Multi-pov series synopsis. To name characters or to not name characters?

Recently, I've begun to question how to market my story, and this has caused me to think that I'm not even currently presenting it properly.

The story itself is an ensemble with a cast of rotating POV characters whose plotlines all overlap and weave in and out of each other as the narrative progresses (sort of like Asoiaf or even Dune). The idea is that every POV character is the central focus of their own story, and they are all equally important to the plot. This is not a universe that revolves around one person in particular.
The trouble is that it does not start out this way.

Book one begins by following two characters in the first five chapters before the first POV switch in chapter six. Those shifts begin as brief interludes but become more and more frequent with time, to the point that they become normal occurrences.
On top of this, out of the previous two characters that the story follows in the beginning, only one makes it out of the first volume alive, and (like most of the other characters) I don't exactly plan for them to make it all the way to the end of the series. So this is all to say that I have found myself with the dilemma of a "false protagonist," and I'm not sure how to telegraph that plot element to potential readers without giving away major spoilers.

And if I choose not to spoil that element, I could potentially be risking a large viewer drop from people who came into the story with false expectations. (A dropoff that I have already begun to see, and will most likely continue.)

I believe that changing my synopsis and adding a list for reader expectation might be the solution to this problem, but I'm not quite sure, and I'm worried that if I change the synopsis, it will lack the emotional hook that my current one has.

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This is my current, character-focused synopsis (That really only covers the start of book one):

Twelve years ago, humanity was at war. Then the Rusting was unleashed.
It is an unstoppable, unnatural force that has turned all metal in the universe to dust, created by Emperor Gelmidas Atheneum, ruler of the Division of humanity.
He is the man that Nadeden has vowed to kill.

Nadeden was once the Scorched Archer, a soldier known and feared for her relentless cruelty.
Nothing will stop her from exacting her vengeance.

Except for perhaps one young Machinist...

They were a pacifist from a mechanical species.
Now they have been trapped in a human body and roped into Nadeden’s bloody quest for revenge.

In a universe filled with death, this pacifist will dare to claim that “Life is precious.”
But will Nadeden think the same?

Click to expand...

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And this is the purely story-focused one that I'm thinking of changing to:

Twelve years ago, Emperor Gelmidas Atheneum changed the universe forever…

The Rusting is a mysterious and unstoppable curse that corrodes all metal at a rapid rate. Unleashed upon a humanity that was already intent on tearing itself apart, the curse has not only revealed the worst parts of them, but every other species as well.

In this cosmic chaos, everyone vies for some sense of control. Politicians crave influence, criminals want power, soldiers want justice, and mourners want their beloveds back, but above all else, everyone wants to survive.

Most will not.

But that is not the fault of the Rusting.

Life is precious, but those who dare to claim that are the most vulnerable of us all.

What to expect:

A large, revolving cast with minimal plot armor and complex character dynamics.

Grimdark and fantasy elements with a pinch of cosmic horror and political intrigue.

Long-form storytelling with strong payoffs and wide-reaching narrative consequences.

Click to expand...

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I've also been considering one that does name the other POV characters, but again, this potentially lacks a clear hook (I have a few versions of this one, but these are the two that show the idea the best):

Twelve years ago, Emperor Gelmidas Atheneum changed the universe forever…


The Rusting is a mysterious and unstoppable curse that corrodes all metal at a rapid rate. Unleashed upon a humanity that was already intent on tearing itself apart, the curse has not only revealed the worst parts of them, but every other species as well.


Everyone scrambles to make sense of it all. Vanessa and the Emperor crave influence, criminals want control, Nadeden wants vengeance, and Smith wants their robot body back, along with the rest of their species, but above all else, everyone simply wants to survive the now rampant cosmic chaos.

Most will not.

But that is not the fault of the Rusting.

Life is precious, but those who dare to claim that are the most vulnerable of us all.

Click to expand...

Twelve years ago, Emperor Gelmidas Atheneum changed the universe forever…

The Rusting is a mysterious and unstoppable curse that corrodes all metal at a rapid rate. Unleashed upon a humanity that was already intent on tearing itself apart, the curse has not only revealed the worst parts of them, but every other species as well.

