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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 1546 Views
Re: Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? Dunja - 20/09/2009 01:17:00 PM 1167 Views
Well, usually the bigger army are the invaders. Defence tends to have an edge AgentOrange - 20/09/2009 04:38:45 PM 1195 Views
It's an essential plot device Tom - 20/09/2009 04:41:04 PM 1190 Views
Yeah but... Murtach74 - 20/09/2009 07:38:36 PM 1178 Views
I don't quite agree Tom - 21/09/2009 01:22:45 AM 1114 Views
I'm sitting here trying to think if I've read any books like that... Brian - 21/09/2009 01:40:08 AM 1069 Views
Fail. Seriana Sedai - 21/09/2009 04:43:24 AM 1249 Views
Agreed. Tom - 21/09/2009 04:59:39 AM 1174 Views
Well there are plenty of authors not in their right minds Brian - 21/09/2009 05:49:22 PM 1104 Views
True. Seriana Sedai - 21/09/2009 06:50:43 PM 1128 Views
Hrmm...guess Miéville failed to follow the script then *NM* Larry - 20/09/2009 07:48:29 PM 444 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 441 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 501 Views
Re: Ever notice how in fantasy books the smaller army always wins? Handel - 20/09/2009 08:45:48 PM 1293 Views
That, and... Napoleon62 - 20/09/2009 09:08:48 PM 1181 Views
Nineteen Eighty-Four, baby! Ghavrel - 20/09/2009 10:37:05 PM 1110 Views
That is not even fantasy... Napoleon62 - 21/09/2009 12:00:48 AM 1098 Views
IT ISN'T?! *NM* Ghavrel - 21/09/2009 01:42:16 AM 466 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 465 Views
Doubleplusungood. Ghavrel - 25/09/2009 02:09:27 AM 1091 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 491 Views
I agree. 1984 is not SF-F. *NM* Joker - 25/09/2009 12:36:46 AM 480 Views
Who knew? ¯\(°O)/¯ *NM* Ghavrel - 25/09/2009 02:07:19 AM 463 Views
I... don't know what those symbols mean. *NM* Joker - 26/09/2009 07:04:13 AM 487 Views
All books should have a point, IMO. Otherwise, what's the point in reading them. IndigoAjah - 25/09/2009 04:32:43 PM 1165 Views
Nineteen Eighty-Four is unquestionably Science Fiction. *NM* Ghavrel - 26/09/2009 04:12:47 AM 515 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 1107 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 463 Views
Because it doesn't have lasers or time-travel in it IndigoAjah - 28/09/2009 02:15:18 AM 1106 Views
I read it years ago and I don't remember any futuristic technology except... Joker - 28/09/2009 04:16:21 AM 1165 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 955 Views
Wheel of Time? Werthead - 20/09/2009 11:52:36 PM 1084 Views
I have not found that to be always true IndigoAjah - 21/09/2009 12:52:00 AM 1035 Views
The smaller army doesn't always win Tashmere - 21/09/2009 02:47:07 AM 1080 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 1129 Views
everybody loves an under dog *NM* random thoughts - 21/09/2009 03:51:12 PM 464 Views
Pratchett makes much of this. *NM* Camilla - 21/09/2009 04:11:04 PM 481 Views
"You can take our lives, but you can never take our freedom!" "...wrong!" *NM* Ghavrel - 21/09/2009 11:02:25 PM 419 Views
Exactly what I was going to say Floffe - 27/09/2009 02:55:02 PM 1301 Views
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