The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion
The Never-Ending Series
I feel the same way. I just don't think that there is a series, no matter how good it is, that justifies having 12+ books in the series. I'm having that same problem with the Pretty little liar series...I just can't stand it anymore. The plots are soo weak and repetitive. I don't even know why I'm still reading the books.
Is there a difference between a book series and a television series. If the author intends to have an open ended storyline I think it is okay. Sometimes I think the author wants to revisit a character like Stephen King did with The Dark Tower. You get a more mature perspective when that happens. I think if it bothers you, just don't read any more of it.
I agree, a book can be good, a series can be good, a long series can be good, but some are dragged on.
I just want to finish the mortal instruments! I have the six to read, but from the third to the fifth I was like "I WANT TO FINISHH IT!!!!!!!!!"
Everyone has their own tastes, but I prefer an author to know how they plan to end a series and cut it off at a certain point. Otherwise, the stories do seem like they start to ramble and can become sloppy. I loved Sookie through book 7, and then it started to go downhill. She lost her feisty spark and started to sound old and bitter. I grow attached to the characters in my stories and feel like they deserve a good ending.I love A Song of Ice and Fire, but I agree that Feast For Crows lost the steam that Storm of Swords had. At least GRRM knows where he's going with the story and (supposedly) plans to wrap it up in two more books.
I have in fact, stopped reading several series (which bothers to me to no end as I hate to leave anything incomplete) because they just kept dragging on into nothingness.Revisiting/reviving is different than a never-ending series, I think. So perhaps, Dark Tower was a poor example.
But series like the Morganville Vampire (which I read up to book 6) and Sookie Stackhouse (which I read up to book 9) should have some sort of cut off point.
And don't even get me started on authors who constantly change the number of books they will need to have in a series. GRRM was supposed to be 4, then 5, and now 7. It is an excellent series, but come on, just let us know how it ends!
And then there is Paolini, who promised a trilogy, then decided he needed four books because the third was too long, so it would just be split. Okay fine, and yet it took him nearly THREE YEARS to give us the fourth. What's up with that?
I agree the sookie stackhouse series has outrun it's welcome.
Kat wrote: "I have in fact, stopped reading several series (which bothers to me to no end as I hate to leave anything incomplete) because they just kept dragging on into nothingness.Revisiting/reviving is dif..."
I was having a similar rant about a very similar topic a few days ago. I too have had to stop a few series. I am starting to get tired of series books. It seems like every time I look at a book or think a book looks interesting, it is part of a series. I would like to just read some good stand alone books that just finish at the end of the book and not have to worry about how many more there are in the series.
Three Words: Pretty Little Liars -_- R they ever going to end?
I hate starting a series and then having to wait for the next part. It's the worst. It's the only reason that I haven't started Dark Tower. As soon as Uncle Steve decides to finish it I'll sit down and read it all. But I have a feeling that by the time he's done it'll take me a year.
There are some good books that have continued into at least 5 books (after 4 or 5 normally that's when i hope the series will conclude) so far are the Mythos Academy and Soul Screamers. Mythos Academy has 6 books so far planned (don't know if that is the conclusion), but it's still interesting and not repetitive. Soul Screamers finished with 7 books, and was quite amazing. So there are some books that continue for a while that are pretty great. Though I also agree, some books like House of Night has gone on too long. I got bored after the 6th book, and still haven't been able to finish the series (though I will eventually - can't leave stories unconcluded).
Sookie Stackhouse is ending soon it has already been announced.The Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay is annoying me a bit now
I completely agree with the morganville vampire series dragging on, but i do enjoy the books. it just gets a little tedious.
i know it was just an example of the series you are referring to but most of them are my favorites and they are ending soon and i just wish they didn't like you said each book can be a stand alone and because of that you end up wanting more
I agree. I like a limited series, when the author has a plan. When it is clearly just a money maker, series seem to be repetitive and I feel gyped as a reader.
I agree like the diary of a wimpy kid series when is it going to end.
I have to disagree on some. I want The Dark Tower to go on and on. The newer stories like The Wind Through the Keyhole are "between" the novels.I thought it was one of the best of the series and I want more!
Anne Marie
Always felt a good story has a start and a end. But It may take a while to get there though. >.<
I started collecting the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler a short while ago and also recently started with the No 1 ladies detective agency (I think there are 15 books in that series).
I love the Clive Cussler series they are great. But I hate it when it is clear that an author is writing a book in a series just for the money.
I really like Karin Slaughter and her books all have the same characters and link on but sometimes you see too much of the same character if you know what I mean
Bianca wrote: "I started collecting the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler a short while ago and also recently started with the No 1 ladies detective agency (I think there are 15 books in that series)."Good choice Bianca. My grandad bought me 'Mayday' about 30 years ago and i loved all the Cussler books ever since. He is one of those authors that i pre-order every new title as soon as it is announced. The Numa files series with Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala are also very good
Some stories come to a natural conclusion that's true but stories with recurring characters that are not all part of the same grand story can live for a very long time. The Dirk Pitt stories by Clive Cussler are partially being replaced by Kurt Austin stories, Juan Cabrillo stories. While Pitt still appears, the author has finally acknowledged that he is getting on a bit (the character) and is moving on. The Vatta's war series by Elizabeth Moon is an excellent 5 book series that could go on longer but finishes the main story and leaves me wanting more.
