Would you try episodic fiction if it had a clear end point?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I think that depends on the series.
Janet Evanovich can be read individually.
Game of Thrones can't.

I think some of that comes down to genre. And yes, Martin needs to quit talking about superheroes and get back to writing. (He was on Superheroes Decoded on the History Channel the other night.)

You might not be pleased if the writing he does is WILD CARDS.
Which is definitely episodic and open-ended.

[fjtorres]

I'm reading several open-ended series.
At least one I'm pretty sure will never end. (The 163x Grantville Saga.)
Doesn't bother me because each episode is a full chapter out of a much larger saga instead of an incomplete slice of a single story. It makes a difference. In the latter case I wait out the author before taking the plunge.

[ATDrake]

Sure, why not? I already read plenty of episodic fiction with no clear end point*. It might even be a nice change, for once.

Actually, it's not so bad if the episodes really are that: reasonably self-contained with a a start and end mini-arc inside which resolves at least one character or plot point and thus tells a complete story about that within the greater eventual whole.

The ones that are just strung-out snippet chapters which advance the plot piece-by-piece without resolving anything until the very end are kind of annoying (stupid sexy decompression), but would be acceptable if they had a clear start and endpoint and overall plan to their storytelling arc. I wouldn't pay much for those, mind you, and would probably wait for a collected edition anyway.

* North American superhero comics, as one might expect, but also those assorted novel series that the author abandoned ages ago (or just plain died in the middle of) on a cliffhanger and/or have been promising the next installment of Real Soon Now. For over a decade…

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

See, with me I want there to be some sort of conclusion rather than a writer just stringing the story along as long as he can make a buck.

As I said; I'll continue if I'm enjoying it. Makes no difference to me if the author has end-game in mind if I'm enjoying what I'm reading. But if a writer is just "stringing the story along" so he can make a buck, then chances are, I'll stop enjoying it at some point and probably abandon it.

The key is only continuing what I'm enjoying. I feel no pressure to stick with a series that goes sour, but as long as I'm enjoying the installments, I don't care in the least what the author's motivation is for keeping the story going.

[barryem]

About 2 or 3 years ago when Amazon started selling books in pieces I thought the idea sounded interesting so I tried one. The idea wa that there would be an episode monthly for a certain number of months. By the time I heard about it they were on the third month so when I jumped in I got 3 installments. It was a pretty good book and I finished the three installments pretty quickly and began waiting for the next.

By the time the next installment came I had forgotten enough detail that it was a bit difficult to read and follow but I managed it. Then a month later the next installment was available and I just didn't bother. I never did finish that book and I didn't get anymore serialized novels.

A lot of this discussion has been about series and I don't mind reading books with similar characters such as Ed McBain's 87th precinct. But when each book is done I'm done and I'll almost never read the next one for a few months so if I have to remember details from the last one I'm lost. Besides it just kind of ruins the fun of reading when I don't expect an ending.

I thought I'd like the serialized novels more. I guess I was wrong.

Barry

[crane3]

I would say that "it depends" on what is meant by "end point" & the interpretation of "end point".

I started the Lord of the Rings long ago by reading the 2nd volume. Is David Weber's Honor Harrington saga completed as open ended? Lois Bujold of Penric's Demon series still continuing? Is being "open ended" an end-point?

I also read some Light Novels which are a series but have not been "completed" because the newer volumes have not been translated; would the lack of translation into English considered a series of volumes without an end-point for each volume?

The worst case is more of what James patterson did on one of his "free" novels where the last chapter is omitted & it was stated that one needed to buy the book to read the last chapter; have never read anything by patterson since.

How does people feel about the David Eddings books where each novel should not be considered to have an "end point"? And at what point/novel should one consider a series ended when it may or may not be on-going?

I guess 1st Star Wars was presented as the end point & the subsequent films are just fill-ins of the background?

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I think that depends on the series.
Janet Evanovich can be read individually.
Game of Thrones can't.

I think some of that comes down to genre. And yes, Martin needs to quit talking about superheroes and get back to writing. (He was on Superheroes Decoded on the History Channel the other night.)

George R.R. Martin is not your bitch.

I'm not convinced that the SF & fantasy genres are truly worse than any other genre as far as writing stories with cliffhangers. Personally, I don't like them, and I try not to read them until the series is finished, even if I pick them up because they are on sale (which could mean I'll hate the early ones and skip the rest, like I did with SM Stirling's and Terry Goodkind's series). I don't buy Amazon serials

A lot of 19th century authors, like Dickens and Dumas wrote episodic fiction published in magazines. I've read that ships arriving from England would have people anxiously asking about the next instalment of their favorite authors' stories.

[cromag]

I'm not interested in "episodes." If the entire series is done and available I might consider it.

