The immensely complicated narrative is made up of at least 10 separate strands that move in mysterious ways toward an apocalyptic resolution.

Not only is "Border Music" longer than its predecessors; it also has more characters and a more complicated narrative.

Though this solid work has a strong point of view, it presents evidence fairly enough for viewers to come up with an alternative, more complicated narrative.

It's a moving affirmation of forgiveness and trust, but its diffusion is frustrating because of the rich, complicated narrative that has preceded it.

At first glance, her excessively complicated narrative reads like an out-of-control techno-thriller.

She moved outside the usual structures of verse-chorus-verse, trying both repetition and distended vocal lines to get at more complicated emotional narratives.

I'm interested in kind of using the suburban setting as a stage set that allows me to construct a complicated psychological narrative.

McCloud says that complicated narratives can easily spin out of control when too much unseen information is built up around the characters.

"The problem is there are many narratives, and they are complicated narratives," he said.

But in carrying forward this complicated narrative, Mr. Simmons has wisely narrowed his focus.