Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion
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Abandonable, Multi-Arc Series
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Jack Reacher series is in dumped state. Loved the way Lee Child wrote the series, but not a fan of Andrew Child's writing.
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I definitely abandoned Reacher after the first Andrew Child collab, I think... maybe the 2nd...
Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth. 1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that.
The only one that comes to mind right now is Throne of Glass. I loved the first three books and then she wrote the fourth book and ruined everything for me. Now I can't stand reading any of her books.
Chris wrote: "Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth. 1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that."
Wasn't he a major ass too? Reason enough for me to not read this guy.
Hmm. The Warded Man was one for me. The first book was excellent while the remainder all went down hill. I finished the series in the hope it would turn around because that first book was so creative but nope.I agree about the Black Jewels too. The latest books just haven't worked for me.
I totally agree about the Hollows. The original series was PERFECT and I've been really disappointed with the new ones.Psy/ Changeling series was the same, loved the original series, lost track of the trinity spinoff.
Also, The Others by Anne Bishop. The Meg books were amazing, the interlocking standalones with random characters have been very hit or miss for me, some I've liked, some I haven't.
I think Ilona Andrews does spinoffs very well. The original Hidden Legacy trilogy was excellent, so was the follow up with Catalina. I'm now super excited for Arabella's ARC.
I think Benedict Jacka made a smart move with the Alex Verus books. Very long series, he let it run it's natural course and finish out the story and then moved onto something brand new. I think that was a good decision. As much as I'd love more Alex, the ending was great and it would be a shame to ruin it.
I think overall, I like it when a story naturally comes to an end and the author doesn't force unnecessary extras onto us like with Hollows. I remember reading the Shatter Me trilogy, loving it and then years later she extended it and it was so disappointing. Only write more books if the story needs it, otherwise readers can tell it's forced.
Ann-Marie wrote: "Chris wrote: "Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth. 1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that."
Wasn't he a major ass too? Reason enough for me ..."
I know he said some bonehead things at least. Claimed to not be "SFF" author (though M Atwood did that too), And one time he got on social and blasted an artist's book cover on one of his books.
Chris wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Chris wrote: "Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth. 1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that."
Wasn't he a major ass too? Rea..."
I read Handmaid's Tale when it was first released and I have skipped the movie and series, will never revisit that and I have avoided Atwood as well. I was enraged while reading that book lol
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1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that."
I made the right decision to abandon after book 2... and honestly, Terry Goodkind sounds like a tool... he says he doesn't write fantasy, he writes about "important human themes"...
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1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that."
Wasn't he a major ass too? Reason enough for me ..."
EXACTLY :D
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This reminds me of Dune, which I plan to read someday, and is generally considered a standalone masterpiece... and the rest of the Expanded Dune Universe just goes downhill, altho people disagree when...
Just read Dune. I don't feel like I gained much by reading more in the series. 😆
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A decent example (altho one I still enjoy and continue to read) would be Craig Schaefer's First Story megaseries... it has:
First 8 Daniel Faust books: The Long Way Down thru The Neon Boneyard
First 4 Harmony Black books: Harmony Black thru Cold Spectrum
Revanche Cycle: Winter's Reach thru Queen of the Night
and then resolves with Wisdom's Grave trilogy: Sworn to the Night thru Bring the Fire
Then, Daniel Faust and Harmony Black continued with their own dangling plotlines and baddies... I think each series has had 3 more books since then, most recently: Down Among the Dead Men and Never Send Roses
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Psy/ Changeling series was the same, loved the original series, lost track o..."
All the agrees... altho I've generally enjoyed the Others standalones more than the Black Jewels ones... I feel like the world of the Others has so much left to explore...
Ilona Andrews is definitely one of my fave authors, so it's hard to find anything to complain about, other than they don't write faster... speaking of Hidden Legacy, I don't think there are any plans to write the Arabella trilogy any time soon... they already sounded like they wanted a break from it, and then the Ukraine War made them wary of a Russian bear protagonist, even more... they've said as much on their blog at some point, in the past couple years...
Your Shatter Me thing reminded me of Abhorsen by Garth Nix:
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen -- complete trilogy
LONG GAP -- Decade Plus
Clariel
Goldenhand
That's the thing, I LOVE the Others world so in theory, I could read dozens of standalones set there. But it's very character dependant so if I don't click with the characters, it just doesn't work for me.IA can do no wrong, never read anything of theirs I didn't love. I remember them saying something about the Russian protagonist things being a bit controversial because of current events so it makes sense to wait. But I will miss that world so much.
I really don't like the huge gaps and then just bringing a series back UNLESS it makes sense for the characters, Like with the Merry Gentry series, I feel like that should have had another book, or two. There was no resolution, we never found out if she actually got to be queen, what happened to the courts and the fae's powers or anything. I think it was cut off abruptly and I want an ending!
Timelord Iain wrote: "Charlie wrote: "I totally agree about the Hollows. The original series was PERFECT and I've been really disappointed with the new ones.Psy/ Changeling series was the same, loved the original seri..."
