Five Stories About What Happens After You’ve Defeated the Big Bad

[james_davis_nicoll]

Mission accomplished! Quest completed! Now what...?

Five Stories About What Happens After You’ve Defeated the Big Bad

Comments

[kgbooklog]

Not exactly the same topic, but I always like it when authors don't stop at the climax but follow through with falling action and denouement (the only thing people don't copy from Tolkien). 2/7 of Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars series happens after the climax.

[princessofgeeks]

Did Order of the Pure Moon ever get a sequel? I would read any amount of stories in that universe!!!!!

[jsburbidge]

In its original form, the Lensman series does this systematically. Each volume looks as though it has ended with the defeat of the final villains ... until the next volume starts. In its currently published form the available background removes this effect.

[bolindbergh]

At the end of Rebecca Bradley's Lady in Gil, the protagonist liberates his ancestral country... and unwittingly sets in motion stuff far worse than mere human oppression, which takes two more books to resolve.

[roseembolism]

All of Frieren Beyond Journey's End takes place after the defeat of the Demon Lord, nearly all of it 50+ years after the titular elf takes a short 5 decade vacation, only to find out that humans have short lives. The rest of the series is both about dealing with missed opportunities, and learning to form connections in the brief time humans have.

[(Anonymous)]

It's been decades since I read it, but I think *Caught in Crystal* by Patricia Wrede fits this. In the backstory to the novel protagonist defeated the Big Bad, and retired to run an inn. Now it's years later, she's a single mom with two kids, and some jerk shows up at her inn to hand-deliver a whole new Call to Adventure, which she does not appreciate one bit.

--
Nathan H.

[james_davis_nicoll]

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