed bringing elements of The Great Divide back to explore how things have changed for Ruiz and his world in almost two decades.
Having Dobson and Harvey return allowed Ruiz to see this change and second guess his choices on all fronts. It was a fun exploration, one that challenged Ruiz’s conception of trust as well as the idea of good and evil as it related to these two forces from his past.
But what about the threat for the story? Who was committing these crimes?
This question led me back to Tales from Portents and another open-ended menace from the collection: The Kitsune.
When she showed up in The View from Above, she was using teens to commit petty theft for the thrill of it. I wanted to see the next step of that, where this ancient creature would go when she had nowhere else to turn.
I also thought it would be a nice nod to readers who had been there from the start. As I’ve often stated, I feel short stories tend to feel unimportant so bringing back past dangers, past relationships and expounding on them gives that sense of connective tissue I love with series writing.
Which brings me to my final point on the tale…
Standalone or a crucial piece to a larger puzzle?
This is something I struggle with constantly. Even as I write this I am working on the second book in a new series where this concept is coming into play.
My thoughts go back and forth on how best to handle individual books in a series. I believe in the standalone novel. I love the ability of picking up one story and having a beginning, middle and end.
Yet I also believe there should be connective tissue when it comes to a series. Subplots, overarching themes, history between characters, etc. All are crucial to make the journey feel more real for the reader.
When it came to Pathways in the Dark, my goal was simple. Six stories bridging the series from The Medusa Coin to where the characters need to be at the start of A Circle of Shadows. Each piece needed to stand on its own but I wanted each to feel like it was part of something bigger.
Some readers mentioned this as a fault. I totally accept that assessment. If you’ve come into the series at book four I completely take the blame for not making this collection stand on its own. There is more baggage with each new book and this one had its fair share to be sure.
My own thoughts are mixed…
I do, however, think with tales like Trustfall, The Apartment and Blackmail that there is a sense that you can read just this story and enjoy it on its own.
Are there elements of the wider story being told? Absolutely. Especially for Trustfall. Harvey’s inclusion, as I’ve hinted, is crucial to where the narrative is heading this fall. The Kitsune alludes to the growing shadows as well.
Looking at Trustfall on its own though, there is a beginning, middle and end. Ruiz is a father trying to protect his daughter from the outside world, something he can no longer do now that she’s heading to college. That’s the standalone story and if you read it as such it is a complete work.
If you’re looking at it from a Greystone Saga perspective there is enough connective tissue to the other stories to keep you moving for the next piece of the puzzle.
So in the eternal debate of standalone vs series I prefer to skirt the line right down the center…
Where do you fall on this debate? Email me at lou@loupaduano.com
Thanks for reading.