Garth Nix is a good example. Him coming back to the Old Kingdom after such a long break wasn't nearly as good as the original trilogy. I'm glad I read them but will never reread them where I will definitely reread the original trilogy. Kind of like Black Jewels.
I feel this way about the Selection series by Kieta Cass. I loved the original trilogy and I'll absolutely re-read but the sequel books about her daughter were rubbish, I donated them to a charity shop.
Ann-Marie wrote: "Chris wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Chris wrote: "Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth. 1st two were excellent, third boring and I heard it got way worse after that."
Wasn't he a majo..."
I felt exactly the same when watching the series!!! Was absolutely seething! Couldn't stand it and bailed after a few episodes! I do have it on my tbr to be fair, but I don't know if or when I'll get round to reading it...
Just found this thread. How has no one mentioned About Blake yet? The first several books are what sparked my love of urban fantasy. And then it crashed and burned lol. I think I gave up at book 12.
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On the TV side, since people have mentioned a few, I think Supernatural is a good example...
It's long been said the creator originally envisioned the series as 5 seasons, and the first 5 seasons have a solid arc leading up to Lucifer and the New New Testament & the Book of Winchester... then the series just kinda kept going for 10 more seasons, due to it's runaway success...
Oohhhh so right about the Abhorsen stuff... Hmm trying to think about more of "I thought this was done, and now apparently there's more"
I think Red Rising might meet that... I thought there was just going to be that initial trilogy and then all the sudden there's 4 more to finish? I haven't read them though so I can't say if they're good or not...
Or maybe stuff in His Dark Materials with the THe Book of Dust Pullman's got going on... But its more spin off than adding to it?
Timelord Iain wrote: "I tried Anita Blake 20 years after it went bad, and I just couldn't do it...On the TV side, since people have mentioned a few, I think Supernatural is a good example...
It's long been said the c..."
She is another one that says such dumb shit, there are way too many books around that aren't written by asshats. I agree about Supernatural, the OG should have been it however I did binge the entire series during lockdown and I will forever be sad that I did not skip the final episode....
Yeahhhh I'm a big believer in not reading books by objectionable people when there are sooooo many other things I could be reading.
Just noticed this thread, and I much approve of the topic. I like knowing I have a point of exit if an author/series doesn't work out. Ideally, a first work should stand alone. I'm more okay with 2-3 of a trilogy or 5-6 having plot threads that run together. But it's good to know if and when you can abandon ship.-Even for authors you like - I'm glad to know that book 5 of Stormlight will complete a narrative arc, for example.
-Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth was one of the first series I remember abandoning. I don't think there was a good exit point, which just adds an extra layer of resentment to how each just got progressively worse with torture-rape fantasies. In the wish-I-could-unread category.
-Dune I only read the first of, and am perfectly happy to keep it that way.
-Garth Nix's Old Kingdom original trilogy is excellent, but I agree you can stop there. The subsequent books are good for nostalgia and if you really just want to revisit that world.
-His Dark Materials is similar, from the same era, in that the original trilogy is it's own thing, with the others being written much later. I enjoyed the prequel La Belle Sauvage with its new characters, but the sequel The Secret Commonwealth made me actively upset at what the author did to Lyra and Pantalaimon.
I feel like I *should* be able to construct a list of jumping on/off points for Anne McCaffrey's Pern books and various series, because I've read most all of them, but it's also... a lot. Also, that was decades ago, so my memory of connective tissue is patchy. Mark it as a future project.I tried looking up a reading order flow chart and it was confusing and wrong.
I'll just say that although Dragonflight/Dragonquest/The White Dragon comes first, I'll often suggest starting with the YA novel Dragonsong first. Probably in part because it was my own entry point, but I think it's a squishier standalone introduction to the world, rather than the cobbled-together-novellas from the 60s that is Dragonflight.
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Funny thing about Abhorsen is that I liked book 1 but hated book 2 and gave up there....Even with Tim Curry narrating I couldn't stand it...
Chris wrote: "Funny thing about Abhorsen is that I liked book 1 but hated book 2 and gave up there....Even with Tim Curry narrating I couldn't stand it..."Tim Curry narrates books? How did I not know this? Will be looking into this in the very near future.
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Yeah not sure what else he's narrated, but LOVED his narration of the Old Kingdom trilogy. I absolutely hated the narrator for Goldenhand and had to eye read that... That was a very upsetting experience lol
Chris wrote: "Funny thing about Abhorsen is that I liked book 1 but hated book 2 and gave up there....Even with Tim Curry narrating I couldn't stand it..."😟 B-but... the Disreputable Dog!!
Lirael is actually my favorite of the three. I loved the Clayr and the library's depths. To each their own though. Clariel was the disappointment for me, especially since I had such high hopes returning to the Old Kingdom.
