Fantasy Series - Stick with 'em?

[sir archely]

Okay, so, lost's response to reading the Wheel of Time but dropping it after a certain book prompted this.

If you find yourself reading a fantasy series and realize you are completely bored, and not entertained at all, do you stop? In the middle i mean? Middle of a book, at the end of a book, whatever?

This is almost incomprehensible to me. If i've started a series then i must finish it. Regardless of how bad the series actually is, i'll still make the effort to go through it all. It just doesn't seem right to me to drop it midway through. It seems even worse to drop a book midway through, instead of finishing out the book. Even if it takes me a while to get back to it, depending on whether or not i can find/buy a book to finish up a series, i'll still mark down that i have that to finish, and go back to it.

I suppose this can be opened up to other things as well, i'm like this about any books and series, but i'm primarily interested in what you people think about this as it relates to fantasy series, as fantasy seems to be a world in which series are the norm. Of course, that's probably the makings of an entirely different thread. ;)

[wiggin]

Heh. I'd say stick with it, if you're a good chunk of the way into it. I've started plenty of fantasy series and dropped them after the first book (Goodkind features prominently in my mind), as it isn't much of an investment on my part. But if I've read anywhere from 3-12 books already, I sure as hell want to see the conclusion.

Jus' my ten agurot....

Ender

[Jennifer]

I've never stopped reading a book just because I didn't like it with one exception. That was book one of the Darksword Trilogy. I don't know why, but I just was NOT interested and didn't want to waste my time.

I'll keep reading WoT because I really enjoyed the first several books, and even though I heard the last one was disappointing, I want to see how all of the characters end up. Hopefully RJ will redeem himself in the end.

[Curtis]

I'll keep reading WoT because I really enjoyed the first several books, and even though I heard the last one was disappointing, I want to see how all of the characters end up. Hopefully RJ will redeem himself in the end.

I keep saying I'll probably finish it, and I've got the latest book, but to be honest, I couldn't get through the prologue when I tried to read it. Granted, I was more concerned with reading the new Harry Potter book at the time... (-:

[lost]

well WoT for one ;)
I got about 5 or 6 chapters into Stone of Tears and thought "why am I still reading this?" and so I stopped. :p I also read the first 2 books of a series called the sun sword or shining court or something like that (Michelle West, I think), and they were kind of interesting, but only from the descriptions etc. there wasn't much action, so I got bored.

[JEDIWAN]

O.K. I was REEEEAAAALY about to start/continue my WoT stuff after Finishing off Return of the King...buuuut I kinda, sorta picked up The Silmarillion and made the mistake of reading the preface...sigh (that's the breathy sigh, not the "pay attention to me" sigh)...
O.K. O.K. I'll do the two books at onec thing! sheesh...

[Malcor Sylverwood]

buuuut I kinda, sorta picked up The Silmarillion
Now thats one book no matter how much I want to or how many time I try...I can't read it...at all.

That is all.

-Malcor "Cowed" Sylverwood

[wiggin]

Oh, you just need to take it in digestible chunks. And keep careful track of who is who. *Just finished the Silmarillion for the first time*

Y'know, now that I come back to this, I see that I HAVE stopped some series (not all fantasy, granted). Jan Siegal's stuff I gave up on after the first, I dumped SoT after WFR, Feist's stuff after the fourth or fifth book, and Brook's Shanarra stuff after the first. In most cases, I read one book then decide the author sucks, and ignore the rest.

In the case of Feist, his stuff was derivative but fun, but as more books rolled around, it became clear that he ended the series multiple times, yet decided to come up with a new plot just to sell more books. I hate ploys like that, dammit!

Ender

[prophetic_joe]

I like to finish what I start, you never know what's going to happen next and that goes for anything books, movies, relationships, life in general I'd hate to cut anything off and then miss out on something really interesting.

I did quit reading a fantasy book once though I don't even remember the name now just that one of the main characters was a guy named Lysaer.

[QuirkyTemplate]

Chronicles of Amber and the Sword of truth series were the only ones where I was just like ... what? aahh! And literally tossed the book into the corner of the room and fled! I'm not joking!

The deal with Chronicles of Amber probably had to do with the cover art, and from then on I kept on thinking that the main character was some dude with really tight pants, no shirt, and a dinky little curved sword that looked more like a knife. I guess that was cool in the 80s ... Well, that and the writing annoyed me (I hate first person .. .ugh, with a passion)

Sword of Truth ... well, I quit that for obvious reasons.

The only reason I'm still going to read the Wheel of Time is because I've already read about 27 books (11? 12? which one are we on now?) and am not about to up and quit! It's the principle of it! >shakes fist<

[Malcor Sylverwood]

heh...~likes SOT~ ~shrugs~

To each their own :p

-Malcor "Zedd" Sylverwood

[Curtis]

Oh, you just need to take it in digestible chunks. And keep careful track of who is who. *Just finished the Silmarillion for the first time*

Yah. It took me three goes to finally read through it cover-to-cover. I'd probably read most of it in bits and pieces, but that is one densely packed book. If I read it again, I think I shall have to take notes.

*has dozens of pages of notes from second read of WOT*

[dark fuschia]

I used to have to finish any book I started, no mater how bad, the idea of tossing one away was incomprehensible, then when I was in my early twenties I was reading something dreadful (can't remember what it was) and I just thought: I don't have to be here, I don't have to be reading this! And so I just put it down and it was sooo empowering! :D And now I am almost the opposite of what I used to be, I will toss a book aside for the merest hint of dissasisfaction, it's almost like the book has to prove itself to me for me to finish it.

