ETA: 13 May: Please note, this comment thread is so amazing and interesting, but because we’re talking about series and when readers stopped reading and why (or why not), it can and does get spoiler-y. Proceed at your own risk, be ye warned, herein be spoilers, yarr.
On Tuesday at the Bosoms booksigning at the Clifton Commons Barnes & Noble, I got into a thought-provoking discussion with Sydney, Marisa, Kiersten, and the other ladies who came (who told me they lurk and never comment – I didn’t want to embarrass them but hi, folks!) about what makes us break up with a series. I realized later that I read and talked about the Bosoms for only a very small percentage of the time. Most of the hour was spent talking about romances we loved and doing that thing where romance fans get together and vacillate between, ‘OMG WIN’ and ‘OMG NO’ when talking about books. Since so many new series books have come out of late, that was a very lively topic, particularly as Jaiku pointed out at DearAuthor when you are flush with the feeling of wanting to quit, and and you just can’t do so.
The discussion spanned across a ton of series, including the latest J.R. Ward book, Lover Avenged, and Kenyon’s latest, Acheron, as well as the Anita Blake series (note: what in the name of epic ass is up with that website? I can barely read the text), Feehan’s Carpathians, the Sookie Stackhouse series, and Stephanie Plum. All of us had different points at which we did – or did not – break up with these different series.
A few people said they’d stopped reading Kenyon awhile before Acheron came out, but had to read Acheron just to find out what happened to him. One woman mentioned she loved the Sookie series unconditionally, and another couldn’t stop reading Ward, even though she wanted to. I said that I think the signal for me to stop reading the Anita Blake books came when Anita stopped being such a terrible dresser and somehow became a sexpot badass with an unending amount of personal lubrication. When she put away the fanny pack with the matching socks and polo shirt, it was time for me to stop reading.
When I asked why they’d break up with a series, the answers weren’t so far from mine. A few mentioned the “sameness” of the books, the feeling that they’d just read one of the earlier books with different character names, or the habit of reading subsequent books just to keep track of ancillary characters who would reappear in each new installment.
As I listened to the folks talking about when they broke up with a much-loved series, I think I figured out what their breakup point had in common: all of the stories we were discussing based their foundation on a lot of world building. Whether it was Trenton or an entire otherworld, the world in which the books took place played as much of a role in the early books as the characters themselves, and certainly that was part of the attraction.
But when the books became more about the characters, and less about the world, or when reader knowledge of the world was presumed by the text and therefore not built at all in later books, most of the women there, including me, started to lose interest. The world has to be as much a character that grows and evolves as the characters do, and when one is sacrificed for the other, or neither the world nor the characters evolve, the series is a lot easier to break up with and leave behind.
For example, I’m still way invested in Kresley Cole’s series because there is a larger plot facing the otherworld that develops in each book, as if that world of the Immortals is its own character. But I have stopped reading the Plum series back when it was still in the single digits because there wasn’t any evolution to the characters that I enjoyed – and what changes there were I didn’t like at all. I haven’t followed the Ward series past The Nomming of Butch By Vishous because, while often crackalicious, I didn’t care so much about the characters any longer, nor did I give a powdery ass about the Lessers, and on the whole felt that the world of the Brotherhood hadn’t changed much. I preferred to read Dark Lover again (and try to figure out WHY they can be so crack-luscious) than read any of the newer installments of the series. A few folks argued that Ward’s series was one they could not leave behind (no pun intended) because they loved the world within it so much, even as they didn’t love all the installments of the series.
Even when the author breaks the rules of that world, and breaks them hard, some of the readers I spoke with were still yearning to revisit it, either by reading older books or continuing to read the new ones. And while there was some agreement that one or two series had totally jumped the shark and kept on flying into the horizon, all of us had different breakup points with different series, especially those that seem as if they have no end in sight.
So what’s your break-up point with a series you love? Is it based on the world or the characters or a disappointment so great you’ll never get over it?
I read an interview with Lois McMaster Bujold, who writes the open-ended, excellent, and always-intriguing Vorkosigan series. She states about that series that it’s not necessary to read them in chronological order, or even in Miles’-point-of-view order, because they all work as stand-alones, and they do. She makes it work.
The characters develop, you get to know more about the universe and worlds, there’s always something new and universe-shattering that the characters have to deal with. There’s no backstory infodumping. It’s just all excellent storytelling.
She mentions, in the interview, that really the only type of story in which you blow your wad, and cannot effectively re-visit the characters, is the courtship story, aka Romance.
If the courtship is having issues in a sequel, then it betrays the HEA in the first book.
What’s my point? Can’t remember, I should probably eat some lunch…
average45—I could probably turn that into a pithy comment about the quality of books after an author’s pumped out 45 of them, but my blood sugar’s too low.
