History DependingOnTheWriter / Literature

*** Also, almost every character is written inconsistently to some extent: Sometimes the Doctor is basically just an AllLovingHero with a side of CloudCuckoolander, and sometimes everyone spends the whole book shouting, "WhatTheHellHero?!" at him. Fitz's intelligence fluctuates, and he runs the gamut of KavorkaMan, ChivalrousPervert, and, on rare occasion, comes across as [[SingleTargetSexuality Doctorsexual]]. He once committed contempt of court because someone insulted [[PlatonicLifePartners Anji]] for her [[BollywoodNerd ethnicity]], but he once asked her if her people speak Hindu, and continues bugging her even when she gets obviously annoyed -- considering the fact his father was a German immigrant (hey, Fitz do your people speak Dutch or something?) and Fitz is most of the time practically TheChick in that once you get beyond the [[DeadpanSnarker snark]], he's a ridiculously [[NiceGuy sweet, caring person]], it's all the more egregious. Then there's Sam Jones, who at first was a 'generic companion' with a wildly different personality in every story. The book ''Alien Bodies'' attempted to do a FixFic on this by saying she was created as a 'perfect companion' for the Doctor, fulfilling whatever role she has to.

** In a word: Mando'a. Depending on the writer--that is, depending on whether the writer is Karen Traviss or not--the Mandalorians are either gruff, psychologically diverse mercenaries and warriors with questionable pasts and practices[[note]]like the fact that their race ''backed the Sith'' in every single one of the Sith/Jedi wars[[/note]], or eternally morally-upstanding WarriorPoet heroes of MarySuetopia who show the Jedi what they're really supposed to be like. Traviss' work has included [[spoiler: A Jedi dropping his saber and joining them]], and an attempt to justify [[spoiler:Order 66]]. Traviss' moments of SmallNameBigEgo don't help matters.

*** The Eighth Doctor was played on-screen by a man who is about 5'8", and it happened to come up that he's 160 lbs fully [[GorgeousPeriodDress (over)]]dressed with shoes on. He's no [[NoodlePeople Noodle Person]]. He is shorter than average, with a compact, athletic build. Nonetheless, in the novels, even the same author sometimes cannot decide whether he is very tall and skinny, slight, or merely a little shorter than your typical human, Human Alien, or [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguous Human]]. Fitz, previously described as so tall he feels mismatched standing next to a woman who does not seem to be excessively petite, is in one scene surprised that a [[HugeSchoolgirl 6'6" young woman]] is taller than the Doctor. Who, like I said, ought to be a full ten inches shorter than her. (Part of the confusion owed to deliberate attempts while making [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the TV movie]] to make Creator/PaulMcGann look significantly taller than Creator/SylvesterMcCoy by having [=McGann=] stand on a box in their joint publicity photos.)

* An OlderThanPrint example: the original ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' gave no physical descriptions of Grendel or his mother, so their appearances vary. Grendel usually portrayed as either a brutal and ugly ogre, a more reptilian swamp monster, or sometimes a more-human or ape like barbarian warrior. His mother is often depicted as a [[WickedWitch hag]], but sometimes as a DarkActionGirl, and modern depictions sometimes portray her as a demonic {{Shapeshifter}} who can assume the form of an attractive, seductive, human woman. The original poem gave no real physical description of the dragon either, but let's be honest, it's not all that needed for a dragon. Of course it's possible that at one point the same could have been said for Grendel.

** The best example is probably the character Tahiri. She has managed to cycle through being the girl RaisedByNatives, the VictoriousChildhoodFriend, the [[ShellShockedVeteran shell shocked torture victim]], the [[HerHeartWillGoOn widowed lover]], AxCrazy, the [[SplitPersonalityTakeover girl with split personalities]] (which later merge into a 3rd personality), the [[Literature/DarkNestTrilogy cultish bug girl]], a [[TheDarkSide Sith apprentice]], the [[MummiesAtTheDinnerTable lover who just won't let go]], a [[{{Squick}} pedophile seductress]], the FemmeFatale and is now on the [[JourneyToFindOneself journey to find herself]]. These all occurred with little to no character development and all function subsequently from each other? Oh boy. In [[Literature/FateoftheJedi Fate of the Jedi: Ascension]], you can add TheAtoner to the list. Though, considering the above, this characterization makes sense.

