Can you stop buying a series?

anamardoll · 06-11-2011, 10:58 AM

So here's a question. Sometimes I really dread starting a new series, because if the first book is even a little bit good, I'll often feel the need to read to the end of the series, even if it gets rather less good halfway through.

A good example of this would be the Xanth series by Piers Anthony -- if I may be rather simplistic, I thought the first 1-10 books were great, the next 11-20 books were rather so-so, books 21-30 spiraled down into serious "meh" if not outright annoyance and frustration, and despite the fact that I KNOW I've utterly lost interest in the series, I still picked up book #31 at Half Price about a year ago.

I have no idea if I'll ever read the book, but my OCD "must have the complete series or not at all" gene kicked in and I bought the darn thing anyway.

So... how unique am I in this regard?

lestatar · 06-11-2011, 11:03 AM

^ Not alone there - not really

I am pretty much the same way for many/most things - a "Completist". However, I can definitely walk a from a series if it goes south on me. I am the same with music.

Cases in point:
- Anne Rice: Vampire Chronicles. She totally lost me after the 4th book. I gave book 5 a shot but really, I gave up on her. She kinda went a little over the edge [i.e. "nutty"] and the books lost their appeal to me.

- Patricia Cornwell: Kay Scapetta series. Same thing, though I stuck around for the first 5-6 books.

- Tom Clancy: While not strictly a series, I add Clancy here because of the Jack Ryan books. But Clancy has lost a great deal of appeal to me, especially after Ryan became president [and Clancy basically used his books from that point on as a bully pulpit to air his own political agenda]. I will still read Clancy [but ONLY Clancy, none of that "Created by Tom Clancy" nonsense], but he is no longer as compelling/a must have author to me as he once was.

So yeah, the first book in a series is especially critical for me in this regard.

Recently, it has been Lee Child's Jack Reacher books that have nailed me, hook, line and sinker.

phenomshel · 06-11-2011, 11:10 AM

This was actually not an issue for me before ebooks....

I lived in rural Texas, the nearest bookstore was a 45 minute drive. When my mom and I did get to go, we picked up what we could find and afford at the time. So only the "best of the best" of what we liked made the cut.

Now, though - with ebooks a click away (and I have more discretionary income, too), I give series' second, third, and fourth chances, because my OCD kicks in, as you say. And also, I usually figure I should see if the "bad book" was just a fluke and the next one will be better. Also, I usually have a tendency to blame not liking a book on the mood I was in, instead of the book itself. So once an author/series is on my "list" they very seldom come off it. My FictFact.com stats are downright SCARY.

orlok · 06-11-2011, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lestatar

^ Not alone there - not really

Cases in point:
- Anne Rice: Vampire Chronicles. She totally lost me after the 4th book. I gave book 5 a shot but really, I gave up on her. She kinda went a little over the edge [i.e. "nutty"] and the books lost their appeal to me.

Same for me. Gave up during book 5, I think.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lestatar

Patricia Cornwell: Kay Scapetta series. Same thing, though I stuck around for the first 5-6 books.

I have managed to keep going, but am less and less enamoured with the perpetual negativity of the characters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lestatar

Recently, it has been Lee Child's Jack Reacher books that have nailed me, hook, line and sinker.

100%

I have also given up on the John Sandford "Prey" series, though I may well return one day...

wyndslash · 06-11-2011, 11:21 AM

series are evil

Penforhire · 06-11-2011, 11:39 AM

You're right. I get invested in a series if the opening books were either good or show promise. I'll give the author a few off-key books before binning the series.

DiapDealer · 06-11-2011, 11:56 AM

I used to drop a series like a hot potato when a book was subpar. I don't give authors a pass on whole "books" just because the next one "might" get better. Heck I rarely give a pass on half a book.

I'm speaking of back when I gave in to the evilness of long-running, "one big story across multiple volumes" series'. I've since weaned myself off of them.