So I think Romance series are dangerous in that way. You can’t have serious relationship difficulties in a sequel, because if a reader gets that one first, they can’t believe the HEA in the first book. Thus the tendency to have Romance series of the courtship stories of people who know each other.
Um, yeah. Sorry about the poor flow. Did I mention low blood sugar?
A lot of people have covered my points pretty comprehensively. The first series I was actually buying and broke up with? McCaffrey’s Pern series (the characterisation and plot both started to appeal less and less—I don’t think anything after Moreta was my cup of tea). The second? Robert Jordan.
One seemed to be going through the motions, the other seemed to be drawing things out for the sake of it – George R R Martin seems to be going the same way, which is a pity.
I haven’t broken up with LKH, because I read her from the library, and for something I do not pay for, and know what I’m going to get, it’s still nomalicious. Her fairy one more so, as plot does rear it’s head in between the bowchikawows.
I think I broke up with Lillith Saintcrow (oh what am I saying, of course I’ll read the next one). Well damn, I mean to. One day. I did break up with the werewolf ones from the Aussie chick … can’t recall the name—not enough plot, too much sex, too stupid to live heroine.
Series I have NOT broken up with: Michelle Sagara’s “Cast” books, and her “Hidden City” ones (despite being a bit same-same); Carrie Vaughan’s Kitty series (although … a bit light on plot!), Karen Chance’s clairvoyant one, and the Illona Andrews “Magic Strikes” series. I am addicted to 2 of Kelley Armstrong’s series. Still reading Sookie (Harris), and also the Hollows series (Harrison). So, I’m not a series hater.
I’ll just be curious to see if these ones I like will have the sense to call a halt before the Shark Show Jumping event. Kind of hoping not!
For me, I break up with a series when 1) there’s no emotional growth or character development, despite the fact that the series goes on and on; 2) when I don’t like the main characters anymore; 3) when I keep finding things I’d rather do than pick up the book and continue reading—like dusting.
For instance, with
LKH/Anita Blake
, our breakup wasn’t about the frequency of the sex. Our breakup was about the protagonists’ (Anita, Richard? I’m looking at you both) complete inability or complete lack of desire to change. I take that back—Richard changed. Richard changed from strong, hunky, sexxxy, with some angst but Good with a capital G into LKH’s favorite avatar of “I hate my EX”. Anita changed into Necromancer Extraordinaire with the Mighty-All Powerful-Mink-Lined-Veejayjay-Of-Magical/Non-Human-Cat/Vamp/Wolf/Whatelseyougot-Nip. Oh, and the policeman (can’t think of his name) changed into Just-Shy-of-Psycho-Bigot guy (I wonder which person in LKH’s life he became the avatar for—her dad?) That said, however, neither of them (or any of the other characters to a less-annoying extent) ever managed to grow beyond their emotional and/or psychological shortcomings. They would make noises about how they would do better and not be complete dick-heads and, then, in the very next book, they would be complete dickheads. I’m sorry, if you KNOW that you are a fucked-up mess and that you have deep-rooted problems that cause you to treat everyone around you like shit—particularly the people you profess to love—at some point, you have a responsibility to those people that you claim to love to get better, with professional help, if necessary. Having the same conversations (in each of the books) that consist of deep sighs, defensive posturing, and shameful appologies to everyone you love because you recognize, yet again, that you’ve behaved like the total dickhead you are is not emotional growth if you do not change. In fact, if you are having this conversation, over and over, and yet are doing nothing to be a better person, then the conversation is just a half-assed, bullshit speech that you trot out to smooth things over and to make yourself feel better. I’m talking to you, Anita-Sue. After 10 books or so, of watching her kick people that love her (for god knows what reason) in the teeth on a regular basis, her disregarding and dismissing Nathanial for the umpteenth time (despite the regularity, ad nauseum, of the aforementioned conversation since before she became involved with him) just really bugged the crap out of me. I realized after a good 10 minute rant to my husband about how the character had the emotional growth of a potato that I not only no longer loved the series, I was beyond ready for us both to see other people (instead of ever seeing each other again) and I took all of my LKH books to Half-Priced Books.
With
Stephanie Plum
, I lost interest in her incapable, inept, shallow ass after 4 books. She has absolutely no real ability to do this job, yet by some nearly supernatural luck, she constantly stumbles over the appropriate bad guy whenever the plot decides she needs an encounter with the bad guy. Stupid is, and always will be, annoying. Leaving the house without your gun or without your taser or without charging your phone or without telling anyone where you might have been last if you never turn up again is beyond stupid for someone who is supposed to be a bounty hunter. I only gave it 4 books because I thought, “Well, everyone seems to love this series—maybe she gets better.” She didn’t.
