Future Oots books

[Sunken Valley]

Here is my prediction of the life expectancy of Oots. The giant has said in previous book commentaries that he has enough room to fill 6-9 books worth of material and that after DSTP there were going to be less compilation books. Thus this means that there are 7 books to come out. I further estimate that this means there will be 1200 strips in total (as DSTP had the half way point of OOTS in it). I also predict that book 7 will be set in the Dungeon at Kraagnors gate and will be shorter than most of the OOTS books with a length of 150-160 strips (although some of these will be extra long). I also predict that Prequel book 3 will be about the scribblers and what divided them.

[mhensley]

I wonder what will end first- oots or 4e? :smallbiggrin:

[Cizak]

...after DSTP there were going to be less compilation books. Thus this means that there are 7 books to come out.

May I ask how you come to this conclusion?

7 is not less than 4.

[hamishspence]

I think he meant a total of 7 covering the main story.

So- 4 have come out, 3 more are left.

[2-HeadedGiraffe]

So sayth the introduction to Don't Split the Party, "This book right here represents a milestone for the comic: by the time you're finished reading it, you will have passed the halfway point of the story."

So, yeah. The halfway point of the strip lies somewhere before strip 672, meaning a maximum (unless, as Mr. Burlew went on to say is a possibility) final strip count of 1344. If we're halfway as of book four, I think it would be reasonable to expect three or four more books before it's all said and done.

As for the last book, I'd be surprised if the climax of the story occurred in Kraagor's Dungeon. If I've learned anything from reading fantasy, every gate will be destroyed and the Snarl (if it still exists) will be set free.

[Stormwolf]

It's a well-observed fact that all great fantasy epics overrun their author's estimate. C.f G.R.R.Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time (also overran the author's lifespan) and any Tad Williams series you care to mention. ;)

[Cizak]

It's a well-observed fact that all great fantasy epics overrun their author's estimate. C.f G.R.R.Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time (also overran the author's lifespan) and any Tad Williams series you care to mention. ;)

I don't think we will have more books from now on than there already are, though. There may be more strips than Rich estimates (he has done that before) but I find it really unlikely that there will be more than 3 books left.

[SPoD]

Agreed; the longer-than-intended factor is already present in the number of strips that make up each book. So, we might imagine each of the remaining books will be phone-book-esque in length, but there will probably still only be three of them.

[Flame of Anor]

It's a well-observed fact that all great fantasy epics overrun their author's estimate. C.f G.R.R.Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time (also overran the author's lifespan) and any Tad Williams series you care to mention. ;)

And, of course, Tolkien's whole legendarium.

[NerfTW]

I'm guessing the current story arc, and then one or two more books. So 3 at most.

The books are about 200 strips, not arguing the difference between 30 or so. The current arc is past the halfway point of the when a new book would come out. The gate will be dealt with by the end of this book.

That leaves one more book for Kraagor's gate and possibly one more if there's some unknown twist coming up that we don't know about. Although given how many plot threads are being wrapped up right now, it's entirely possible that the next arc will finish off the last book.

But we are very, VERY close to the end.

[Cizak]

I'm guessing the current story arc, and then one or two more books. So 3 at most.

The books are about 200 strips, not arguing the difference between 30 or so. The current arc is past the halfway point of the when a new book would come out. The gate will be dealt with by the end of this book.

That leaves one more book for Kraagor's gate and possibly one more if there's some unknown twist coming up that we don't know about. Although given how many plot threads are being wrapped up right now, it's entirely possible that the next arc will finish off the last book.

But we are very, VERY close to the end.

"Very, VERY" is arguable, and we don't know that. There could be 600 strips to go.

[SPoD]

Which would be almost six years at two strips per week, or four at the unheard-of speed of three strips per week. Even one more book after this one, at 200 per book with another 100 left for this one, would leave us with three years of OOTS at 2/week. That's not "very, VERY close" by any standard.