Series I still read:Stephanie Plum
The In Death series by Robb
Dark Tower as long as King wants to write them!
The JD Robb - In death books (but I still love to read) and Stephanie Plum series - at the moment am so over the torn between two men.
Rachel wrote: "The JD Robb - In death books (but I still love to read) and Stephanie Plum series - at the moment am so over the torn between two men."It seems like EVERY author is doing this today, giving their main character TWO amazing love interests instead of just one and tossing them back and forth between them, weighing each out. It is really beginning to annoy me. How often does that really happen in real life?
Bianca wrote: "I started collecting the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler a short while ago and also recently started with the No 1 ladies detective agency (I think there are 15 books in that series)."I personally find it a bit daunting to begin a series so late with so many books already written. It makes me hesistant to begin. Does anyone else feel this way?
Kat wrote: "I personally find it a bit daunting to begin a series so late with so many books already written. It makes me hesistant to begin. Does anyone else feel this way?"I kind of like beginning series after several books are already written. I hate having to wait months or years for my next fix. :)
But I also don't feel compelled to finish a series just because I've started it. I continue with it as long as I am enjoying the stories, and stop if I'm not.
Kat wrote:I personally find it a bit daunting to begin a series so late with so many books already written. It makes me hesistant to begin. Does anyone else feel this way? I feel the same. It's not so bad if they're all stand-alone stories, but it still makes me think twice. I have divided opinions on this topic because I'm a fan of comic books and obviously they have characters that have been going for decades.
At the moment I'm not in the mood to start a book series because I'd prefer to bounce around genres and sample different authors. If I do start a series I'd probably go for one that has already been concluded so I don't have to hang on and wait for the next release.
I understand not wanting to waiting for the next book to come out, I often do the same thing. (Patience is not one of my virtues.)But that only works if the series 3-5 books total. If you go to start a book and then realize it is part of a 10-15 book series, isn't that a bit off-putting?
Kat wrote: "Kat | 22 comments I understand not wanting to waiting for the next book to come out, I often do the same thing. (Patience is not one of my virtues.)But that only works if the series 3-5 books total. If you go to start a book and then realize it is part of a 10-15 book series, isn't that a bit off-putting?"
Yeah, it can be. For me though it's mostly because I know that few series maintain the same level of quality through 10-15 books. I also know it's unlikely that I will get a satisfying conclusion any time soon. It does get exhausting after awhile to faithfully follow the series only to have it drag on and on.
I stopped reading Sookie Stackhouse around book 9, but now that I hear that Harris is ending the series I may pick it back up to see how it ends.
unfortunately for me, i HAVE to finish a series after ive dedicated myself so far into the storyline. even if i hate where the story is going, even if i want to off the leading characters - after 6-9 books im pretty much thinking what the hell, might as well see it to the end.
Kat wrote: "Okay, so here is something that really bothers me. Authors (and fans) who can't seem to let their series (and characters) go.Some examples:
Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charla..."
Sookie stackhouse I feel did start to die a slow painfull death as did House of Night. I have however found some books that even after 8/10/15 books I still want to read.
Cherry Adair's T-flack,
Keri Athur's Riley Jenson Guardien (9),
Kresley Cole's immortals after dark ( one of my favorites right now),
Cindy Gerard's Bodygaurd/black Ops,
Karen Hawkins's Maclean Curse,
Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark-hunter ( another favorite) ,
Lora Leigh's Breeds, Seals and Elite Ops.
Those are just a few on my list that are good and so far are staying that way. I'm not saying your going to like every book in the set I have nerve found a set that I can say I loved every book some just don't have what I like or are just too much for me, but over all these authors have made it past the point of slow painful death without the pain only a want to see what is going to happen and who is going to be in the next book.
Usually I don't really like long running series', I think it's kind of lazy of a writer to just return to the same characters over and over again, and it'd be nearly impossible for it not to get stale eventually.That being said, I love King's Dark Tower series, and he gets away with it because he spreads them so far out, fitting in plenty of other books in between. It's great to return to familiar characters and feel at home with them, but at the same time, it's always fun to discover someone new and get into a new world. I suppose it just depends on the book in question.
Also, the Sookie Stackhouse books just take the absolute piss on this front.
At some point I believe you are right, but when I'm reading a book, from a realy good series I have this wish that they never end. I guess that's because I get really attached to the characters.With the "House of night" series it is the opposite, I can not stand those books anymore. I read six of them in a week, and I just realize now that I should be pretty depressed when I did it, otherwise, I wouldn't stand it ( even the first was kind of bad).
( Sorry for my English)
Megan wrote: "Kat wrote: "Okay, so here is something that really bothers me. Authors (and fans) who can't seem to let their series (and characters) go.Some examples:
Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire Mysterie..."
