Really Long Series: The Downward Spiral

[[deleted user]]

As a longer fiction series, or occasionally even a normal-length series, goes on, the books seem to get more contrived to me. It happened with the Animorphs series and Baby-Sitter's Club series, not to mention that I'm not even planning to read the last two sequels to Hatchet (The River had great conclusion).
Your views on this?

[Cheryl has hopes her life will calm down soonish, Newbery Club host]

I loved the last few books of the Animorphs, but getting to that climax & conclusion was indeed difficult. I'm afraid I can't really address your question though, as I can't recall any other long series I've read.

[[deleted user]]

That's okay.

[Chris]

I think that the Warrior series by Erin Hunter was quite long. I do believe it ran something like 24 books and spanned the life of Firestar (Rusty to start) and now another set has been started with the history of the cats before Firestar. But I do love the series.

[Jenny]

The Warrior series was really long but my daughter, a voracious speed reader, loved them all the way through to the end and would have read another 24, I'm sure. She was in 4th grade at the time.
She also read and loved the Ranger's Apprentice which seemed to go on for a long time.
Has anyone read the Riordan Olympus books? I was about to start my kids on them.

[[deleted user]]

Jenny wrote: "The Warrior series was really long but my daughter, a voracious speed reader, loved them all the way through to the end and would have read another 24, I'm sure. She was in 4th grade at the time.
..."
I read the first Percy Jackson book, and it was pretty good.

[Chris]

I've read all the Percy Jackson books except the newest one on the second set. I think they are excellent books.

[LauraW]

I read the first three Artemis Fowl books. I didn't especially care for the first two, but the kids at school were devouring them, so I kept on. I really liked the third one, which made the first two make more sense to me, but the third one was the end for me. I just felt like it was done. I have glanced at the rest, but I am not really tempted to read them.

[June]

Chris wrote: "I've read all the Percy Jackson books except the newest one on the second set. I think they are excellent books."

I have really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. It took me a while to get into the Olympus series, since Percy wasn't in the first book. I have the 5th one on hold.

[Chris]

But it was the first book of the Heroes of Olympus that sets everything up for Percy and his group, the Greeks to meet the Romans. I hope to get the 5thbook after Christmas. I have the first three books of Artemis Fowl that I want to read (I usually buy my books used) but have so many others that I want to read now.

[June]

It just threw me that Percy wasn't in the first one and I had a hard time warming up to Jason since he had amnesia. I enjoyed Leo and Piper more. I have to many books going to. I had to send back The Blood of Olympus and put another hold on it.

[Laura]

LauraW wrote: "I read the first three Artemis Fowl books. I didn't especially care for the first two, but the kids at school were devouring them, so I kept on. I really liked the third one, which made the first..."

I couldn't finish that series either. I really started out liking it but it just went on for too long.

[Chris]

It threw me too that the Olympus books started with Jason. I thought at first it was a new series until I read the second book. Then it all came to me. I did learn a lot more about mythology.