Finding Our Humanity in Paranormal Literature
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fantasy publishers have cashed in on a successful repetitive strategy:
instituting serialization in paperback form, making them easier to afford
and leaving the audience wanting more (Wargo Donohue 64). This
simple formula ensures that for readers to know the ultimate end of a
story, they buy the next book in the series. The husband-wife team
writing as Ilona Andrews, for example, keeps readers buying the series
with captivating action and character development. Multiply this for
other authors, such as Sherrilyn Kenyon and J.R. Ward, who have
several series going, and it is nothing short of guaranteed success.
Moreover, readers know that once the happily-ever-after (HEA) ending
is written, this is not the end of reading about their favorite characters.
Readers know that they will be able to follow the characters’ lives,
triumphs, and downfalls through later novels, thereby solidifying their
connection to and love for the books in much the same way that TV
series operate.
Most importantly, to maintain popularity and reader interest, the
stories have to resonate with their audiences. Readers appreciate the
stories wherein love triumphs over all, and “Paranormal romance, in all
its incarnations, often represents the ultimate in impossible love” (Dyer
21). The obstacles the characters face are compounded by the paranormal
factors; the act of finally overcoming these obstacles is greater than with
couples who have no need to hide their true selves, or—once revealed—
drain each other of blood and risk possible death in the process, for
example. The romantic hero or heroine in paranormal and urban fantasy
texts often chooses a human counterpart (in some cases, such as in Nalini
Singh’s arch angel series, they choose another paranormal counterpart)
knowing that this will likely weaken them. Love and romance, however,
are stronger forces than common sense or mission, and the paranormal
characters often succumb to the love and sacrifice of the human
character. This further shows the belief that we have in love’s ability to
conquer all—even hell—in some cases. And once readers are invested in
the characters’ lives and loves, they want to see how the relationship
plays out for the long haul, and if one novel in the series is a “dud,” they
are willing to try future ones simply because of the attachment to the
series. While readers still enjoy the stories that end in a single novel, the
idea that one can “follow” a beloved couple through more than the ‘hook
up’ fulfills readers’ voyeuristic tendencies while providing the stability
and attachment that is craved. This tactic works well for popular
paranormal authors.
J.R. Ward, for example, writes her Black Dagger Brotherhood