With
Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle’s Arcane Society series
, I had a really hard time just finishing that last book (Third Circle). (On the other hand, I did finally get the cobwebs down from that one corner.) I haven’t give up on this series yet, but that book was a complete and utter disappointment. I was so disappointed by this book, in fact, that I’ve decided to wait until the current one comes out in paperback. The characters were simultaneously just like all the others she’s written and, yet, completely lacking in chemistry with each other. All obstacles, no matter how great or small, were resolved so quickly and easily that there was little to no dramatic tension. This was not the Amanda Quick/JAK I’m used to and, believe me, I have every one of her books and I’ve read them multiple times.
On the other hand, I still love
Sookie
, but I’m wishing that Charlaine Harris would realize that with nearly a year between books, I don’t necessarily remember all the details of what happened in the last book. A small recap of some kind, worked into the plot, would be nice. Oh, and could we have resolution of some of her romantic issues instead of the constant dancing around of The Men Who Love Her? (And by resolution, I don’t mean, “strike him dead to permanently to take him out of the running”, btw.) After all, I’ve found in real life that, while it can suck to love someone that doesn’t love you or doesn’t love you in the way you need, you usually move on and find someone else. It would just be nice if Harris would simply acknowledge that the ones Sookie doesn’t choose somehow manage to move on with their lives instead of lingering about in her orbit for years, with their hearts on their respective sleeves. Really, the unrequited (or sorta, but not really requited) longing goes long past realistic and straight into “And I-aye-aye aye-aye-aaaayyyyeee will always love you-oo-oo oo-oo-ooooooo”. Still, I devour these books in a day, as soon as they arrive. Love love LOVE them.
Finally, I just LOVE
Jim Butcher/Harry Dresden
. Flat out love them all, even the weaker ones. I’m sure I could find something that I’m tired of after all this time, but since nothing immediately comes to mind, the series is still going very strong for me.
@Strategerie: I think this is one of the problems with the Plum books—-JE set up a situation where there’s no clear hero. Not all of the fans had been waiting for Stephanie & Ranger to get together. Some of them never wanted that to happen at all. So, if JE really pleases one group she ticks off the other. In order to keep the series going she has to resort to this sort of lame BS.
This is one of my major problems with triangles in series books. They almost always make me drop the series and they’re a major reason why I’m wary of UF series, since they tend to turn up in a lot of those. For me, if a triangle goes on very long it ends up making me dislike everyone involved. The person who is the “apex” of the triangle seems like a jerk and the other 2 seem either stupid or like doormats. Once I dislike the characters I’m out, not matter what’s going on with the plot.
Sadly, I am one of those who had divorced myself from Christine Feehan. And I am not just talking about her Carparthians. I can’t get into the Drake Sisters stories any more either. I used to run out and get her stuff the day it came out, now I get it from the library or PBS, if I read it at all.
Also I loved her Jaguar people series and was so excited she had a new one coming out this month. The series has only two stories in it. But when I read the new book, it could have been a Carparthian story without the vampires.
Oh and Heather Graham’s suspense/horror stuff. It is getting predictable and redundant
I don’t think I’ve broken up with a romance series. This isn’t to say I’ve never not finished a series but typically this is out of laziness more than a dislike of the series. If I don’t follow a series from the beginning and I have to work to track down earlier books in a series I tend not to do that.
I have quit several Star Wars series though. All of them because of the death of a favorite character. I will forgive a lot of bad writing in Star Wars novels but once you kill off 2 of my favorite characters and turn the series into something relentlessly depressing and leaving out much of the humor that made the earlier books fun then I quit.
The same rules would probably apply to a romance series.
I think I’m just not into following a series and overall I tend to prefer stand-alone titles.
I’ve never been able to get into Anita Blake or anything by LKH, or Kenyon’s books for that matter. The Plum books didn’t grab me. I made it through 3 books in Feehan’s Carpathian series and found them extremely tiresome and repetitive—there’s only so much of the “i’ll die without you/light to my darkness” storylines I can stand before I start to throw up. And the whole you-make-me-see-in-color-so-it-must-be-true-love-and-destiny thing was too pat.
I read 2 Cynster books and that was more than enough. I accidentally read 3 of Balogh’s featuring a family, I think the sister was Freya or Freida, I can’t remember (a lot of time passed between readings) and made a note not to follow up. I used to read Amanda Quick but I grew bored with her after a while so I haven’t read her Arcane stuff at all and none of her stuff as jayne krentz.
Like other readers I used to read Nancy Drew as a pre-teen but I left that when relationship drama of the cheating kind between Ned? and Nancy showed up in the books. And sweet valley high totally lost me when Jessica got involved with her college professor—that was not cool to 11 yr old me going to catholic school in the caribbean where all the male teachers were ancient priests—I put those down & never looked back.