[wiggin]

Yah. It took me three goes to finally read through it cover-to-cover. I'd probably read most of it in bits and pieces, but that is one densely packed book. If I read it again, I think I shall have to take notes.

*has dozens of pages of notes from second read of WOT*
Oh, you took notes, too? I didn't do it to keep track of things, but to pick out tiny points of interest for making theories.... it's helped me immeasurably. 'Course, that must have been on my fifth or sixth reread...

Ender

[~KA3AK~]

I used to have to finish any book I started, no mater how bad, the idea of tossing one away was incomprehensible
I'm with you on this. The only book in my entire life that I haven't been able to push myself to finish is the forth SoT book, I can't remember the title. Howevre, since then I still finish all the books I start.

[Telianin]

I will discard a book that doesn't interest me after the first 150 pages unless someone has reaaaally wanted me to try and read it. If it's in the middle of a series however, I will try and force myself to finish, thinking the next one will be better. But to be honest, it took me about a year to read Winters Heart and I haven't even bought the new one. I've sorta given up.

I have also chucked away Feist, The DeadHouse Gates, the whatnot of the whatnot about some river goddess, Shannanara and Dragonlance.

If I read a REALLY good book by an author, I might force myself to finish one of his/her other books that aren't quite so good, just because...well, I feel I owe them a break.

[Apoc]

Ummm, the only series I gave up on was SoT! I got about half way through book two but dropped it. I do believe however that when I'm bored and there are no books at hand I will pick it up again, but damn is it a tedious series and predictable.

WoT however I have enjoyed and will continue reading till the bitter end, I had the advantage of reading up too book eight with out any waiting between, so I guess it has to be read as a whole and not in parts. The return of Moraine or the coming of Tarmon Gaidon will kick this series back into everyones hearts.

Simarillion is a wonderful collection of amazing stories, I found that going chapter by chapter with a wee respite between made it easier- Beren and Luthien and Turin Turumbar ( :confused: ) are great little stories in the history of middle earth that have tremendous weight behind them.

So no I don't believe its a good idea to drop a book or series when only halfway through and promise never to read it again. I think a respite may be in order but I would not write it off completely. :)

[cobaltknight]

My opinion is, yes. If a book does not keep you interested, you owe it to yourself to staunch the flow of intellectual bleeding. I have started and thrown away numerous David Eddings and Robert Jordan books. I didn't want to, I just knew that I was saving myself the agony of plodding through 50 page descriptions of nothing and characters that have 5 different names that are all used interchangeably in random succession with no warning.

To those of you who have never started or finished at least the first trilogy of Shannara, don't tell me you know anything about 'modern' fantasy. Terry Brooks changed the face of popular fantasy back before I was born, and those who came after owe him their livelihood. I must say, his latest Shannara trilogy "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" was actually better than the middle books in the series. He successfully renewed my interest. I will never put down a Terry Brooks novel. Additionally, in the past couple years I've grown to really like R.A. Salvatore. I haven't read any of his Icewind Dale or Forgotten Realms stuff, but I loved the Crimson Shadow and Demon War books.

In closing, if you can't read Tolkien, consider reading non-fiction or perhaps a colorful childrens book.

[magatsu17]

I'm can very easily stop mid-book,mid-chapter, even mid-sentence if i find it boring. For me to keep reading book have to have charcters that catch my interest and I want to find out what happens to them. If I don't like the main character of any series then I can't read it. Which is why I can't read the LoTR series, and I've tried many times. but I didn't really care what happened to those Hobbits so I couldn't finish reading the books. Thank God for the movies.

[Apoc]

Ummm, the only series I gave up on was SoT! I got about half way through book two but dropped it. I do believe however that when I'm bored and there are no books at hand I will pick it up again, but damn is it a tedious series and predictable.

Woah....I forgot I posted that...anyway...I got up to Pillars of Creation...which I will buy soon....its a good series...yeah it seems crap at first but it is actually really enjoyable...

rereading through everything everyones said in this thread, I have a few things I'd like to say...Silmarillion has lots of history notes that mean very little but between them are short tales that are just brilliant...Of Beren and Luthien and Turin Turumbarar and a few others..quality.

The WoT series should not be dropped, for the only book I found a dissapointment was Crossroads of Twilight...and it was only a dissapointment as it seemed like just a begginning that had been dragged out somewhat...its still good, its just that it follows what everyone else was doing while Rand was cleansing Saidin and nothing more...I think it will be good with the next book, but until then...I wait.

Magatsu!!!!! Granted Fellowship of The Ring was kinda slow...the holy series should be read though...Return of the King and Two Towers are still my two favourite books, you MUST read them, for the movies miss out sooo much.....The army of the dead do not fight on the pellannor!!!! And when I say Dunedain, does that mean anything to you?

I have never dropped a series yet, I've stopped for a while yes, but so far have always gone back to it...I just need to buy sooo many books at the moment to continue them arghhh

[magatsu17]

Magatsu!!!!! Granted Fellowship of The Ring was kinda slow...the holy series should be read though...Return of the King and Two Towers are still my two favourite books, you MUST read them, for the movies miss out sooo much.....The army of the dead do not fight on the pellannor!!!! And when I say Dunedain, does that mean anything to you?

Uhh I know the book Dune I've read that, but that's probly not what u mean. Your right I need to read it, but I've tried many times to read the series. I was actually about half way through the Fellowship of the Ring when the first movie came out. And it was a real struggle to get that far. But I'll try again since I have nothing else to read right now.