Catlady · 06-11-2011, 12:00 PM

If I pick up the first book in a series and dislike it, I'll stop right there. But if I've read a few books in the series and enjoyed them, I feel compelled to keep buying them. I'm all about complete collections.

lestatar · 06-11-2011, 12:11 PM

@orlok: Not me...still love that big lug Davenport, though yeah, he has gotten a bit soft [and a tad domesticated] in recent books.

orlok · 06-11-2011, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lestatar

@orlok: Not me...still love that big lug Davenport, though yeah, he has gotten a bit soft [and a tad domesticated] in recent books.

I am still collecting them, just haven't got round to reading them for some reason. It was around the time he got married etc. etc., so it might have been the domestication angle...

Can't see that ever happening to Reacher

.

AlbertaCowboy · 06-11-2011, 12:29 PM

I'll be completely OCD about a series that I enjoy, but I'll drop the author after two or three weak books. I used to love Clive Cussler wayyyy back in the beginning, when I read "Raise the Titanic" when I was about five or so. After twenty odd years, anything he wrote past "Atlantis Rising", is MEH. I haven't read a Dirk Pitt novel in years now.
Jim Butcher, on the other hand has me hooked, lined and sunk. Hopefully "The Dresden Files" never get too Cusslified.

ficbot · 06-11-2011, 12:41 PM

Agree on Patricia Cornwell. The plot arc where she brought back a certain character who had departed was completely ridiculous. And then she switched to present tense 'literary' style...

Also, I have given up on Jonathan Kellerman. Delaware has become a rich, soft middle-ager. The series has lost its edge. The last I bought was four books ago, then I got a few from the library. Got the most recent from the library, read the first little bit, then put it down and never picked it up again.

As for Charlaine Harris, there is allegedly only going to be one more Sookie Stackhouse book, so I probably will finish the set. But I don't love where it's been going in the last two or three...

Kudos to Nora Roberts though. The Eve Dallas series continues to be must-read, 30+ books in...

CWatkinsNash · 06-11-2011, 12:47 PM

I chose the second option, but there's a divide between feeling compelled to READ the entire series and the need to BUY the entire series. I've only read the first three books in The Dresden Files, but all the rest are lined up ready to be read. I even pre-ordered #13.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lestatar

Cases in point:
- Anne Rice: Vampire Chronicles. She totally lost me after the 4th book. I gave book 5 a shot but really, I gave up on her. She kinda went a little over the edge [i.e. "nutty"] and the books lost their appeal to me.

Funny you should bring this one up. I have (in various paper formats) every single book in the Vampire Chronicles, all three Mayfair books, and the series crossover books. I've actually read most of them in the past over a period of many years, but about two years ago I realized that I didn't own about 6 of the books, so I tracked down the missing books online and at flea markets.

My plan was to reread the entire series. I got to VC #3, then moved back to Nashville. It took a long time to get around to unpacking my books, and by then I'd lost the ambition. Now I've got a Kindle and I don't want to read them in paper. So now it's a "probably one of these days" kind of goal.

But Rice's VC/MW books and The Dresden Files are probably the only lengthy series I've delved into that way. I don't really count trilogies that way, because they don't require as much of a commitment.

cfrizz · 06-11-2011, 01:51 PM

Oh man I'm having that problem right now with Anne Rice's Vampire series. 1-4 were great, Memnoch was a little difficult, and started sliding off the rails. Now I'm slogging my way through Armand, and I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. if the rest of the series is like Armand, they may never be read.

Another series that I've haven't finished is Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. It started out so good, and now she seems to have traded in a storyline for seeing just how many men she can have Anita sleep with.

One has issues with God & the other with sex, and I've got several books from each that may never get read!

lestatar · 06-11-2011, 01:59 PM

^ Pretty much sums up my own reaction to Anne Rice's VC. A bit sad to me as I am a huge vampire fan and absolutely love the first 3 parts of the trilogy [so much so, all you need to do is look at my nickname]...But alas, after Memnoch, I was done...