Timelord Iain wrote: "You need to find old books� not sure what else he narrated but Abshorsen, but he’s definitely not narrating these days� I think he had some strokes and is wheelchair bound and his voice isn’t great�"Yeah I think he has been reported dead a couple of times and he posts on social media like not yet! I imagine his narration would be awesome though, will keep an eye out :)
Mel wrote: "Chris wrote: "Funny thing about Abhorsen is that I liked book 1 but hated book 2 and gave up there....Even with Tim Curry narrating I couldn't stand it..."😟 B-but... the Disreputable Dog!!
Lirael..."
Lirae, was my favorite as well because of the Libary and the Clayr :)
I can't recall abandoning a series (maybe I've been lucky in my choice of authors), but two things I did abandon: Tolkien's posthumously published work (I was bitterly disappointed by The Silmarillion, and decided not to read any more); and the TV series Game of Thrones (I've never read the books) which I left near the end of series 4 because I thought the level of violence was indefensible.
Chris wrote: "I can't recall abandoning a series (maybe I've been lucky in my choice of authors), but two things I did abandon: Tolkien's posthumously published work (I was bitterly disappointed by [book:The Sil..."If the show violence was too much you are better off not reading the books. I mean besides the fact he is never going to finish the series so you are saving yourself that headache as well!
Ann-Marie wrote: If the show violence was too much you are better off not reading the books. I mean besides the fact he is never going to finish the series so you are saving yourself that headache as well!Thanks for the warning, I do seem to have a low tolerance for violence in books. I gave up on Prince of Thorns after only a few pages: I'll quote another reviewer here on GR:
"I can't get behind a book that has the main character raping girls in the first few pages." (Zydras)
That goes for me too. Usually I take books to the charity shop when I've read them. That one went in the recycling. And the DVDs of GoT went to landfill.
To get back on topic, I think Discworld may be an abandonable series. I loved most of the books, but I couldn't get on with Raising Steam at all. (I'd forgotten this when I said I hadn't abandoned a series.) Not funny, and I didn't think it read like Pratchett.
Chris wrote: "Thanks for the warning, I do seem to have a low tolerance for violence in books. I gave up on Prince of Thorns after only a few pages: I'll quote another reviewer here on GR:"I can't get behind a book that has the main character raping girls in the first few pages." (Zydras)
That goes for me too. Usually I take books to the charity shop when I've read them. That one went in the recycling. And the DVDs of GoT went to landfill. ..."
I'm the same way about that kind of stuff, I totally get it.
@Chris, first 3 books of Game of Thrones were good. Level of violence is less than Malazan. Malazan was rife with violence in a way that bugged me within story frame. The comparison factor between the books and tv show for Game of Thrones is low.
Chris wrote: "To get back on topic, I think Discworld may be an abandonable series. I loved most of the books, but I couldn't get on with Raising Steam at all. (I'd forgotten this when I said I h..."Discworld isn't something I've tried to read through, per se. I think of it as being perfect for bite-sized chunks or a nibble, so that I don't even think of it as "abandoned." There's a good reading order chart already for easy entry-and exit points for that one.
BTW, a buddy read readthough of Discworld has recently started this year, so if anyone wants to attempt it, now's a good time to jump in.
#1 The Colour of Magic BR
#2 The Light Fantastic BR
(view spoiler)
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Timelord Iain wrote: "Yea... Chris is in the Discworld BR..."Meant that as a plural "you" for the thread - edited for clarity.
Fantasy Buddy Reads
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Terry Goodkind (other topics)Terry Goodkind (other topics)
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Sometimes I love an author/series, and devour everything they publish, other times, a series just isn't gelling for me (or maybe it is), and an arc ends, and I hear bad things about future books, and I hop off at the perfect point...
Some examples: Spider's Bite -- Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep -- the first 5 books are a pretty contained arc, leading to the revenge against the mob boss that killed her family or something big in her childhood (I honestly forget, it's been a decade)... then the series just kinda continued, building to a copycat mob boss, taking over the underworld, and other long-running-series shenanigans... I think the series ended at 19 books...
Another good example: Darkfever -- Fever by Karen Marie Moning -- honestly one of my favorite 5 book arcs out there... I think it was the first time I read a series that (view spoiler)[had an apocalypse happen in the middle (hide spoiler)]... the original plot is wrapped up in book 5... then there's 2 books focusing on a 15 year old side character, then it goes back and forth between that younger character and the original characters until it all wraps up (again) in book 11 (by which point, I here the lore is a jumbled mess)... and I didn't even touch on the point where the author says the first 5 books came to her in a dream, verbatim, and she just copied the story into the real world...
Dead Witch Walking -- Hollows by Kim Harrison -- originally wrapped after book 12, but has since been revived, after several failed new series by the author...
Daughter of the Blood -- Black Jewels by Anne Bishop -- initial trilogy, bunch of anthologies, couple novel length stories, then a pretty definitive end in book 9, with most characters growing old and dying that could and wanted to, only for the author to revive the series recently, with these reborn soul plots...
I'm sure, if this thread gains any traction, you guys can help me jog some more series loose from my memory... or give me ideas...