** Another good one for a long while was Luke's love life. You could see the [[ArmedWithCanon canon wars]] as practically every single writer made a new beautiful girl for Luke to fall for, convinced that ''his'' creation was the future Mrs. Skywalker. Creator/TimothyZahn just got the last shot.
*** In his defense, Timothy Zahn also got the FIRST shot, in terms of the EU.
** The ''Millennium Falcon's'' speed. Does "Fastest Ship In the Galaxy" apply to realspace and hyperspace both, or just hyperspace? The movies, WordOfGod, and several pieces point towards the former (the Falcon is clearly shown flying the fastest in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', but some writers, perhaps drawing too much from the tabletop RPG, make it slower than fighters. But it was also shown being outrun by a Star Destroyer in "Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack" (hence Han's line about "We can still outmaneuver them"), though admittedly this was while it was in a state of disrepair.

* Pretty inexcusable overall is every writer meddling with the Creator/HPLovecraft mythos.
** H.P. Lovecraft never really attempted to portray his stories as a single, consistent mythos. A few names and ideas are shared, but there's no actual continuity. He was attempting to give the feel of a hidden mythology, and mythologies have no canon, being instead self-contradictory and inconsistent. One of Lovecraft's goal with his Mythos stories was the show a back story in which Depending on the Author was the dominant factor.
*** Which is rather fitting given the themes...
** The problem is not the continuity, but the mood of the setting. For Lovecraft, it was heavily about how the universe just doesn't care about mankind. Later writers making humans more important and worth the notice of monsters is what is often complained about.
*** But of course Lovecraft had humans being portrayed as important and triumphing over the Mythos in some of his stories as well, perhaps most notably "The Dunwich Horror".

* The [[KingArthur Arthurian mythos]]. Dozens of medieval authors created works related to the ''Matter of Britain'' - and the number of knights, the location of Arthur's court, and countless minute details, tended to vary from one writer to another.

* The original Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse (now known as the ''Legends'' continuity) has some very bad examples of this, especially in the long, interconnected series of novels. The ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' series (19 novels, 27 stories, 12 different writers) was legendary for this, and its followup, ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'', managed to be even worse--despite being only three writers writing three books each.

** The general tech levels of the setting tend to be all over the place, as is the scale involved. For instance, in some stories, a blaster seems to have [[CoolButInefficient the stopping power of a modern gun of its size and shape, if not weaker]], while in other stories, even a pistol-sized blaster's shots can shatter concrete or turn a person into hot ash. A Star Destroyer's cannons can range from about as strong as a World War II broadside, to about as strong as a nuclear strike; at the high-end, it's been claimed that a large warship could render an unprotected planet uninhabitable on its own. And then there's how big various armies and navies are, with the most notorious being the question of how many clones the Republic made; claims vary from a couple million to several orders of magnitude above that.

* The original Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse (now known as the ''Legends'' continuity) has some very bad examples of this, especially in the long, interconnected series of novels. The ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' series (19 novels, 27 stories, 12 different writers) was legendary for this, and its followup, ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'', managed to be almost as bad--despite being only three writers writing three books each.

* The original Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse (now known as the ''Legends'' continuity) has some very bad examples of this, especially in the long, interconnected series of novels. The ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' series (19 novels, 27 stories, 12 different writers) was legendary for this, and its followup, ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'', managed to be almost as bad -- despite being only three writers writing three books each.
** Even before then, some parts of the Bantam Spectra-era ExpandedUniverse, depending on the writer. Largely this is because writers apparently didn't like one anothers' work and did as they pleased, ignoring the fact that the Star Wars EU is supposed to be continuous. This led to quite a few {{Fix Fic}}s -- and see that article for how this was eventually repaired in {{Canon}}.
** The best example is probably the character Tahiri. She has managed to cycle through being the girl RaisedByNatives, the VictoriousChildhoodFriend, the [[ShellShockedVeteran shell shocked torture victim]], the [[HerHeartWillGoOn widowed lover]], AxCrazy, the [[SplitPersonalityTakeover girl with split personalities]] (which later merge into a 3rd personality), the [[Literature/DarkNestTrilogy cultish bug girl]], a [[TheDarkSide Sith apprentice]], the [[MummiesAtTheDinnerTable lover who just won't let go]], a [[{{Squick}} pedophile seductress]], the FemmeFatale and is now on the [[JourneyToFindOneself journey to find herself]]. These all occurred with little to no character development and all function subsequently from each other? Oh boy....
*** In [[Literature/FateoftheJedi Fate of the Jedi: Ascension]], you can add TheAtoner to the list. Though, considering the above, this characterization makes sense.