For a time I read Paulo Coelho’s books when they came out but I got tired of him after The Witch of Portobello and I haven’t picked him up since. And while I enjoy Sarah Waters’ characters, especially in Fingersmith, I haven’t really been interested in reading some of her other titles. As for JK Rowling, I was totally into the world of Harry Potter, & a staunch Snape supporter, but she hit my I’ve-totally-lost-all-respect-for-you-and-look-at-you-askance list with her totally contrived plot point for The goblet of fire (*spoiler* really, voldy couldn’t have made something else a portkey & gotten Harry that way instead of going through the ridiculous tri wizard tournament, really?) not to mention Harry is totally TSTL at the best of times.
**
Overall, though, I think that I’ve fallen out of love with romance novels. I’ve gotten rid of all the ones I owned, and I don’t borrow or buy any more (at least not ones obviously marketed as romances). I can’t even tell the last time I strolled into the romance section of a bookstore. I’m waiting for Karen Marie Moning’s fever series to end (I get them from the library), and unless she writes something else after that that I enjoy, I’ll prolly be done reading romance altogether.
My defection came about mostly because I got tired of the paint by numbers heroines & heroes; the lame plots that were props for much overwrought and frankly boring, sex; the heroes that were alpha to the point of knuckle dragging (see feehan)—and the list goes on. I also got really tired of every romance hero and heroine being white and straight, or if not straight then gay male and white and so, I peaced out, I just don’t have the stomach for it anymore.
This site is the only thing still connecting me to the romance world, slender though that thread may be.
BWA!!
That was AWESOME!
I can last forever with a series and it takes a lot for me to quit reading. For example, I love KMM’s Highlander and Fever series. I adore Sookie and loved the last book. Even when a series has the third worst Mary Sue I’ve ever read (House of the Night, I’m talking to you) I can still be interested. But what have I given up on?
Stephanie Laurens. The books got boring. It was the same book over and over and over and over.
And, of course, LKH. It almost took me a 12-step program but I quit buying her books. When Anita engaged in (essentially) bestiality in Incubus Dreams I was finished. Anita has no redeeming characteristics and is a sociopath.
the cynsters, marauding horde of alpha male/female conquering heroes that they are, i’m still holding out for the prequels—sylvester’s brothers’ stories, which stephanie laurens will probably never get around to writing, untill she runs out of cousins and in-laws and nieces and nephews and long lost siblings (et al) but oh well. plus i’m interested to see if she ever gives what’s-his-name the big bad guy who died via loose bridge/waterfall (OR DID HE?) any kind of resolution.
the malory’s—ok at this point it’s more like the anderson novels, but…i think i’m done after her latest one, unless johanna lindsey decides to give percival alden a happy ending (which would delight me, though i hardly expect it). except for percy, i have no interest in discovering how the next hero in line plans to date rape/coerce/trick his bride of choice into matrimony/hot sexxorings. and the titles! i know they’re not the author’s fault, but “no choice but seduction”? really? plus, “the devil who tamed her”—he wasn’t a “devil”, and “she” needed therapy, not taming; “the marriage most scandalous”…wasn’t actually all that scandalous, really.
mary balogh, i just got bored of her books. it was at “simply…” actually i forget which one, but it had the green cover and the violet-eyed hero that i stopped purchasing that series. i used to absolutely *heart* her stories because the characters were so “real,” etc, but at this point it just seems overwrought, and i can take it for granted that there will be uber drama with a resolution that leaves everyone but the bad guy—if there is one—happy.
jacquie d’allesandro, i’m wishing i’d quit her “…at midnight” series after “confessions.” i bought all four on the strength of the first one (which i do not regret), but after the second one, they feel like…not even “wallpaper historicals”: “stencil historicals” is more the phrase i had in mind. i didn’t even bother finishing the third book because i had the plot worked out a third of the way into it. and the fourth one was just a “headdesk” that i read out of loyalty.
for christine feehand, “dark celebration” seemed like a good stopping point. family reunion, prince reveals his super powers, hilarity ensues. or whatever. i had devoured the rest of them and figured enough was enough. *shrug*
captcha word: sound38. 38 volumes sounds like a good place to call it quits in a series. i’m looking at you, piers anthony. wasn’t xanth supposed to be a trilogy? and then a trilogy of trilogies? and then a trilogy cubed? sheesh!
I love series in books, but I do relate to what everyone is saying. For me I stop a series when I get too bored to get beyond the first few chapters, and if it sits on my bedroom floor gathering dust then I know it is time to give up, but I do that with authors who don’t write series also.
