Why fantasy series drag on and why we keep buying them

The fantasy genre thrives on multiple book series. Readers love getting into an exciting world of magic populated by great characters, and then having multiple novels with which to enjoy the experience. Publishers do a lot of printing to meet this need, but then readers often complain that promising series degenerate into meandering narratives that go no where.

Go to any online forum where fantasy books are being discussed and you will always find threads complaining about fantasy series that ...