*** The Eighth Doctor was played on-screen by a man who is about 5'8", and it happened to come up that he's 160 lbs fully [[GorgeousPeriodDress (over)]]dressed with shoes on. He's no [[NoodlePeople Noodle Person]]. He is shorter than average, with a compact, athletic build. Nonetheless, in the novels, even the same author sometimes cannot decide whether he is very tall and skinny, slight, or merely a little shorter than your typical human, Human Alien, or [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguous Human]]. Fitz, previously described as so tall he feels mismatched standing next to a woman who does not seem to be excessively petite, is in one scene surprised that a [[HugeSchoolgirl 6'6" young woman]] is taller than the Doctor. Who, like I said, ought to be a full ten inches shorter than her. This also happens to eye colour -- in Fitz's intro book, his eyes are twice mentioned as gray eyes, and once as blue. They eventually settle on gray. The Doctor's eyes can't decide whether to be pale blue, electric blue, blue-gray, blue-green, or green.

* An OlderThanPrint example: the original ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' gave no physical descriptions of Grendel or his mother, and as a result, their appearances often vary in adaptations. Grendel is usually portrayed as a brutal and ugly ogre, but sometimes he is a more-human (but just as brutal) barbarian warrior. His mother is often depicted as a [[WickedWitch hag]], but sometimes as a DarkActionGirl, and modern depictions sometimes portray her as a demonic {{Shapeshifter}} who can assume the form of an attractive, seductive, human woman. (The original poem gave no real physical description of the dragon either, but let's be honest, a dragon is something that's pretty easy to picture.)

* The ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'' tie-in novels vary wildly in quality. Writers also sometimes [[ArmedWithCanon disagree about the mythology and source material]], leading to [[CanonDisContinuity inconsistencies between stories]]. In addition, due to the variance in both authors and settings, [[GenreShift some of the books are of a completely different genre]]. (For example, the [[MegaCity Ravnica]] novels are supernatural [[PoliceProcedural Police Procedurals]].)

** Even before then, some parts of the Bantam Spectra-era ExpandedUniverse had some serious CharacterDerailment, depending on the writer. Largely this is because writers apparently didn't like one anothers' work and did as they pleased, ignoring the fact that the Star Wars EU is supposed to be continuous. This led to quite a few {{Fix Fic}}s -- and see that article for how this was eventually repaired in {{Canon}}.

* The ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'' tie-in novels vary wildly in quality. Writers also sometimes [[ArmedWithCanon disagree about the mythology and source material]], leading to [[CanonDisContinuity inconsistencies between stories]]. In addition, due to the variance in both authors and settings, [[GenreShift some of the books are of a completely different genre]]. (For example, the [[MegaCity Ravnica]] novels are supernatural [[PoliceProcedural Police Procedurals]].)

* In the superhero pastiche "[[http://johnnyalucard.com/fiction/online-fiction/coastal-city/ Coastal City]]" by Creator/KimNewman, [[CommissionerGordon Commissioner Francis Riordan]] is ''aware'' that his personality changes depending on which hero he's dealing with (in other words, whose comic book he's appearing in).

* ''Literature/LandOfOz'': Oscar Diggs, the titular Wizard of Oz, is ''very'' much a case of this, ranging from well-intentioned con artist with benign intent (''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful''), to a shady trickster who blundered his way into power through fortunate timing and technological prowess, to a malevolent MagnificentBastard who uses existing conflicts within Ozian society to keep factions fighting each other while he maintains a singular pursuit of ultimate power (''Literature/{{Wicked}}'').

*** The Eighth Doctor was played on-screen by a man who is about 5'8", and it happened to come up that he's 160 lbs fully [[GorgeousPeriodDress (over)]]dressed with shoes on. He's no [[NoodlePeople Noodle Person]]. He is shorter than average, with a compact, athletic build. Nonetheless, in the novels, even the same author sometimes cannot decide whether he is very tall and skinny, slight, or merely a little shorter than your typical human, Human Alien, or [[AmbiguouslyHuman Ambiguous Human]]. Fitz, previously described as so tall he feels mismatched standing next to a woman who does not seem to be excessively petite, is in one scene surprised that a [[HugeSchoolgirl 6'6" young woman]] is taller than the Doctor. Who, like I said, ought to be a full ten inches shorter than her. This also happens to eye colour -- in Fitz's intro book, his eyes are twice mentioned as {{gray| eyes}}, and once as blue. They eventually settle on gray. The Doctor's eyes can't decide whether to be pale blue, electric blue, blue-gray, blue-green, or green.