Anita Blake – Laurell K Hamilton
I still read the Anita Blake series, but it is becoming a close run thing. Even when the series changed drastically I still found aspects of the books that I enjoyed. I was disappointed in Richard’s character change, and Anita became whiny, but there were still the odd flashes of something good that kept me coming back. Blood Noir was essentially a long therapy session for two of the characters and the storyline (of which there was extremely little) was relegated to the last couple of chapters. I have Skin Trade on order. I will reserve judgment until I have read it.
Mercy Thompson – Patricia Briggs
I love this series. I read the last book over night and wanted more immediately. This is still going strong for me.
Eve Dallas – J D Robb
I inhale this series. If it were a drug I would have flunked rehab by now. Everytime I read one of the books I have to reread the entire series. Oddly enough I am going off Nora Roberts. I like her one off books, but I am bored by the sets. The last set (Blood Brothers, etc) boiled down to one book written three times with different names for the characters. Very disappointing. I don’t think I will bother with the new series that is coming out.
Dresden Files – Jim Butcher
I like this series also. It took me a little time to read the last book because I had spent so much time waiting for it, but I enjoyed it and I have the latest ready to read.
Discworld – Terry Pratchett
Finally, my first and favourite series I still read and reread. I love every book and when they stop coming I will be very sad.
I am starting new series (some of which people have already mentioned – Sherrilyn Kenyon – Dark Hunter, Rachel Vincent – Shifters, Rachel Caine – Weather Warden). I hope they will keep me going for a little while, but I don’t deny I have a short attention span!
One other thing about a series, and then I’ll stop (unless another thought occurs to me—I promise nothing!): I like it when a series is building to an obvious conclusion, and the reader’s patience is rewarded. An example is Mary Balogh’s Regency set Bedwyn Saga (the Slightly series). Each book was very obviously leading to the story of the eldest brother, the duke, as the climax of the series. She dropped little hints along the way showing that character’s development, and the reader was amply rewarded at the end with Wulf’s love story.
I felt like the unwritten contract between the reader of the series and the author had been satisfied.
::sigh::
This should have been included in my post above.
I adore Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher. Their series just stay terrific and I’m pretty sure they could start writing plotless drivel and I would keep reading. I like both Rachel Caine’s series even though Joanne is a Mary Sue (the entire series spans about a month and she’s died and came back to life more than once). Ilona Andrews is off to a great start—in my opinion, the third was the best of the series.
And I get angry when a series isn’t finished. Brenda Joyce’s Deadly series, for example, was AWESOME and I will probably never know what happened.
Ack. Nice little speech on how great the Kelley Armstrong Series is and it was eaten by the goblin of the net.
Still – excellent series, recommended by a friend in a hope to wean me off LKH. Still going strong and I love her new Nadia Stafford series.
I think the Otherworld series is going strong because she moves around the characters – it never gets stale but you are still able to keep up with the characters you like.
Plus she named her kick-ass werewolf Elena. It helps 🙂
I love the Otherworld books, as well. Great treatment plan for LKH.
I think the most original parts of them (other than the kick-a$$ female werewolf) is that they aren’t really romances. They do have a lot of romantic elements, but they don’t have to follow the conventions. You don’t really know if the couple will get together. Or they might be thinking about getting together and then pop up a few books later, having been together for a few years. The romance is always just a little bit behind the scenes, so you have to pay attention to the little hints.
And of course the fact that I’m in love with both Jeremy and Karl helps, too. *grin*
Oh, oh, can we chat for a second about Kim Harrison?
Oh, Kim Harrison. How I mourn thee. Another series I dumped. After how many books, and Rachel is STILL running around like a chicken with no head. I mean, ask some questions, ask for help, quit being so judgemental, stop living with a vampire! Dude! GROW UP!!! And that, right there, is why I dumped Harrison. No character growth. I got soooo tired of listening to Rachel whine and get in trouble, and not ask for help, and…well, you get the idea. And I had been buying in hardback since she went that way. But this last one? Phhhhttthhhhttt. I’m done. Off with you, Kim Harrison!
Well the only series I have given up on, so far is Antia and possibly Merry Gentry, mainly for the mentions above, but every time I think I’m done, LKH goes and dangles the Edward and Olaf character in front of me!!!!
I think its because I started on Obisdan Butterfly that I love these characters so much. Though now I resist and just get them from the library. I’m getting near the end of Kenyons books too. I loved Acheron and still have a few early ones, but I’m not as avid on them as I was.
I’ve just started BDB so its early days for me along with Lyndsay Sands vampire books.
I love series fiction, because I love really long books. Reading a good series is like reading a really really long book. But it also has all the drawbacks of that: you may lose interest in the premise or characters, or the author may ultimately decide to take you someplace you don’t care to follow. With Anita Blake, Hamilton took the books someplace way too dark for me. For me, it wasn’t really the mechanical, meaningless sex that killed the series. In a sense, that made sense to me, because Anita had become so alienated from herself and was so self-destructive. The problem was, the author had a suicidal and arguably psychologically disturbed lead character, and refused to allude to or admit it. And when Hamilton started to introduce sexualized violence, incest and pedophilia as possible (read probable) future plot threads, it was way past time for me to bail. I wouldn’t touch those books with a ten-foot pole now.