@CWatkinsNash: Indeed, I have the Mayfair books as well lying around someplace. I do regret a bit at having fallen out of love with Rice's later works - I did enjoy Mayfair 1 and 2 and also the Talamasca Group intrigue. Perhaps, like you, I will pick up the Rice stuff again sometime - Amazon and Kindle makes for a dangerous combination

View Poll Results: Can you stop buying a series?
Almost never, my OCD compels me to complete the series.	24	13.33%
I feel like I should keep going in case the series gets better again.	12	6.67%
It's sad to stop a series you loved, but an author only gets so many "freebies" before I give up on them.	92	51.11%
Absolutely, if the series becomes bad, I instantly stop buying.	52	28.89%
Voters: 180. You may not vote on this poll

06-11-2011, 11:03 AM	#2
lestatar LB's lolz Mutt Minion Posts: 2,902 Karma: 5700001 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Hong Kong now but NYC forever Device: Kindle3, GalaxyTab, BB Bold9700, BB 8300, Sony Clie, Palm Vx, Palm III	^ Not alone there - not really I am pretty much the same way for many/most things - a "Completist". However, I can definitely walk a from a series if it goes south on me. I am the same with music. Cases in point: - Anne Rice: Vampire Chronicles. She totally lost me after the 4th book. I gave book 5 a shot but really, I gave up on her. She kinda went a little over the edge [i.e. "nutty"] and the books lost their appeal to me. - Patricia Cornwell: Kay Scapetta series. Same thing, though I stuck around for the first 5-6 books. - Tom Clancy: While not strictly a series, I add Clancy here because of the Jack Ryan books. But Clancy has lost a great deal of appeal to me, especially after Ryan became president [and Clancy basically used his books from that point on as a bully pulpit to air his own political agenda]. I will still read Clancy [but ONLY Clancy, none of that "Created by Tom Clancy" nonsense], but he is no longer as compelling/a must have author to me as he once was. So yeah, the first book in a series is especially critical for me in this regard. Recently, it has been Lee Child's Jack Reacher books that have nailed me, hook, line and sinker. Last edited by lestatar; 06-11-2011 at 11:07 AM.

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06-11-2011, 10:58 AM	#1
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	Can you stop buying a series? So here's a question. Sometimes I really dread starting a new series, because if the first book is even a little bit good, I'll often feel the need to read to the end of the series, even if it gets rather less good halfway through. A good example of this would be the Xanth series by Piers Anthony -- if I may be rather simplistic, I thought the first 1-10 books were great, the next 11-20 books were rather so-so, books 21-30 spiraled down into serious "meh" if not outright annoyance and frustration, and despite the fact that I KNOW I've utterly lost interest in the series, I still picked up book #31 at Half Price about a year ago. I have no idea if I'll ever read the book, but my OCD "must have the complete series or not at all" gene kicked in and I bought the darn thing anyway. So... how unique am I in this regard?

06-11-2011, 11:10 AM	#3
phenomshel ZCD BombShel Posts: 4,793 Karma: 8293322 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Frozen North (aka Illinois, USA) Device: iPad, STB Kindle Oasis	This was actually not an issue for me before ebooks.... I lived in rural Texas, the nearest bookstore was a 45 minute drive. When my mom and I did get to go, we picked up what we could find and afford at the time. So only the "best of the best" of what we liked made the cut. Now, though - with ebooks a click away (and I have more discretionary income, too), I give series' second, third, and fourth chances, because my OCD kicks in, as you say. And also, I usually figure I should see if the "bad book" was just a fluke and the next one will be better. Also, I usually have a tendency to blame not liking a book on the mood I was in, instead of the book itself. So once an author/series is on my "list" they very seldom come off it. My FictFact.com stats are downright SCARY.

