This is the companion thread to "Ever put down a book because you were afraid of what would happen?" Let's see the other side of things
Have you ever kept reading a book, or maybe even a series, despite knowing what (probably) was going to happen, despite knowing that you wouldn't like it?
In my case, I can mention two of the series that got me started in fantasy, and which I'm still reading to this day: Shannara, by Terry Brooks, and Drizzt, by R.A. Salvatore.
As one reviewer on Amazon, on one of the later Shannara books said: "I don't want to see a blasted Ohmsford ever again!" He is right. The series spans hundreds of years (at least over 1,000) at this point, and since the very first book, it's always the same. The world needs to be saved, and it can only be done by an Ohmsford. The Ohmsford is always supported by a Leah sidekick, some Elessedil royal family member plays an important role, and there's a Druid involved to get the quest started. After 25-ish books or so, this gets very tiring.
Even more tiring is the fact that one of the Elessedil queens (Wren Elessedil) actually also is part of the Ohmsford family. The same is true for Walker Boh. His successor, Grianne, even is a full-blooded Ohmsford. So in the end, the Ohmsford family sits on the throne of the Elves, is head of the Druid Order, and is saving the world left and right... for a thousand years or more. (OK, there are gaps of a few hundred years when nothing needs saving, but you get the drift.)
Blergh. My dying wish would be to shoot a few Ohmsfords before I go myself.
Maybe my patience is rewarded: it seems that the latest series, Defenders of Shannara, puts one of the Leahs in charge as the protagonist. It *seems*, from the description. I wouldn't be surprised if that Leah meets an Ohmsford, somewhere around page 30 or so, and this Ohmsford becomes the real protagonist... and then I will scream, will be filled with hatred towards the name Ohmsford all over again, possibly come very close to smashing my Kindle, but I will probably still read and finish the book and the series.
Why? Don't know. Maybe it's my completionist/ocd attitude.
With Salvatore's Drizzt, it's a bit similar, but instead of new generations of the characters, it's always the same characters. Drizzt is a drow, so he has a lifespan of about 700 years. His companions also have lifespans of about 200 and 250 years (halfling, dwarf). Only the two humans have an 80-ish year lifespan.
So, in these books, The Companions go adventuring. Very nice; and each adventure makes them more powerful, with new skills, new feats, and new weapons. (It's AD&D-based, so no surprise there.) At some point however, they gain so much power that they would overpower like >= 98% of characters in the world. Therefore it is very hard to believe that they can fail at anything apart from going up against one of those 2% of god-like characters or the gods themselves.
And then, finally, someone dies.
Until one or two books later, he/she reappears again, dead no longer. Revived, rescued, back-from-lost, whatever.
At some point...
Despite that, I keep reading the series. I just *can't* stop. Maybe it's caused not by me being a completionist or having OCD, but by my upbringing. My parents always told me: "If you start this, you are going to finish it."
I finished everything I ever started, except for one thing; and regarding that, I was forced to quit because of regulations, and not because I quit myself.
So I'll probably keep reading these series until the authors either die, or just stop writing them. (If a different author would pick up those series, I'd possibly not read any farther, except maybe finishing a trilogy that didn't get finished writing or something.)
Anyone else still reading stuff, despite knowing better?