The Betsy character just bored me after three books. The Plum books were still interesting until Evanovich stopped creating funny and started phoning them in, around book 11 or 12. I loved Acheron, but Kenyon’s books have long been a bit cookie-cutter for me for a while now. I really dislike Feehan’s couples. They give me the creeps, and it took me way too long to kick that habit.
I don’t mind the changes in the BDB series, although the heroine becoming a ghost thing bugged the shit out of me. I’m also still reading the JD Robb stuff too, although the last one or two have been less interesting. Roberts can still write rings around most other genre series authors, though, so I’m on the reserve list for her latest In Death book at the library. I still love Brockmann and I’m waiting anxiously for Julia Spencer-Fleming’s next. I also like Novik’s Temeraire series and Shana Abe’s last drakon book was pretty entertaining, just when my interest was flagging a bit in that series. Patricia Briggs skated really close with that rape-torture scene followed by happy ending in next scene, but miraculously I’m still reading that series.
I have loved each and every one of Feehan’s Seven Sister’s series and can’t wait for the last one to come out. I have read all of the GhostWalker series, I just thought some of them were really weak and look forward to the series wrapping up.
I read JAK Arcane series, just finished Sizzle and Burn and I didn’t. I think JAK needs a break and to start fresh writing like she used to back in the early 90’s.
I am still loving Car’s Virgin Series, but we are starting to skate on think ice as far as buying into the continuing saga.
Now Pamela Clare, Karen Rose and Brenda Novak still have me hooked and bated for the next books in their series to come up.
I broke up with Anita Blake after book four, although that was partially due to a friend of mine having an in person run-in with Ms. Hamilton, and telling about what a horrid human being Ms. Hamilton had become.
I broke up with Janet Evanovich after 8 or 9, partly because they were starting to feel cookie cutter (which isn’t always a problem for me, I still love The Cat Who books and you don’t get much more cookie cutter than that), and partly because Lula is just one big fat joke that just isn’t funny.
Because of those two experiences, plus a few bad SF/F series experiences, I tend to shy away from series unless a WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE tell me how mind-bendingly awesome they are.
Thank you for mentioning Richard + Anita – I quit counting down the days to the “next Anita” when the Richard “I hate myself and what I am…wait, I accept it…no! I hate myself and what I am…accept…hate…” theme became too overwhelming. I think this is part of the problem I mentioned above: the production over resolution problem for some of these long-running series. When a story arc does not resolve and a character does not develop after oh, 12 books, it makes a reader wonder if there will EVER be any forward progress.
Wow! There are some good viewpoints in this blog about when to quit a series.
Recently, I have read the latest Sookie Stackhouse book, and I am ready to end reading them. Although I know we want characters to evolve, I also want the ‘core’ personality of the character (who I love) to be there. Sookie is someone who I tend to think about as a positve, spunky, funny, caring, and warm personailty. In the last book, her adventure was very grim for the most part – and at the end, she seems empty and drained. It’s a very depressing end to the book.
As a reader, when I go on the emotional journey of a book, I am looking to arrive at the end of the book, feeling that I got something uplifting from reading it. To read a very grim story, and then end on that grim note – without any resilience of hope or positive feeling – is just too depressing for me, the reader.
Also, about Patricia Briggs and her Mercy Thompson series – although I like these books for the most part – I almost stopped reading them after the scene about the rape of Mercy. It was way too graphic. Now, it seems the books are going to be about the details of Mercy recovering from that rape. I don’t know if I personally want to read the details of this. If I was a reader, that shared the experience of rape, then maybe I would want to know all the details on recovering. But, since that is not my experience, I don’t want to be dragged through the slow and hard process of recovering from that rape. It is too much emotional detail. I hope Briggs ‘moves on’ and gets beyond that sorrow. (It reminds of those books, where a mother loses a child – and then the books are forever and forever colored by the mother’s deep sorrow for the lost child. )
death29 – if an author writes a series of 29 books, that will be the death of me. LOL
Re: Richard and Anita.
Back before the books started sucking, I re-read the whole series (up to Blue Moon, I think) in a weekend binge. It seemed to me at the time that Richard was a stand-in for Philip from book one. The whole reason Anita was attracted to him was because he reminded her of Philip.
I was totally okay with her breaking up with him, because it was never really him she loved. And then the whole series went to crap and I gave up on them all. Sigh.
