MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Do you start on a trilogy knowing the last book is not out!

DiapDealer · 11-14-2010, 10:14 AM

I used to gobble up the various books of a series as they were published, but I don't anymore. Partly because I absolutely HATE cliffhangers -- it's the most overused marketing technique that requires the least amount of literary talent to employ -- and partly because I no longer enjoy long, sprawling, never ending series in the speculative genre. "THE SERIES" has become a crutch for readers, authors and publishers alike. I like a Beginning, a Middle, and an End to take place between two "covers"... then I like to move on to something new. Unfortunately, most readers and authors in my favorite genre don't share my views.

Stand-alone seems to be a curse word in the SciFi/Fantasy genre anymore. Thank god for the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, Tim Powers, Michael Stackpole, Dan Simmons (later works), Charles de Lint and the like!

11-14-2010, 10:14 AM	#14
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,547 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I used to gobble up the various books of a series as they were published, but I don't anymore. Partly because I absolutely HATE cliffhangers -- it's the most overused marketing technique that requires the least amount of literary talent to employ -- and partly because I no longer enjoy long, sprawling, never ending series in the speculative genre. "THE SERIES" has become a crutch for readers, authors and publishers alike. I like a Beginning, a Middle, and an End to take place between two "covers"... then I like to move on to something new. Unfortunately, most readers and authors in my favorite genre don't share my views. Stand-alone seems to be a curse word in the SciFi/Fantasy genre anymore. Thank god for the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, Tim Powers, Michael Stackpole, Dan Simmons (later works), Charles de Lint and the like!