Oh, you’re absolutely right! The first two books really tick that box – and I MUST get hold of THE STONE SKY – it’s down to you that I picked up THE FIFTH SEASON in the first place:)).

^^ I really need to read the Discworld series. I’ve been meaning to, but you might have just sealed the deal with this comment. I’d love to see how Pratchett handles those themes in his work.

On a related note: You’ve read part of N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, right? Would you agree that it’s another book / trilogy where the setting influences many of its literary themes? I can think of a few off the top of my head.

Thanks as always for reading and commenting, Sarah. 🙂

I think it’s hard to consciously plan for themes unless you truly know what your themes are when you begin the first draft. You can nurture themes once you realize which ones are popping up, but when the initial idea for the story first hits you, it’s impossible (well, maybe not impossible, but definitely challenging) to see its heart. So you did the right thing by focusing on the elements that were easier to convey (the spectacle, wonder, and danger of the sea voyage) and discovering the themes later on.

Speaking of which: That sounds like an excellent mix of themes in your trilogy. I can definitely see how the ocean liner setting would influence or foster those themes. 🙂

‘Realize’ not ‘realise’ and ‘naivety’ not ‘naivity’. My spellchecker is AWOL, another example of the limits of technology!

I am a ‘planner’ in some ways, but a ‘pantser’ in others. I did not consciously plan much about themes for my trilogy, but focussed on spectacle, wonder and danger, all from the viewpoint of my teenage observer/narrator/protagonist.

Your question stumped me at first. But then just rereading your examples made me realise what themes my trilogy shares with them. Power, politics, man and the natural world. Coming of age and friendship.

My mighty liner certainly represents, even embodies, power and politics and man’s attempt to ‘conquer’ the natural world. A newspaper tycoon charters it, fills it with thousands of volunteers, arms it and them to the proverbial teeth, and they all set off in search of a fabulous lost city, shooting everything in sight, including their own proverbial feet! And they’re the GOOD guys!

Encounters with storms, sea monsters, and the BAD guys show them the limits of their power and technology, which is another theme. The ship which seems so vast and powerful at first is dwarfed by the natural setting it navigates, and looks toy-like when viewed from an observation balloon in several scenes.

My young protagonist makes friends, and enemies, and grows up about as much as one can expect in a week, even if it is about as eventful a week as one can imagine. The inevitable proximity on even a very large ship contributes to that.

I might summarise the above themes as innocence or naivity, a touching faith in the trilogy’s mix of ancient alien and 1930s Earth technology, a faith which is repeatedly shaken but not completely destroyed.

Thanks, John! I remember you telling me about the trilogy’s setting before. How do you think it plays into the trilogy’s themes? Or at least, the themes of the first book?