06-11-2011, 11:21 AM	#5
wyndslash Wizard Posts: 2,951 Karma: 3000001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3 wifi, Kindle Fire	series are evil

06-11-2011, 11:39 AM	#6
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	You're right. I get invested in a series if the opening books were either good or show promise. I'll give the author a few off-key books before binning the series.

06-11-2011, 11:56 AM	#7
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I used to drop a series like a hot potato when a book was subpar. I don't give authors a pass on whole "books" just because the next one "might" get better. Heck I rarely give a pass on half a book. I'm speaking of back when I gave in to the evilness of long-running, "one big story across multiple volumes" series'. I've since weaned myself off of them.

06-11-2011, 12:00 PM	#8
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	If I pick up the first book in a series and dislike it, I'll stop right there. But if I've read a few books in the series and enjoyed them, I feel compelled to keep buying them. I'm all about complete collections.

06-11-2011, 12:11 PM	#9
lestatar LB's lolz Mutt Minion Posts: 2,902 Karma: 5700001 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Hong Kong now but NYC forever Device: Kindle3, GalaxyTab, BB Bold9700, BB 8300, Sony Clie, Palm Vx, Palm III	@orlok: Not me...still love that big lug Davenport, though yeah, he has gotten a bit soft [and a tad domesticated] in recent books.

06-11-2011, 12:29 PM	#11
AlbertaCowboy Guru Posts: 819 Karma: 171672846 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: PRS-350, PRS-650, iPhone 6, NVIDIA Shield K1	I'll be completely OCD about a series that I enjoy, but I'll drop the author after two or three weak books. I used to love Clive Cussler wayyyy back in the beginning, when I read "Raise the Titanic" when I was about five or so. After twenty odd years, anything he wrote past "Atlantis Rising", is MEH. I haven't read a Dirk Pitt novel in years now. Jim Butcher, on the other hand has me hooked, lined and sunk. Hopefully "The Dresden Files" never get too Cusslified.

06-11-2011, 12:41 PM	#12
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Agree on Patricia Cornwell. The plot arc where she brought back a certain character who had departed was completely ridiculous. And then she switched to present tense 'literary' style... Also, I have given up on Jonathan Kellerman. Delaware has become a rich, soft middle-ager. The series has lost its edge. The last I bought was four books ago, then I got a few from the library. Got the most recent from the library, read the first little bit, then put it down and never picked it up again. As for Charlaine Harris, there is allegedly only going to be one more Sookie Stackhouse book, so I probably will finish the set. But I don't love where it's been going in the last two or three... Kudos to Nora Roberts though. The Eve Dallas series continues to be must-read, 30+ books in...

06-11-2011, 01:51 PM	#14
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 34583358 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	Oh man I'm having that problem right now with Anne Rice's Vampire series. 1-4 were great, Memnoch was a little difficult, and started sliding off the rails. Now I'm slogging my way through Armand, and I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. if the rest of the series is like Armand, they may never be read. Another series that I've haven't finished is Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. It started out so good, and now she seems to have traded in a storyline for seeing just how many men she can have Anita sleep with. One has issues with God & the other with sex, and I've got several books from each that may never get read!

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06-11-2011, 01:59 PM	#15
lestatar LB's lolz Mutt Minion Posts: 2,902 Karma: 5700001 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Hong Kong now but NYC forever Device: Kindle3, GalaxyTab, BB Bold9700, BB 8300, Sony Clie, Palm Vx, Palm III	^ Pretty much sums up my own reaction to Anne Rice's VC. A bit sad to me as I am a huge vampire fan and absolutely love the first 3 parts of the trilogy [so much so, all you need to do is look at my nickname]...But alas, after Memnoch, I was done... @CWatkinsNash: Indeed, I have the Mayfair books as well lying around someplace. I do regret a bit at having fallen out of love with Rice's later works - I did enjoy Mayfair 1 and 2 and also the Talamasca Group intrigue. Perhaps, like you, I will pick up the Rice stuff again sometime - Amazon and Kindle makes for a dangerous combination