Suze: You know, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that supposition about Phillip and Richard. While it’s pretty common knowledge that Richard was LKH’s first husband, and the lion dude (god, what is his name? the one that raped Anita in the shower) is LKH’s second husband, I wonder who Phillip is (her dad? a former boyfriend?) Very interesting suggestion, Suze.
If it’s a historical series as in Stephany Lauren’s Cynsters, I’ll stop reading them when they all start sounding the same… same characters, plots, love scenes, etc… same book, 7 times… no thank you.
If it’s a paranormal/UF, as in Ward’s BDB, I’ll stop reading it if the world building is so full of holes that I don’t know what the heck is going on with it, and questions are left hanging left and right with no answers. Plus, in the BDB’s case the characters are built up and by the time their books come around they are basically de-constructed—as in V and later Phury, who I didn’t even recognize—so that was the break for me. If I only enjoy 1/3 of a book, or skim most of it, then I’m not enjoying a book or the world. Time to break up with the series, the crack is not that good.
Darlene,
different strokes and all that. I loathed one of the Slightly books (if I were into that I would have burned the book, I hated it so much) and thought Wulf’s story was stupid and boring as hell; the whole series was full of cartoon slapstick characters and the fact that 5 out of 6 ducal siblings committed mesalliances was just too damn much. I didn’t care for the Simply books either, especially the last one. Poor Joseph deserved a much better story and heroine.
Nevertheless, I bought and read the 3 Huxtable books as soon as they were out. The first one was much better than any of the Slightly and Simplys. The second one was awful (shades of The Double Wager which Balogh obviously stitched together from about 5 different Georgette Heyer plots, talk about plagiarism!), but the 3rd one was really good. Not as good as some of her old stuff (The Secret Pearl, A Precious Jewel) but trying to come close.
I won’t be buying the 4th one although I’m really interested in the story because it’s in HC and I won’t be manipulated by this bait and switch of publishing 3 in paperback and the 4th in HC. Since our library isn’t buying anything till fall, I’ll either have to wait till Stephen’s story comes out in paperback next May, or, most likely, I’ll end up not reading it because I lost interest by then and the same goes for book 5 which is supposed to come out in paperback in 2011.
There may be status involved in going to HC and an increase in royalties for authors, but as far as I can see from my own and fellow reader reactions, the loss of goodwill is not insignificant when they do things this way.
As a series writer, this is scaring me. But it’s also a good tutorial of pitfalls to avoid!
GrowlyCub:
You know, WHAT is the point of a hardback, anyway? In all seriousness, if there are publishers reading this, why even go the hardback route? What benefits are there, really, by having a hardback and a paperback?
serious63: this thing really *is* psychic.
I’m not wild about long series to begin with, so I’ll give up at the drop of a hat. I’m always looking for something fresh and exciting. Finding a new favorite author is like falling in love. And I can’t help it—I’m fickle.
Why I might quit a series…when my fellow reading partners in crime tell me they hate it and to never mention it again (Anita and Merry). Granted I agree with my friend’s objections (and the ones posted here) but twinkie-reads are fun—not filling. I stopped reading LKH a few books ago when I couldn’t remember/tell them apart; plus, no woman can have that much sexing without some personal problems that require a drugstore visit.
We still read Sookie as a group but she almost got shelved a few books back (the Memphis trip) , and now the bandwagon readers in the group are like a bunch of untrained puppies.
I only read the first two Feehan psychic warrior series (sorry forgot the names…and glad of it), found it too cookie cutter for me, let my mom read them (who told me they weren’t “nice” books), and donated them to the Lib.
I agree with Smart Bitch Sarah: the setting plays a huge part in the “love affair” with the series. Plus, I don’t mind the characters growing and changing, just not the kind of change that requires a lobotomy. All good blog/comment points and they even help me to avoid and/or be forewarned about some of the series out there. Thx.
Until34…I wish I remembered 34.
I agree with a lot of the break up reasons listed above. Which is why I really enjoyed Colleen Gleason’s Gardella series. I knew that there was a finite number of books being written, so I had the expectation that although we had a great triangle going, we would eventually have a WIN-NAH. Which was a wonderful pay-off, unlike Ranger and Joe who seem to be flip-flopping every book.
Also, by having only so many books per series (in Gleason’s case, 5) she was able to have real character development and arcs.
And it never got old, and I never thought about a break up. Not once.
I understand authors wanting to cash in on the world they’ve built, but I really like the finite numbered series.
I stop reading a series when I can come up with a better story and or ending than the author does. I finish the book then I think I would have changed such and such.
