Now that I have finished my first book, I can concentrate more fully on the second in the series “Surfacing event”. But before I launch into that, I suppose I should consider whether to write a summary of “An illusion of peace” to place at the beginning of the second book.
This seems to be a common practice, especially in science fiction and fantasy series, but is it a good idea I wonder? On one hand, it does give a reader a reminder of events in a previous book; a book that they may have read some months or years earlier. On the other, does it mean that people will skip reading the first book since all the main points are summarised in the second?
As an aside, it always surprises me how the story of even the most complicated, convoluted, lengthy novel can be summarised in a fraction of its length without losing the main thread. It does show how much of most books is descriptive padding, but then a little padding can sometimes be the most enjoyable part of the reading experience.
I think that I will write a summary next, while the events of the first book are still fresh in my head. If I don’t use it, nothing lost, but if I have to write it later on I suspect it will not be so easy.