* The Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse has some very bad examples of this, especially in the long, interconnected series of novels. The ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' series (19 novels, 27 stories, 12 different writers) was legendary for this, and its followup, ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'', managed to be almost as bad -- despite being only three writers writing three books each.

* The ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'' tie-in novels vary wildly in quality. Writers also sometimes [[ArmedWithCanon disagree about the mythology and source material]], leading to [[CanonDisContinuity inconsistencies between stories]]. In addition, due to the variance in both authors and settings, [[GenreShift some of the books are of a completely different genre]]. (For example, the [[MegaCity Ravnica]] novels are supernatural [[PoliceProcedural Police Procedurals]].)
* Is a young dragon called a hatchling, wyrmling, or a whelp? That also doesn't stop works from using other names as well. For example, the book series ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' refers to non-adult dragons as "dragonets".

* ''Literature/LandOfOz'': Oscar Diggs, the titular Wizard of Oz, is ''very'' much a case of this, ranging from well-intentioned con artist with benign intent (''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful''), to a shady trickster who blundered his way into power through fortunate timing and technological prowess, to a malevolent MagnificentBastard who uses existing conflicts within Ozian society to keep factions fighting each other while he maintains a singular pursuit of ultimate power (''Literature/Wicked'').

* The ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'' tie-in novels vary wildly in quality. Writers also sometimes [[ArmedWithCanon disagree about the mythology and source material]], leading to [[CanonDisContinuity inconsistencies between stories]]. In addition, due to the variance in both authors and settings, [[GenreShift some of the books are of a completely different genre]]. (For example, the [[MegaCity Ravnica]] novels are supernatural [[PoliceProcedural Police Procedurals]].)

* The ''Literature/WarOfTheSpiderQueen'' series of TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms novels suffers from this trope very badly. In a sextology where each book was written by a different author, this sounds like it should have been inevitable, but [[Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy RA Salvatore]] ''was'' billed rather prominently as the series' editor (most likely for [[CashCowFranchise other]] [[CreatorWorship reasons]]). All of the characters got hosed with this from book to book, but DeadpanSnarker and [[MrFanservice fan favorite]] Pharaun Mizzrym in particular suffered from wildly inconsistent characterization in the later books of the series. [[spoiler:And then was killed off.]]

* In the HardyBoys spinoff series, ''The Hardy Boys Casefiles,'' the opening chapter of the first book ''Dead on Target'' has Joe's girlfriend Iola killed by a terrorist car bomb. Since the series was written by a great many ghostwriters, many ignored this fact for the most part, and Joe would slingshot between essentially a non-married grieving widower to his more typical fun-loving, girl-crazy self.

* ''Literature/LandOfOz'': Oscar Diggs, the titular Wizard of Oz, is ''very'' much a case of this, ranging from well-intentioned con artist with benign intent (''Film/OztheGreatAndPowerful''), to a shady trickster who blundered his way into power through fortunate timing and technological prowess, to a malevolent MagnificentBastard who uses existing conflicts within Ozian society to keep factions fighting each other while he maintains a singular pursuit of ultimate power (''Literature/Wicked'').
* In the superhero pastiche "[[http://johnnyalucard.com/fiction/online-fiction/coastal-city/ Coastal City]]" by Creator/KimNewman, [[CommissionerGordon Commissioner Francis Riordan]] is ''aware'' that his personality changes depending on which hero he's dealing with (in other words, whose comic book he's appearing in).

** Are Imperial stormtroopers a bunch of faceless mooks, poorly equipped, poorly armed, half blind, disorganized, blindly obedient, dim-witted, in fragile armor, easily killed, and fundamentally evil so it's okay to kill them? Or are they a widely disparate military force of individuals, who joined the stormtrooper corps for many reasons including the desire to protect civilians, who may question the orders they are given, who think of themselves as preservers of order and justice, highly trained and well equipped, a BadassArmy that too often gets led by incompetents and evil people? Depends. Are you reading most EU novels, or are you reading [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy anything]] [[HandOfThrawn by]] [[Literature/OutboundFlight Timothy]] [[Creator/TimothyZahn Zahn]]?