Many seek to benefit from the chaos, but the Emperor’s son Adamus would rather be left alone, and his betrothed Cassandra Soryu would rather be anywhere else. While her Stepmother Vanessa Soryu seeks only power. Nadeden, on the other hand, wants revenge on the whole system. But, Smith, one of the last survivors of an android species who has been trapped in a human body, just wants peace.

And that last wish may be the most difficult of all to grant.

Click to expand...

I also have this version that someone on Reddit made for me:

The Rusting. An unstoppable curse that ravishes processed metals in seconds.


And Emperor Gelmidas Atheneum has released it on the universe.



Systems—not only human—plunge into chaos. Despite the light of the stars, darkness falls upon every species. Life must adapt to the new reality:



Nadeden wants justice, Vanessa Soryu craves influence and power, Cassandra Soryu wants to escape, and the near-extinct Machinists species just want their beloved back.



But in the universe after the Rust, simple survival is something that most fail to achieve.

Click to expand...

I guess that my main question is, which one do you feel works best for a story like this?

Am I better off marketing the characters and their stories or the setting? Which one should I pick, and can I improve any of them?
(Because I honestly have no idea what the best move is right now)

Your multiple POV approach is similar to my fiction. My fiction also has multiple POVs from various characters, each representing different symbolism:

Marry El Rose, first FMC, is a single mother who represents love, sacrifice, and protection of family and victims, her symbol is the blood rose.

Caelan El Rose, Marry's daughter, represents childish love, joy, and innocence, her symbol is a little girl with silver hair.

Detective Clara, second FMC, represents emotional truth and humanity, her symbol is conscience.

Elvyn El Rose, Marry's younger brother, represents the loss of identity and familial love, his symbol is melancholy royalty.

Beyond them, even the antagonists and supporting characters have sub-arcs that can stand alone thematically.

It's a complex story, with almost every character being the MC in their own life story. So, how do I determine a synopsis?

In my case, the series has the center of gravity of the story, Marry El Rose, as the premise of the story itself. She is the reason why this story exists:

7 years ago, she destroyed the last tyranny, which in turn led to the world experiencing a global amnesiac apocalypse.

My synopsis begins with this premise:
What if the world chose to forget her savior and its sins, and the savior instead chose to protect her daughter's innocence?


Therefore, my synopsis uses the story of Marry El Rose as the story's centerpiece, as every conflict in the story will return to her.

The rest is just a matter of developing the synopsis into a relatable emotional experience for the reader, creating a hook.

Eldoria said:

Your multiple POV approach is similar to my fiction. My fiction also has multiple POVs from various characters, each representing different symbolism:

Marry El Rose, first FMC, is a single mother who represents love, sacrifice, and protection of family and victims, her symbol is the blood rose.

Caelan El Rose, Marry's daughter, represents childish love, joy, and innocence, her symbol is a little girl with silver hair.

Detective Clara, second FMC, represents emotional truth and humanity, her symbol is conscience.

Elvyn El Rose, Marry's younger brother, represents the loss of identity and familial love, his symbol is melancholy royalty.

Beyond them, even the antagonists and supporting characters have sub-arcs that can stand alone thematically.

It's a complex story, with almost every character being the MC in their own life story. So, how do I determine a synopsis?

In my case, the series has the center of gravity of the story, Marry El Rose, as the premise of the story itself. She is the reason why this story exists:

7 years ago, she destroyed the last tyranny, which in turn led to the world experiencing a global amnesiac apocalypse.

My synopsis begins with this premise:
What if the world chose to forget her savior and its sins, and the savior instead chose to protect her daughter's innocence?

Spoiler: Full synopsis

What if the world chose to forget its saviour and its sins, while the saviour chose instead to protect her daughter’s innocence?

Seven years ago, the age of tyranny was erased from the memory of mankind. Civilisation crumbled, the tyrants fell into an eternal sleep, and the victims woke with no memories of their suffering.

Only one person remembered everything: Marry El Rose, the Blood Rose Princess, the feared executioner who crucified tyrants with blooming roses of blood to avenge the voiceless.

She saved the world… and was forgotten by it.

