Books that Share a Universe
There are series, and then there are books that exist in the same universe. Some call these companion books. There are as many variations as one could imagine. Sometimes these books pick up a different person’s story; sometimes they move forward or backward in time. I find it great fun to discover a familiar character or setting in the margins of a new book. Here are a few authors who do this especially well.
Rae Carson
I loved the Fire and Thorns trilogy (see my earlier post), which explores Elisa’s journey growing into her role as a leader. Carson has also published The Empire of Dreams, a companion novel to the series. This books focuses on Red Sparkle Stone, an orphan who was meant to be adopted by Elisa. When Elisa’s enemies prevent the adoption, Red Sparkle Stone joins the elite forces of the army to prove herself.
Kristin Cashore
Cashore’s Graceling Realm books are wonderful fantasies that deal with power and politics. The second book published, Fire, took us back in time to see the origin of some characters. And the books vary the point of view; Katsa, Bitterblue, Fire, and Hava have all had a chance to tell their stories. With more books promised, I can’t wait where Cashore leads us.
Madeleine L’Engle
While perhaps best known for A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels (about the Murray family), I always preferred L’Engle’s realistic Austin family books. Inside one of the copies, I found a “family tree” of her characters, which showed the connections between the Murrays, Austins, and the cast of supporting players. I loved seeing how characters moved through the different worlds.
Sandhya Menon
Menon’s rom-com When Dimple Met Rishi is a delightful read. The book follows two teens with opposing attitudes toward arranged marriage. Rishi embraces the tradition and can’t wait to meet his intended bride, Dimple. Dimple believes that it’s more important to focus on her career goals of being a web developer. Menon followed up Dimple with two companion books: There’s Something About Sweetie (about Rishi’s brother Ashish) and 10 Things I Hate About Pinky (about Ashish’s friends Pinky and Samir).
Tamora Pierce
Pierce definitely writes series. No question. But the series exist in a shared universe that takes us backward and forward in time and shine a spotlight on different characters. I love the books in the Tortall universe. The Song of the Lioness is about Alanna, who must disguise herself as male to follow her dream of becoming a knight. In Protector of the Small, Keladry idolizes Alanna, who made her path to knighthood possible. In The Immortals, we go back in time to see the early life of Alanna’s ally Daine, who can communicate with animals.
Gary D. Schmidt
I’ve already raved about The Wednesday Wars on this blog. I loved Holling Hoodhood’s story, set during the Vietnam War, and the humor and pathos Schmidt brought to the process of growing up. I was delighted to find that Schmidt wrote other books in this same universe. Okay for Now (about frenemy Doug Swieteck) and Just Like That (about crush Meryl Lee Kowalski) take place shortly after the first book. Schmidt has also written two books decades into the future that includes characters from The Wednesday Wars: Pay Attention, Carter Jones (in which Carter’s school principal is Doug Swieteck’s wife) and The Labors of Hercules Beal (which includes grown-up versions of Holling’s classmates Danny Hupfer and Mai Thi).
Elizabeth Wein
Wein’s YA historical novels are spellbinding, giving young women crucial roles in World War II. Her Code Name Verity cycle has interlocking stories and characters amid the dangers of the war. In Code Name Verity a young Scottish spy is shot down and arrested by the Gestapo. She, like Scheherazade, stretches out telling them her story to keep herself alive. In The Enigma Game, a code-translation machine falls into the hands of a British-Jamaican young woman. In Rose Under Fire, a transport pilot from the U.S. is captured and sent to a concentration camp. The Pearl Thief is a prequel to Verity, following Julie Beaufort-Stuart before the war.