First-Person Reads: Are You a Fan?

Total Read Time: 2 minutes

I walked down the street.

vs.

The man walked down the street.
  

First-person narration in fantasy isn’t very common. Authors usually choose third person so they can follow different characters or groups throughout the story. (Lord of the Rings in first person would be a much shorter book!)

I never really thought about first person versus third person until I read Assassin Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It was the first fantasy book I ever encountered that was written in first person. Not only is the writing fantastic, but the narrative style really heightens the intrigue. The reader’s knowledge is limited to what the main character knows, so they are forced to puzzle things out alongside him. Jacqueline Carey’s Kusheline series is another example of how effective (and fabulous!) first-person narration can be.

Since I loved Carey’s and Hobb’s first-person works, I decided to branch out to their other books. Unfortunately, I found myself hitting a wall. After feeling so intimately connected with their main characters, I felt distanced and less engaged by their third-person books, even when they take place in the same realm with some of the same characters as their first-person novels. In fact, I haven’t been able to finish a book by either author that’s written in third person. (Despite several attempts.)

It’s not that the writing is bad. I just find myself not caring what happens to the main characters. I don’t feel invested. Maybe if I had read their third-person books first, I would feel differently. Instead, I find myself missing that feeling of being inside the main character’s mind, sharing their observations and experiences.

I still read and enjoy other fantasy authors who write in third person. My quirky prejudice only seems to affect authors I’ve already read in first person.

Is it just me? What’s your take on first-person versus third-person narrative?