Now, hidden in a quiet valley, Marry lives a small, gentle life with her little daughter, Caelan—bright, adorable, and blissfully unaware that her mother was once a living nightmare. They plant flowers, share bedtime stories, and try to laugh in a world still stitched with scars.

But peace is a fragile fantasy. The past never stays buried. While the world forgot its saviour, the Disaster Princesses, Marry’s wounded sisters, have risen to force humanity to remember its sins through terror, war, and relentless vengeance.

And behind Caelan’s innocent smile lies a powerful secret to shape the world once more.

Yet Marry clings to a simple dream:

“I don’t want to be a saviour, a heroine, or a goddess of judgment… I just want my daughter to laugh every morning.”

This is the story of a former executioner of justice choosing motherhood in a world still drowning in darkness.

Therefore, my synopsis uses the story of Marry El Rose as the story's centerpiece, as every conflict in the story will return to her.

The rest is just a matter of developing the synopsis into a relatable emotional experience for the reader, creating a hook.

Click to expand...

I do like yours a lot, and I think that I will take a similar approach.

I have the whole plot element of the Rusting curse, so I think that's my centerpiece. If I can somehow attach the key characters to it, I may be able to get something I'm happy with. This may mean focusing in on either the Atheneum family or the dying Machinist species, since they are the ones most affected by the Rusting, and the two groups that the main plot revolves around.

The only multiple POV story I attempted was a horror story with each chapter "titled" by the name of the character narrating it. Every character got at least one chapter (most had two or three).

Exiled_From_Earth said:

On top of this, out of the previous two characters that the story follows in the beginning, only one makes it out of the first volume alive, and (like most of the other characters) I don't exactly plan for them to make it all the way to the end of the series. So this is all to say that I have found myself with the dilemma of a "false protagonist," and I'm not sure how to telegraph that plot element to potential readers without giving away major spoilers.

Click to expand...

I hear you. I feel you.
I have one story, where... its complicated, like you describe.

I've yet to post this story, as I have no idea how people will take to it.
the protagonist or what would by any metric be? Kind of isn't.
the other MC, you actually see through the protagonists eyes.
In that way, they're kind of the real protagonist.
but they die and in the end the reader all of a sudden realizes the massive changes that have happened in the protagonist.
who now, in the end, really was the protagonist all along, you only now realize it.
Its their origin story.

Yeah, i wring my hands wondering how I did, how it will go, what I screwed up. If its too complicated to make sense.
*shrugs*

Just make sure you do it in any way better than:

Character A POV:
"Wow." I said.
Character B POV:
"Right?" I said.
Character A POV:
"Yeah." I said.

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I know it's been a while, but I feel like I should share that this is what I ended up changing the synopsis to:

Twelve years ago, Gelmidas Atheneum unleashed the Rusting onto the Universe.
It is a deadly curse that corrodes all metal by way of rust.
Many species have suffered because of it, but the pacifist Machinists, most of all.
For their metal bodies, it means extinction. One of the few survivors, Smith, has found themself locked into a human body, and now wonders if their continued survival will depend on abandoning their peaceful ways.

The Scorched Archer Nadeden is an argument for the fact that this might be the case.
Born into blood and fire, she has spent her whole life fighting.
Her relentless quest to kill Emperor Gelmidas Atheneum is the very reason her heart still beats.

Gelmidas himself is currently living a comfortable life with his son, Adamus, a spoiled brat with a mysterious parentage and an equally mysterious power.

To President Vanessa Soryu, the Atheneums are the ultimate enemy.
She will do anything to seize power from them and place humanity under her flag, even if it means turning her withdrawn stepdaughter, Cassandra, into a pawn in her cruel game.

In this universe of dying metal, bloody arrows, heavy crowns, and pointed daggers, which one of these wandering souls will dare to claim that “Life is Precious”?

What to expect:

A large, revolving cast with minimal plot armor and complex character dynamics.

Grimdark and fantasy elements with a pinch of cosmic horror and political intrigue.

Long-form storytelling with actions that have wide-reaching narrative consequences.

Click to expand...

I still might make some revisions to it, and I'd be glad to get more advice, but I think I'm happy with its current state. (for now, at least)