Too much, Too Cliche or both?

[Nihilium 7th]

If there was a list of commonly used story plots; Post-apocalyptic/new planet, mythology/technology fusion would probably be in the top ten.

Unfortunately my wip uses both (also something done before). Basically our Solar System was destroyed and humanity managed to escape in various different vessels to a distant system. Each vessel was based on a different type of science/technology. The journey to the new system took several centuries to finish which gave those on each vessel time to evolve not only their research but also themselves to godlike heights. By the time they reached the planet they could no longer be called "human: and decided to re-brand themselves as gods of the old worlds various pantheons. They then each created a near human species based on their technologies who are ignorant of the old world and the fact that their "gods" were actually mortal.

Is that world too complicated or cliche for today's readers or am I simply paranoid?

 

[Steerpike]

I don't think it is too complex or too cliche. There's no way to make that assessment about an idea. It all comes down to the implementation, which is the only thing that really matters in the end.

I will note that this follows closely Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light, which is a well-known classic, so your idea may well invite comparisons to that one. In that story, you have colonists who get to a strange planet, user science/technology to enhance themselves to an extraordinary degree, and take on the various names of the gods of the Hindu pantheon.

 

[Nihilium 7th]

I've read Lord of Light and it is admittedly one of the stories that inspired this idea along with Gene Wolfe's Book Of The New Sun series and the Dune series (Each pantheon is connected to a government that depends on industry/services for income and influence). I wanted to create a much more vast world that was wasn't contained to one planet but multiple planets and solar systems. I also wanted religion and the the gods themselves to wield much more social, political and actual power.
What makes me think the world may be a tad complicated is the multiple different species, both humanoid and non-humanoid in the story many of which were created by the gods themselves (eg. Naga's, Valkyries, Oni, Leviathans, etc.) and religious systems that grant various abilities.

 

[Steerpike]

I think it is an attractive idea, personally. The complexity will be fine, in my view. It just comes down to execution. Steven Erikson's world has a lot of complexity to it, for example, but the way he executes his work if effective. Readers tend to be very smart people, and they'll be able to follow what you're doing. The key is to do it in a way that keeps them engaged in the writing. If you can do that, you can get away with as much complexity as you care to put into it.

 

[Nihilium 7th]

For some reason I always find myself simplifying my plots or hiding aspects of the worlds in my stories because I'm afraid readers will find them too complicated,overwhelming or detailed. I'm trying to not do that with this and my other wip which just as grand. I'll have to take a look at Erikson's work and see if I can get any pointers. I really don't want to write a great story that isolates some readers like novels similar to Dune and The Shadow Of The Torturer tend to do.

 

[Steerpike]

I say follow your vision. Underestimating your readers is a mistake, in my view. Even if there are some put off by a highly detailed work, there are plenty of others who will find it rewarding. Further, by sticking to your vision for the story, I think you're more likely to transfer your own passion for the story to the reader. At the very least, I'd take the "write how I want" approach for the first pass, and if there are serious problems you can address them when you edit.

 

[skip.knox]

I agree with Steerpike. If complexity were an issue, Tolkien never would have got past Page 2.

Remember, you are not going to write about that complex system. That's all background that you know. The reader is going to know only the bits that go into the specific story in front of him at the moment. Your world(s) can be complex; your story can be simple.

I also agree that there's no way to evaluate an idea, except to say ideas are a bargain at a dime a dozen. A good story, otoh, is worth gold.