I'm also old enough to have read Analog, Galaxy, and other science fiction magazines when they serialized novels. I'd save the issues until the work was complete and then read it.

[meeera]

I'm another "It depends". I won't read chapter-by-chapter serialised prose fiction. Even when my very favourite authors have done this, I've waited till the full novel version was published.

I'll read comics trades, but not single issues. And I'll generally happily read novels in a series, be they parts of one story (like The Raven Cycle) or self-contained books (like the Becky Chambers or Incryptid books).

[pwalker8]

At first I thought you were talking about the chapter books that clog the SF&F catalog on Amazon.

It depends. I buy episode books from authors that I like, regardless. Some series are pretty much standalone, or at least each book comes to a somewhat satisfying conclusion. Weber and Butcher come to mind. In general, I won't buy the first of a series from an author that I don't know unless there are already several books out.

I will say that the never ending series a la The Wheel of Time where it's building to a finish, can get pretty annoying. On the other hand, series that are open ended such as Perry Mason are fine. I think that Weber's Honor Harrington series and Butcher's Harry Dresden series are at different points in the continuum. At first, HH was more like Dresden, i.e. an open ended series rather than driving to a conclusion. The more recent books seem to be driving to a conclusion and IMPO haven't been quite as good.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

The other day in the self promotions section an author mentioned a book that sounded promising to me. The problem was that it was "Episode 4 in the such-and-such-cycle." When I asked, the author did confirm that he had a definite end point for the book (6 would be the last).

I know a lot of people here avoid 'installment fiction' and I do myself. I'd prefer to just have the whole book published at once. But that's neither here nor there.

My question is, if the book otherwise sounded interesting, would you be more willing to try one of these books if there was a clearly announced end point? Say, "Episode 4 (of 6) in the such-and-such-cycle"?

No, not even if it were completely published. Generally, it's a more expensive way to buy a book/story, but mostly I find it irritating because there are "parts" that I have to keep organized or organize. I'm a fast reader when I find the time. I want to grab a book and read without thinking about it, without organizing it, without making sure I have the parts and in the right order. As an author, I can see the benefits and understand the allure. As a reader? Just can't.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

George R.R. Martin is not your bitch.

I'm not convinced that the SF & fantasy genres are truly worse than any other genre as far as writing stories with cliffhangers. Personally, I don't like them, and I try not to read them until the series is finished, even if I pick them up because they are on sale (which could mean I'll hate the early ones and skip the rest, like I did with SM Stirling's and Terry Goodkind's series). I don't buy Amazon serials

A lot of 19th century authors, like Dickens and Dumas wrote episodic fiction published in magazines. I've read that ships arriving from England would have people anxiously asking about the next instalment of their favorite authors' stories.

I agree--I don't think SF and fantasy is any worse than other genres. I've seen it done in many genres (sometimes in cozies it's done with the overarching romance interest rather than the mystery plot. The mystery plot is generally solved--but sometimes the villain escapes in a cliffhanger type ending with a mystery. The aforementioned Janet Evanovich uses the love interest in this manner--it has never been "solved" in 20 some books. ) In the fantasy ones where there's a cliffhanger, the mystery of the moment is usually solved, but some aspect results in a cliff hanger-not always or even usually the "main" storyline.

[JSWolf]

Episodic fiction is the same as a TV series. You don't know if the TV series will just end or will have an ending.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I agree--I don't think SF and fantasy is any worse than other genres. I've seen it done in many genres (sometimes in cozies it's done with the overarching romance interest rather than the mystery plot. The mystery plot is generally solved--but sometimes the villain escapes in a cliffhanger type ending with a mystery. The aforementioned Janet Evanovich uses the love interest in this manner--it has never been "solved" in 20 some books. ) In the fantasy ones where there's a cliffhanger, the mystery of the moment is usually solved, but some aspect results in a cliff hanger-not always or even usually the "main" storyline.

But the love interest is not the primary story.

[MartyTX]

Way back in 2000, before I even knew about eBooks, Stephen King wrote "Riding the Bullet". It was a novella that King planned to release in installments, and only online. If I remember correctly, it was going to cost around $2.50 for a "key" to unlock the book. There was quite a bit of confusion and furor when some readers couldn't get the book unlocked. After a while, Amazon/King released free copies.

I jumped on the free version and read it on my PC. Did NOT like waiting for installments! Decided to wait until all the "puzzle pieces" had been released and finished the book in one easy reading. Good short story; nothing really special except for the unique delivery method.

In a nutshell: I like books in a series. King's "Bill Hodges Trilogy" was very good, and each book was standalone. However, I no longer have the memory for episodic fiction. Watching "Seinfeld" reruns is "episodic" enough for me!