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Fail. Seriana Sedai Send a noteboard - 21/09/2009 04:43:24 AM
Being the pedantic person I am, I'd argue that there is no more suspense in such a situation than there would otherwise be, though when the bigger army wins there would be a surprise.

However, even if the bigger army were to win, it would have to lead to some other event happening that would make the victory hollow (like in Sanderson's Mistborn, where the rebel army is crushed but it leads to other events). After all, if the big army wins, and wins totally, with no other event to mitigate the victory, there's no more story - it's just a static situation.


The good guy's army is outnumbered, gets crushed by the bad guys army, and that's it. Game over, good guys lose. I can think of lots of books where the good guys don't win win, but off the top of my head I am having trouble thinking of any where they outright lose.

I suppose you have some of the heroic tragedy type books where they lose...but even in those there is usually something redeeming. I kinda want to read one where it's just a total crushing loss. Nothing heroic, no redeeming factors, just a terrible loss and that's the end of it. Not because I think I'd necessarily like it, more to see how much I would hate it (although I'm sure if it was done right I could like it).

The problem with your theory is in your response unfortunately. If you want to see how much you would hate it no author in his or her right mind would write it.
I guess they did do that at the end of the third Star Wars prequel, but all that does is set up the small army winning in the original movies so it really doesn't count.
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Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? Murtach74 - 20/09/2009 01:01:18 PM 1578 Views
Re: Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? Dunja - 20/09/2009 01:17:00 PM 1205 Views
Well, usually the bigger army are the invaders. Defence tends to have an edge AgentOrange - 20/09/2009 04:38:45 PM 1228 Views
It's an essential plot device Tom - 20/09/2009 04:41:04 PM 1220 Views
Yeah but... Murtach74 - 20/09/2009 07:38:36 PM 1209 Views
I don't quite agree Tom - 21/09/2009 01:22:45 AM 1153 Views
I'm sitting here trying to think if I've read any books like that... Brian - 21/09/2009 01:40:08 AM 1101 Views
Fail. Seriana Sedai - 21/09/2009 04:43:24 AM 1289 Views
Agreed. Tom - 21/09/2009 04:59:39 AM 1217 Views
Well there are plenty of authors not in their right minds Brian - 21/09/2009 05:49:22 PM 1132 Views
True. Seriana Sedai - 21/09/2009 06:50:43 PM 1160 Views
Hrmm...guess Miéville failed to follow the script then *NM* Larry - 20/09/2009 07:48:29 PM 457 Views
and a lot of others. But there's a rumour somewhere that it's not the size that matters... *NM* jh - 20/09/2009 07:53:41 PM 455 Views
It's still a valid point, even if one author doesn't "follow the script." *NM* Joker - 25/09/2009 12:34:48 AM 513 Views
Re: Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? Handel - 20/09/2009 08:45:48 PM 1326 Views
That, and... Napoleon62 - 20/09/2009 09:08:48 PM 1218 Views
Nineteen Eighty-Four, baby! Ghavrel - 20/09/2009 10:37:05 PM 1149 Views
That is not even fantasy... Napoleon62 - 21/09/2009 12:00:48 AM 1130 Views
IT ISN'T?! *NM* Ghavrel - 21/09/2009 01:42:16 AM 480 Views
Yeah, didn't your dad tell you about the double ungood days of the 80s? *NM* IndigoAjah - 21/09/2009 01:52:46 AM 478 Views
Doubleplusungood. Ghavrel - 25/09/2009 02:09:27 AM 1126 Views
Oops, sorry. Probably a thoughtcrime to put a space in. Rebellious waste of... pixels? Space? *NM* IndigoAjah - 25/09/2009 04:26:14 PM 503 Views
I agree. 1984 is not SF-F. *NM* Joker - 25/09/2009 12:36:46 AM 491 Views
Who knew? ¯\(°O)/¯ *NM* Ghavrel - 25/09/2009 02:07:19 AM 479 Views
I... don't know what those symbols mean. *NM* Joker - 26/09/2009 07:04:13 AM 501 Views
All books should have a point, IMO. Otherwise, what's the point in reading them. IndigoAjah - 25/09/2009 04:32:43 PM 1197 Views
Nineteen Eighty-Four is unquestionably Science Fiction. *NM* Ghavrel - 26/09/2009 04:12:47 AM 527 Views
No, it's not. ScyFy does not lay claim to anything and everything that takes place... Joker - 26/09/2009 07:05:59 AM 1133 Views
It's a novel which heavily relies upon futuristic technology. How is it not Science Fiction? *NM* Ghavrel - 28/09/2009 01:43:23 AM 478 Views
Because it doesn't have lasers or time-travel in it IndigoAjah - 28/09/2009 02:15:18 AM 1144 Views
I read it years ago and I don't remember any futuristic technology except... Joker - 28/09/2009 04:16:21 AM 1199 Views
I would say that if a story uses that sort of thing, it has a science fiction element. Ghavrel - 28/09/2009 05:20:39 AM 993 Views
Wheel of Time? Werthead - 20/09/2009 11:52:36 PM 1120 Views
I have not found that to be always true IndigoAjah - 21/09/2009 12:52:00 AM 1070 Views
The smaller army doesn't always win Tashmere - 21/09/2009 02:47:07 AM 1111 Views
Because you don't have to root for the huge army that's supposed to win. Seriana Sedai - 21/09/2009 04:38:22 AM 1165 Views
everybody loves an under dog *NM* random thoughts - 21/09/2009 03:51:12 PM 478 Views
Pratchett makes much of this. *NM* Camilla - 21/09/2009 04:11:04 PM 494 Views
"You can take our lives, but you can never take our freedom!" "...wrong!" *NM* Ghavrel - 21/09/2009 11:02:25 PM 433 Views
Exactly what I was going to say Floffe - 27/09/2009 02:55:02 PM 1332 Views
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