I may have to look into the series that you have mentioned here.
Although I personally don't count Kenyon's Dark Hunters as a true "series" simply because it never has the same main character. Each novel focuses on a different one. It's more like a TV with the background underlying plot (Acheron and Artemis and the Daimons, etc.) but each book is a stand alone. You can read just one and be fine. I have actually read these all out of order based on choosing the character that I liked and reading his book. And I can easily piece together the backplot of the whole.
Megan wrote: "Kat wrote: "Kat | 22 comments I understand not wanting to waiting for the next book to come out, I often do the same thing. (Patience is not one of my virtues.)But that only works if the series 3-..."
So few series are able to maintain! Usually by book 5 or 6, I just want it to end.
And I'm definitely on the fence about finishing Sookie now that I know it is ending. I just would have to reread them all from the beginning to get the real flow going which is kind of annoying.
Song of Ice and Fire is planned to have 7 books. 5 are out now. But the author takes WAAAAY too long to write the books.Otherwise, I agree. I recently stopped reading the Legend of Drizzt books because there are so many and they started to degrade in quality. Hated the way it was turning.
I have to agree with the "House of Nights Series"...I am waiting for the last one to come out and then MAKE myself finish the last three books in the series.
The Septimus Heap series dragged on a bit more than was needed but ended on a ironic point and gave the perfect chance to say good bye to favorite characters.
Somebody said it before I think:Pretty Little Lairs.
Okay there is a killer and a stalker but how could there possibly be three stalkers. It's so weird and the plot twist, my god.
The only long series I quite liked was Wicca from Cate Tiernan with 15 books. The best maybe was that all books were around the 200 pages and not like Inheritance around the 800 pages or whatever.
I actually wanted to wait with Mortal Instruments and Song of Fire and Ice but with the last one: how long will I have to wait T__T
I understand that making a great book takes time but really this is going so slow.
I couldn't possibly say that every long series is drawn out, but I do agree thy some authors could do with just moving on. The problem with that, of course, is that a large part of any fan-base will always want things to continue, however low the standard may have fallen. They're invested in the characters. They've written the fanfiction, drawn the fan art, had the feels, and they don't want to end up labouring over the same old story lines for all eternity. The same goes for authors who are either making a ton of money from these series and want to keep that up (if the whole world will lunge to buy a crime novel written by one of the most famous fantasy authors in the world than one can assume that a certain amount of people will faithfully buy and read every novel written by a famous writer) or that these characters will not shut up (trust me this happens). They pull on your ears when you're trying to sleep and send you stumbling at inappropriate hours to find a pen and paper before sleep can wash the canvas of creativity dry. I could hardly blame an author for having pushy characters trailing after then like a hoard of angry Tinkerbells.
i got a filmy dialogueYou either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain...
its applicable for book series too...
I think that says it all...
FourteenRedRoses wrote: "The Mortal Instruments series is dragging on a bit. It was originally ending at City of Glass but now has three more. We then had the Infernal Devices series, a trilogy. The Dark Artifices will be ..."I had no idea that Clare was adding more books to TMI series! That is very interesting. Although the ending did leave a little to be desired, I was relatively happy with it.
Although the Bane Chronicles do interested me. I love the character of Magnus Bane.
I can totally understand wanting a series to continue, but all good things must come to an end at some point.
I've recently been considering taking up The Dark Tower Series, Jason. I've heard great things about it. Apparently it is some of King's best work.
And I am totally upset that George R.R. Martin continues to drag out the Song of Ice and Fire. Like come on, just let someone win the kingdom already. He and Paolini spend too much time between publishing. If you already have the story in mind, shouldn't you be able to just write it down? I know the creative process isn't always easy and you have other responsibilites but don't leave us hanging. Likewise, don't drag the fans along either.
If you like SK at all, DEFINITELY go for the Dark Tower series; it is his magnum opus. The cool thing about it is, if you've read all his other stuff, there are tie-ins to many of his outside characters and places from his other stories in this series (it's like you are in on a secret joke or something, because you know a character he is introducing already.) A word of caution- I can't say I was thrilled with the very ending of the last book- it was a cop out, I thought. Even the last three books felt like he was in a hurry to just get it done- but they're still good.;...
I don't really like the thought of series dragged on too much. Even Harry Potter was too long for me. I like my stories concise, coherent, having a beginning and an end and of proper length. I wanna read a proper story, not a soap opera. I need an arch.
I was devouring Black Dagger Brothers series. I had to stop at book 7…couldn't get into it, then never picked it up again. Oh well
I absolutely love a long series! That just means that we get to stay in that universe even longer :)
Some examples:
Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris
Morganville Vampires by Nicole Caine
Anita Blake by Laurel K. Hamilton
Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Dirk Pitt by Clive Cussler
House of Night by P.C. and Kristin Cast
I know that a lot of these are good series, but come on, are they EVER going to end? Each book can pretty much stand by itself and some even have great overall plots but at some point the series should be laid to rest? Don't all series deserve closure?
Does anyone else feel this way?