My Latest book in progress is bucking my own trend/genre and I have reservations

[Devonai]

With the series structure I've established as a trilogy, bridging novel, then another trilogy, the first seven books have a consistency that has proven to work and has been popular with readers. So, my intention with the 8th book was as another bridging novel, a pause to reset the galactic stage in service of the more dynamic trilogy to follow. However, this particular story is more of a slow-burn mystery, focusing on a single solar system and a tragic criminal cover up therein that cost millions of innocent lives. It's great prose and I'm enjoying the heck out of creating it. However, the bulk of the previous novels were action-adventure, not a slow boil to an eventual eruption. My concern is that while I'd be perfectly happy doing a Dashiell Hammett-style hard-boiled thriller, which fits in with the lore, story, and momentum of books previous, it's too drastic of a change and I may upset long-time fans.

The story is about 6o% complete. Should I continue on this path, or try to shoehorn it back to my sine qua non of epic space battles and brutal ground combat?

[Hawkmoon]

I have been reading each chapter as it's released on Devonai's blog site. I don't have any sense that the current work-in-progress is moving too slowly or that it doesn't have enough action. For me, the "hook" in the previous books has been the main cast of characters and their interaction. The blood and guts is just window dressing.

Keep on keeping on, Mate.

And then get back to work on the sequel to Dun Ringill, you slacker.

[cordex]

A good story told well needn’t be exactly like your previous work.

[Jim147]

You haven't done anything so far that has put me off reading the story. I guess pick your own path and we will let you know if we thank it's getting strange.

[Ben]

A good story told well needn’t be exactly like your previous work.

I would agree with this. I don't expect a series to repetitively follow a particular "story type". I would only say to stay away from going too far astray. An example of that would be the Longmire series. I really enjoyed those books until he did a complete left turn and went into some weird Indian mysticism stuff a couple of books ago, which totally soured me on the rest of the series.

[Devonai]

Thank you everyone for your support and reassurances. I have to admit I had imbibed a couple of adult beverages when I posted that. Still, I'm worried returning readers will be bored by the pace of my WIP. One might suggest that the plot would have been better served as a standalone novel, or as Hawkmoon keeps prompting me, a sequel to Dun Ringill. I suppose it's not too late to ramp up the action.

Also, I meant to post this in [forum redacted], not The Roundtable.

[Hawkmoon]

Thank you everyone for your support and reassurances. I have to admit I had imbibed a couple of adult beverages when I posted that. Still, I'm worried returning readers will be bored by the pace of my WIP. One might suggest that the plot would have been better served as a standalone novel, or as Hawkmoon keeps prompting me, a sequel to Dun Ringill. I suppose it's not too late to ramp up the action.

Also, I meant to post this in [forum redacted], not The Roundtable.

Oh, no. No, no, no. The current work-in-progress is not in any way a sequel to Dun Ringill. But I happen to remember that you started a sequel to Dun Ringell and then abandoned it.

As I follow the Reckless Faith series at least as much because of the characters as because of the action, I grew to "know" the two main characters in Dun Ringell and I would like to see their story continue.