The unstoppable rise of fantastic sagas in literature

It may be, they say, because of the change in habits. If the television series began imitating the novel, why couldn't the novel now be imitating the television series? With the viewer – and by extension, the consumer of fiction in any format – accustomed to immersing themselves in a story for more than one installment thanks to the popularization of series on streaming platforms. streaming, and doing so with delight because, once he has found something he likes, he does not have to make any decision about it. In a world that demands constant decision-making from him, could that pleasure of abandoning oneself to the novel not be transferred to the novel? a serialized story, with renewed interest and a potential massive audience? The rise of fantastic sagas of very diverse nature and themes that the publishing market in Spain is experiencing could “without a doubt” be explained by something like this, in the words of the editors Marta Rossich, from Nova, and Jan Martí and Alice Incontrada, from Blackie Books , stamp the latter about to join such an unstoppable wave.

“The moment is vibrant, the sagas are the golden nuggets of the sector today,” confesses Rossich, who has in his ranks the best-seller Brandon Sanderson, of whom “450,000 copies have been sold in Spain alone” of his most successful saga, mistborn. Figures light years away from any other genre today. And the best thing, according to the editor, is that “what writers like Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie and George RR Martin have opened is useful for others. You notice, as an editor, that the time has come for China Miéville, or NK Jemisin, or anyone else, because you can make room and add four more, and the reader will accept them.” The fact that sales “spread” over time and “grow”, because “there are readers who are just starting out, but there are many others who are on the fourth or fifth installment”, in some way also “hooks” the editor himself , says Rossich, who “knows” that sooner or later what he bet on “will explode.” It just happened with Steve Erikson and the ten volumes of the saga Malazan.

It was Erikson's visit to Barcelona in November that revived sales. Because dealing with the reader, “a demanding and very connected reader, interested in sharing what he or she likes and for that to matter outside the circle of the genre,” according to Rossich, is essential. Antonio Torrubia, bookseller at Gigamesh, a legendary science fiction, fantasy and horror bookstore in Barcelona, ​​whose publishing label was the first to publish the five installments of Game of Thrones, agrees with Rossich on the importance of contact with the reader and confirms the rise of Erikson, who has sold 500 books in his bookstore alone. Torrubia also points out the thematic atomization of the fantastic saga, with titles like those in the series barbarians, the intergalactic erotic saga by Ruby Dixon (Essence) that triumphs on TikTok and whose third installment has just been published. Torrubia points out the importance of Harry Potter, as a saga “that he does not stop selling,” and that of his first readers, today consumers, who associate reading pleasure with a work in installments.

Stamps belonging to large groups such as Nova (Penguin Random House), Runas (Alianza) or Planeta —with the dragons of Empyrealby Rebeca Yarros—are in the saga market, but also, increasingly, small publishers like the exquisite Insólita—which has the respected Fonda Lee and her Jade Legacy— or Gamon —which publishes Luke Arnold's paranormal detective series and the saga Burning Kingdom by the award-winning Tasha Suri—or Vidis—which has focused on historical fantasy and has authors like Claire North in its ranks—and Nocturna—with Jay Kristoff at the helm—are committed to building reader loyalty by supplying them with one installment after another of a story in progress. “In many cases there is a leap from the cult, genre reader to the general public. When that happens is when things change,” says Rossich. That an independent publisher not linked to the genre like Blackie Books is about to join the phenomenon Blackwater points in that sense.

Endorsed by Stephen King and Mariana Enriquez, the saga Blackwater —an epic matriarchal story, and lovecraftian, set in Alabama in the 1930s—will land on the label that publishes Kurt Vonnegut in February, and one installment will be published every 15 days. “In reality, more than a saga, the Blackwater “It is a novel in installments,” says Jan Martí. This is how, he says, his author, Michael McDowell, conceived it, and that he intended to give a playful character to the reading itself. “Two weeks can feel like an eternity when you come to an end with the kind of cliffhangers [situaciones extremas] that McDowell creates, and that also fascinates us, how he plays with the concept of reading pleasure and desire,” adds Alice Incontrada. The six volumes of the series that, for Martí, “was 40 years ahead of HBO” will be complete in April. Originally published in 1983, the books, which sold two million copies last year in France and Italy, the first countries to recover them, were specially designed by McDowell to invoke the serial novel at the time.

In that sense, McDowell gave himself a leading and decisive role, as does Sanderson today – who opts for the hybrid edition of his work, one financed by him and his readers, and another, inserted in the publishing sector -, because they are very aware of the importance of the reader and know exactly what they need. Christopher Paolini (Los Angeles, 40 years old), responsible for the archived saga Eragon (Roca Editorial), admits that he started “as a fan of the fantastic” and that, prematurely, at the age of 15, he needed to go to the other side and start writing his own saga. “It is something that occurs in all cases. The authors of fantastic sagas have been readers of fantastic sagas,” he says. Today it still is, he confesses, although, although his life has not changed much, he has “less time” for reading. He does not believe that the fantasy genre has anything to envy of the realistic one, because he considers it superior. “At the end of the day, fantasy is the oldest form of fiction,” he says. An ancient form that seems determined to conquer the new times.

_