ANITA- which I stopped buying two books ago and told myself repeatedly that I will not read the one coming out in June (it is just a exercise in frustration nothing will change)
MERRY (LKH’S other series)- is quickly going the way of Anita I don’t know how much longer I can read just to look plot points or events that interested me but the author has forgotten she wrote or never completed a thought on. Also LKH recently said on her blog that she felt free to play in Merry’s world now that she didn’t have to stick to a plot point. ( this scares me and I wonder if I should jump ship now)
Kim Harrison- I stopped reading about the time they went to HC just wasn’t worth it to me
Ward- I thought I was through with Phury’s book but Rev’s book re-hooked me so we will have to see
Kelley Armstrong- LOVE HER but with her Otherworld series you don’t have to read all of them to have a clue what is going on so I pick what sounds interesting to me
Keri Arthur- Please give me a HEA ASAP before I get tired of waiting around for it and stop reading you
Fever series – I really like them so far but read all three together
I will break up with a series if the romance side of the plot become a love triangle. I hate them with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. Whenever I give it a go and grit my teeth to get through it, I always end up liking the guy not chosen and that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And if it’s not resolved at the end of the book, I’m gone for good.
Generally, I avoid romance series (or series with strong romantic elements) that stick with one narrator since every one I can think of turns into a on-off-on-off-on-off ad infinitum and/or love triangle. I’ve heard great things about the Mercy Thompson series, but a quick skim tripped my OH CRISPY CRACKERS NO response, so they’re on my do not buy list.
My favorite on-going series currently are Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld and Meljean Brook’s Guardian novels. I adore the world building—so I want more stories set in that ‘verse—and I love the characters the authors come up with. Plus, rotating narrators. Win-win for me.
One series I haven’t seen mentioned here is the Aimee Leduc detective series by Cara Black. I’m a bit of a francophile, so I was psyched about these books: half-French woman P.I. in Paris! And each book centers on a different slice of French cultural life!
I quit after the third, I think. Aimee was running for her life in heels. 2 and a half books of getting attacked and chased and shot at and god knows what else, and she still wears HEELS out on a case?!?! TS to fucking L. So put that in the category of ‘character doesn’t change or learn from their experiences.’
I recently quit The Dresden Files —I read the first one expecting to love it, read the second hoping I would fall in love soon, and forced myself through the third one. I just didn’t like the author’s voice or Dresden’s. It was disappointing because I thought I would have this yummy new series to work my way through. Oh well.
The Mercy Thompson books work for me because each book has its own action/mystery plot as a focus and the romance plot has been stretched out over all of the books. And Mercy changes a bit in each book because of her experiences. I hope I don’t have to quit her—those books are awesome.
LKH – I made it to book 12 I think. I kept hoping she’d get back to the core of the series that made me love it in the first place. I was half way through, realized she was looking for yet another guy to take to bed and pulled the whole series off my shelf and sold the whole damn thing. I occasionally miss the first 8 books, but not enough to make me regret my decision.
Betsy – So tired of her treating her guy like crap and just being an airhead. I think book 4 was my last one.
Stephanie Plum – I’m ready for this series to be over. It’s relegated to library status with me and I’m just ready for the end already.
Series I read: Sookie, Harrison’s Hollows, Karen Chance’s Cassie Palmer, Ilona Andrews’ Magic series adn Patricia Briggs.
Let me also say here that one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to series are when an author starts a series and doesn’t finish it and then starts writing other books while I’m just waiting for an ending to the original series and then finally like 3 or 4 years later they’ll write another book. I totally understand authors wanting to write something different, but couldn’t they do it in addition to the series or after it or something.
Oh! I forgot Frost’s Grave series. I love that one.
There’s a couple of other series that I was reading and enjoying and then they pulled that not writing books thing so it’s been a couple of years since new books have come out. Not sure I’ll still be interested when they do since I’m pretty ticked off about it right now.
That’s hilarious. 😀
Very well said. If I recollect correctly, LKH said on her blog that she has a therapist. I just wish Anita would get one. Richard has one, so why not Anita?
But tbh, at least she is still writing and people like it enough for her to be a bestseller. There are authors would make me spittin’ mad just thinking about how long it’s taking them to supposedly write the next book in a series. I’ve waited 16 years for one series. 🙁
I can only think of one series that I really broke up with (I did stop reading another series but I hadn’t been reading it very avidly in the first place). And it’s not a romance series, but I think it fits the criteria. I quit reading the Wheel of Time series because each book just seemed to get bigger and bigger and less and less happened. And the endings got less and less satisfying, because every time they thought they killed the Dark One, it wasn’t really him and bad guys kept coming back from the dead and it just felt like. . . why the hell am I still reading this? One of my friends who read the series said, you could read the first book and be satisfied. If you read the second, you had to read the third, but then you’d be satisfied. If you read beyond that, you’re stuck reading forever ad nauseum because nothing is satisfying after that.
I might get the rest of the books when they release all of the final trilogy and then reread the whole thing. But I doubt it.