Book series done before their time or left unfinished?

[Rich]

Anyone else have this problem? I seem to keep running into it. With the up and down nature of book publishing I understand that some series will end before they are done but it still bums me out. Its even worse when the author just doesn't get around to finishing them off

This has happened to me with:

The Dog Days Series- By John Levitt- Canceled

Felix Castor- By Mike Carey- Unfinished(went to work in comics again)

Simon Canderous- By Anton Strout- no word on any new books in the series but I haven't heard that it is cancelled.

Twenty Palaces Series- By Harry Connelly- Cancelled

Which series do you miss that haven't finished their stories yet?

[Nick]

Agree 100% about the Felix Castor series. You could certainly argue that the five books are a complete story arc, but I feel there's a lot more mileage in those characters. Hopefully Mike will revisit them at some point, but from his recent blog post about his current projects it doesn't look like it'll be any time soon...

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

I am really bummed about the early demise of the Twenty Palaces series.

[Nick]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I am really bummed about the early demise of the Twenty Palaces series."

I've just looked at those - not read them before. Added to my rapidly-expanding TBR pile...

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Nick wrote: " Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I am really bummed about the early demise of the Twenty Palaces series."

I've just looked at those - not read them before. Added to ..."

They're good. Pretty different for UF books.

[Nick]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "They're good. Pretty different for UF books."

I'll be checking them out! How come the series was cancelled?

[Marianne]

Nick wrote: " Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I am really bummed about the early demise of the Twenty Palaces series."

I've just looked at those - not read them before. Added to ..."

Very very original monsters. He does stuff no one else does.

[Nick]

Marianne wrote: "Very very original monsters. He does stuff no one else does."

Cool. Shame the series ended prematurely, then! Sometimes stepping outside a genre's conventions works for an author, and sometimes it doesn't...

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

I think the publishers didn't want to invest in it anymore. I think it was too weird for them.

[Mark]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I think the publishers didn't want to invest in it anymore. I think it was too weird for them."

Weird how? They are on to read list this year?

[Nick]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I think the publishers didn't want to invest in it anymore. I think it was too weird for them."

I think publishers are quite happy with weird if it's selling. They're probably quite happy with *anything* if it's selling. But if it was weird and *not* selling, then...

"We're dropping this because it's weird."

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Could be that, Nick.

@ Mark, he has a strange concept about people called sorcerers who actually exploit these monsters that live in an alternate dimension, and are very, very dangerous when they come through to this world. The sorcerers can draw tattoos on their bodies that give them powers. The Twenty Palaces society is a group of amoral sorcerers who police the use of this 'magic' at any cost. Ray ends up working for the society as a wooden soldier aka a disposable target/enforcer/investigator. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining it. Maybe someone else can explain it better.

Edited: Changed magicians to sorcerers.

[Marianne]

In the case of Twenty Palaces, it wasn't selling.

[Mark]

Thank you Danielle, it may get a bump up the list,

[Nick]

Marianne wrote: "In the case of Twenty Palaces, it wasn't selling."

Isn't that always the way? The stuff you like gets cancelled because it isn't selling, while the stuff you hate sells shed-loads and goes on forever... ;)

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Marianne wrote: "In the case of Twenty Palaces, it wasn't selling."

It's a shame because the series had promise to go in some different directions. I think it just needed time to build an audience.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Mark wrote: "Thank you Danielle, it may get a bump up the list,"

You're welcome. Let us know if you like it!

[Mark]

I will.

[Nick]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "It's a shame because the series had promise to go in some different directions. I think it just needed time to build an audience."

Unfortunately that's time that authors don't always get.

I've had a look at the blurbs and it definitely sounds like an interesting series. Cheers for the background info, I'll give 'em a try!

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Hope you both enjoy Twenty Palaces, Nick and Mark!

[Yzabel]

Nick wrote: " Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "It's a shame because the series had promise to go in some different directions. I think it just needed time to build an audience."

..."

That's when self-publishing can become really, really interesting, I think. Unless bound by an annoying contract, of course. Otherwise, an author can work on something else for traditional publishing, while releasing volumes for an unfinished series on the side.

[Feral]

Stacia Kane was dropped by her US publishers (part of the problem seemed to be the protagonist is a drug addict with no sign of going into recovery). I loved her Downside books. She might self publish.

[Nick]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "Hope you both enjoy Twenty Palaces, Nick and Mark!"

Thanks! It's next up on my list and I'll post a review once it's read. :)

[Nick]

Yzabel wrote: "Nick wrote: "That's when self-publishing can become really, really interesting, I think. Unless bound by an annoying contract, of course. Otherwise, an author can work on something else for traditional publishing, while releasing volumes for an unfinished series on the side."

I think going forward we're going to see more and more authors do what Hugh Howey (author of the brilliant "WOOL" series) has done - take a contract with a publisher but for print only, and retain full control of the e-book side.

That way authors will have the freedom to self-publish books that corporate publishers don't want, or continue series that have been cancelled in print.

[Mark]

Feral wrote: "Stacia Kane was dropped by her US publishers (part of the problem seemed to be the protagonist is a drug addict with no sign of going into recovery). I loved her Downside books. Sh..."

The Downside books came to me heavily recommended, but Chess' self-destructive addictions *and her acceptance of them* made the books heavy going for me. I'm currently not sure whether to continue.

[Yzabel]

Feral wrote: "Stacia Kane was dropped by her US publishers (part of the problem seemed to be the protagonist is a drug addict with no sign of going into recovery)."

In the meantime, we keep seeing more and more abuse and rapey culture thinly disguised as "romance", as well as various examples of slut-shaming, disgusting double-standards, and other examples of hypocrisy... But it seems publishers don't mind those, hmm?

(Yes, sorry, can you tell I'm pretty much jaded and fed up with that crap?)

[Lauren]

Feral wrote: "Stacia Kane was dropped by her US publishers (part of the problem seemed to be the protagonist is a drug addict with no sign of going into recovery). I loved her Downside books. Sh..."

Wha!? First I've heard of this. :(

[Jaye]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I am really bummed about the early demise of the Twenty Palaces series."

Yes, me too !

[Andrea]

This problem is one reason why I'm so into the indie publishing move. The author can control the publication and not one of the Big Five publishers in New York deciding what readers want.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Feral wrote: "Stacia Kane was dropped by her US publishers (part of the problem seemed to be the protagonist is a drug addict with no sign of going into recovery). I loved her Downside books. Sh..."

Oh so THAT's why there is such a huge delay? I know the books had a big following, myself included. The protagonist wasn't conventional but I dug something different for a change.

[Jaye]

ditto Twenty Palaces Series- By Harry Connelly

I was really really looking forward to more books in the series.

[Ian]

Felix Castor and Twenty Palaces for me.
At least Felix Castor was pretty much finished Arc wise and it appeared to be the author's decision to move on.
I just couldn't understand the Twenty Palaces cancellation.