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My Wishlist: The Spinoff Edition
We all have our favorite series, right? Whether the series is coming to a graceful end (farewell, dear Sirantha) or chugging along merrily for the unforeseeable future (Eve and Roarke, looking great in your 30s–books, that is), those really memorable ones stick with us for a long time, sometimes making us wish we could stay in those worlds forever.
Fortunately, it seems like an increasing number of book series are somehow spinoffs of other popular, beloved works. It’s kind of like the best of both worlds, in my opinion. You get to have some familiar places or faces come up (whether friend or foe), yet you get to experience many things with a fresh pair of eyes. Some of the announced spinoffs have be so excited that I’m positively salivating for them with almost a year left to go. Here’s a smattering of some of the most exciting of these, both upcoming and in-progress.
. . .
The Dread Queen Trilogy, by Ann Aguirre
Spinoff of Sirantha Jax series
Ann Aguirre has always been clear that her (excellent and awesome) Sirantha Jax series was meant to have a finite story arc, no more. She didn’t say she didn’t want to continue writing in that same mental sandbox, however. It was apparently pitched as “Prison Break in space — on a prison ship filled with warring factions, hostile territories and savage retribution, only the strong survive”. I’m in. According to Ms. Aguirre herself:
“The Dread Queen trilogy is set in the Jax universe, 30 to 40 years after Jax ends. The villain from Doubleblind, Jael, will be the hero & love interest. The heroine? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. But Dred is pretty awesome.”
This just has me so excited, because Jael was easily one of the more conflicted, intriguing characters in the Jax series. I cannot wait to see what adventures are in store for him.
. . .
Parasol Protectorate Abroad, by Gail Carriger
Spinoff of the Parasol Protectorate series
Did you enjoy the tales Carriger wrote about her character Alexia Tarrabotti? Well, things were never supposed to stop with her. I think I recall Carriger mentioning at a book signing once that Alexia Tarrabotti’s tales are more of a lead-in to the stories of her daughter, Prudence. According to Carriger:
“My intention with the Parasol Protectorate Abroad books is to explore the wider ramifications of my Steampunk British Empire, not just how technology has altered but how vampires and werewolves have evolved differently in other parts of the world.”
Yet another book that will have to wait for a while: it’s tentatively scheduled for release in Fall 2013.
. . .
Iced: A Dani O’Malley Novel (Fever World #1) by Karen Marie Moning
Spinoff of Fever series
Blurb (clipped to remove spoilers):
The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.
When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.
Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.
It goes without saying that this spinoff series will be beyond amazing. Readers of the Fever series got a taste of Dani O’Malley’s narrative in the later books, and from those little bits and pieces, this girl has got so much going on in that crazy noggin’. I’m really, really looking forward to seeing this universe through the eyes of someone other than Mac (no offense, hun!).
. . .
A bit depressing that these dang books aren’t being released for some time, I know. Here’s one I absolutely cannot wait to jump into (for I’m told by many who’ve read it, it’s awesome!):
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels World, #1) by Ilona Andrews
Spinoff of Kate Daniels series
Blurb:
Some people have everything figured out — Andrea Nash is not one of those people. After being kicked out of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend, Kate Daniels.When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano — the male alpha of Clan Bouda and Andrea’s former lover — die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate … and must work with Raphael. As her search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, Andrea knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a backseat to saving the world …
As if the Kate Daniels series weren’t awesome enough. I always wondered what was going on in Andrea’s head. She’s got a back story full of drama and strife and heartbreak. But she’s strong and loyal, resilient…all the things we love about Kate D. herself. Add the fact that Raphael, her ex, figures heavily into this plot, and I’m all in.
. . .
Don’t want to overload this post, so I’ll just close with two more words that I’ve been waiting to see in relation to a spinoff series: Vlad Tepes. ^_^
. . .
Do tell: are you a fan of spinoffs? If so, under what circumstances (does the original series need to be over? Must it be a multi-book spinoff?) Feel free to jump forward or backward in time for your mental list.
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Spinoffs are always a good thing. The very ability of an author to do a spinoff proves they have a fully realized world with multiple interesting characters.
Sometimes I am less interested in the spinoff characters (Opal was so bloody whiny and boring after Yelena), but I still love that they happen. At the very least you get little tidbits about those characters left behind.
I guess it depends on my mood and on the series.
Spinoffs can be great when i don’t want to leave a world I love. I don’t like series that go on and on and onnnnn. I need closure at some point and spinoffs are often the best option to still see some of the characters =)
But sometimes it just sucks…like the Jeaniene Frost spinoffs. blergh.
When I say it depends on my mood…well I was furious when KMM announced the Fever world spinoff! fuuuuuuuuuuurious. And now I’m kinda looking forward to it. Go figures.
Hmm. I have mixed feelings about spinoffs–or even series that go on forever. As much as I hate to see my favorite series end, sometimes it’s for the best to just have a clean break.
The spinoffs that come to mind most immediately are in the sff/uf arenas. There’s so much background and worldbuilding going on there that new readers often have trouble jumping in with the spinoff and have to go all the way back to the original books to get the full experience. I think that can be a turnoff. (Especially if the older books aren’t readily available/OOP.)
Just let me get thru next week (boo hoo) and I’ll let you know whether Sirantha Jax’s series needs a spinoff. But I agree that Jael was a very complex character and has some interesting possibilities for future books.
I think I’ll need to be sold on the Parasol Protectorate spinoff. I would have liked for the orginal series to either continue for a few more books or be put to bed for good. But I’ll still read the next book and, who knows, Carriger may surprise me.
I’m OK with these mini detours in the Kate Daniels saga, but I’m not sure about a full-blown spinoff. I mean, the whole series is geared towards the final showdown. That might be hard to top unless a character (or multiple characters) move from Atlanta to a whole new location with new problems. (Saiman’s cousin might fit this bill.) If anyone can pull this off, the Andrews team can. If they write it, I’ll read it.
Don’t kick me out of the club, but I haven’t read Moning’s Fever series, despite the fact that I own all the books in paper and e formats. I was waiting ’til all of the books were released before jumping in, and then I got sidetracked. There are just so many books to get around to! 🙁
I loved the story with Saiman’s cousin! I want more of her.
I’ve only read the first Fever book so far, though the rest is gathering dust on my shelves. I need to start reading Ann Aguirre, tried one once, could not get into it. Love everything Ilona Adnrews has written. I love the spin offs by Lynn Viehl, looking forward to more Kyndred especially.
Yes, I do like spin offs, if that means not having to leave the world I have come to love and would like to live in.
I can’t wait for ‘Iced’ or ‘Gunmetal Magic’! Both sound great on their own, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the worlds they are each in.
I’m definitely in favour of spin off series’ that show what different characters are getting up to, or what’s going on somewhere else in the world.
~Ailsa
I think it would depend on the series and the spin offs. I do love to be able to revisit old friends and places but only if the story itself is solid.
I usually like spinoffs. Especially when there is that one character that just deserves a chance to have his/her story told. I’m a big fan of Nora Roberts’ MacGregor series, even though the relations seemed to get stretched pretty thin by the end. The one that recently annoyed me a bit was Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor. I really liked all 6 books in that series, but felt books 1-3 were a different series from 4-6 and should have had their own setting/characters, etc… The townspeople actually became a bit annoying to me after reading about them for 6 books and I think I would have enjoyed the books more with a different setting.