I would also point out that so far, every gate has taken TWO books, not one. One book to set the stage from the last gate, and one to play out the contest for the new gate:

Dorukan: OtOoPCs and DCF
Soon: NCftPB and WaXP
Girard: DStP and whatever this book is called.

There's no reason to think that the current book won't be followed by a book full of dealing with the fallout of the battle for Girard's Gate and getting to the far north, and then a whole separate book dealing with the fight for Kraagor's Gate.

[Ted The Bug]

With the few clues we've been given, I think it's pretty much impossible to say beyond '3-ish, and also maybe a prequel or two'. Not counting, of course, any potential future OotS spinoffs or other projects that might happen. The real issue with predicting the amount of future OotS-ness we have in store for us is that not even the Giant really knows. Stories run long or get cut short (although mostly the former), and scheduling/health issues could arise that make the comic output increase or decrease in consistency. My only hope is that the comic is able to end when it should, and not be sped up or even *gasp* canceled.

[Sunken Valley]

I wonder what will end first- oots or 4e? :smallbiggrin:

4e definitely. Oots has a clear plan of where it is going. :smalltongue:

[Castamir]

I would also point out that so far, every gate has taken TWO books, not one. One book to set the stage from the last gate, and one to play out the contest for the new gate:

Dorukan: OtOoPCs and DCF
Soon: NCftPB and WaXP
Girard: DStP and whatever this book is called.
Lirian: a small part of SoD

[Nimrod's Son]

a small part of SoD
Well, it would have been a bit indulgent to spend two whole books on something that happened before at least two members of the Order were even born. :smallwink:

[Capt Spanner]

Halway through the story isn't the same as halfway through the comic. Just because events are halfway between your planned start and planned end (in terms of character development, world state, or many other metrics) that doesn't necessarily translate literally into half the final number of pages, or comics.

So doubling numbers from DstP is pointless. There could be another 1000 strips, or another 300 strips.

[hamishspence]

Yup- the precise wording:


This book right here represents a milestone for the comic: by the time you've finished reading it, you will have passed the halfway point of the story. Maybe not by page count; my tendency to run long may put more strips remaining than have passed, though I doubt it. But there will definitely be less compilation books forthcoming than have already been published, if you count this one. From this point on, there will be more answers than questions, more conclusions than mysteries, more resolution than set-up. At least, that's the plan. As in so many things, it may not work out exactly as I intended it.

[Morgan Wick]

This book right here represents a milestone for the comic: by the time you've finished reading it, you will have passed the halfway point of the story. Maybe not by page count; my tendency to run long may put more strips remaining than have passed, though I doubt it. But there will definitely be less compilation books forthcoming than have already been published, if you count this one.

So, definitely seven books total, with Girard's Gate likely looming by the end of this one, and no promises for page count.

The trend for book sizes has been to steadily increase - Book 2 was ~180 strips, Book 3 was ~184, and Book 4 was 188. If we take that trend literally, Book 5 will end at 864, Book 6 at 1060, and Book 7 at 1260. The final length is more likely to be longer than that than shorter (especially since I suspect Rich has allowed the Empire of Blood segment to get way out of hand and way longer than he originally intended, even by his standards).

[Felixaar]

Sevens a good, round number that Rich will find hard to exist. However, that would require a bit of a plot speed up. Originally I thought we were going to destory a gate every odd number, but this plot has been going on some time now without edging any nearer to the gate. Who knows?

[Gd8908]

Estimating when OOTS will end somehow feels like planning the exact way I'll die.

[Morgan Wick]

Sevens a good, round number that Rich will find hard to exist. However, that would require a bit of a plot speed up. Originally I thought we were going to destory a gate every odd number, but this plot has been going on some time now without edging any nearer to the gate. Who knows?

I think Rich has allowed this Empire of Blood plot to go way further out of hand than he had in mind. It started around #711, keep in mind. He may make up for it by transitioning directly to the Gate, or by making this book far longer than previous ones.