Book, Line, Sinker (D1)

The Problems with a Book Series

For those of us who are avid readers, there's always been one point in our lives when we've become frustrated with a series of books. I know I'm not alone when I say that there has been some times after reading the first, second, or eighth book in a series where I've wanted to set the book on fire before dumping the ashes in an acid incinerator and launching the wastes to the moon. In other words, the book series has problems. So what are they? I've tried to sum it up in five points.

1. The waiting for the next book in the series.
2. Idiotic turns of events from one book to another, or the plot line of a story becomes repetitive.
3. Problems with the order of a book series
4. The author has no clue when to stop the series and so it just stretches on and on when it could've ended at book three.
5. The worst: You love the series too much when it ends.

1)   Ok, so the book wasn't terrible. In fact it was good enough, or so fantastic, that you are driven to immediately read the next book in the series. The problem? It doesn't come out for another two years, or six months, or (in extreme cases) three days. There's nothing wrong or abnormal with waiting a couple of days or a couple months for the next book in a series.. But in today's day and age, how many of us actually have time to wait until the end of the year, or for two years, or for three years for the next book to come out? In that time, readers might forget that drive they felt for the book in the first place. They might forget about the title, or the author, or that they even read the book in the first place. Not to rush the authors, and sometimes the wait is worth it, but that's when an unfinished book series could become a regret.  

2)   It starts out with a great book, that leads to another similarly great book, that leads to another freakishly great book that is just like the first two. We've all read one of these series. And it's after we notice the repetitive book plot that the whole series goes down the toilet. Who wants to read something that just repeats what's already been done? I mean, I've heard that there's nothing new under the sun, but come on! If you're going to write, be original about it. Make a connection between the books in the series so that if one thing changes, it makes sense. Likewise, I don't want to read a book series where one thing happens in this book, and in the next book it's like it never happened at all.

3)   Yeah, this one is kind of simple, and it's more of our problem than anyone elses. Unless it's clear cut on the spine or the cover that this book comes after this book, and that book is first, I'm going to be confused. It has to be obvious because in the rush to read, who pays attention to the order the books come in until it really matters? When it's clear cut, it's simple, and it's quick. Unless it's not. That's when people (like me) make mistakes and grab the wrong book and waste time.

4)   Instead of writing out about this one, let me give you some examples; The House of Night series, the Ranger's Apprentice series, and the Blue Bloods series. Each of these book series are original in their ideas, but they should've ended much sooner than they have. Or they should've ended sooner but these series might still be stretching on right now-I don't know because I stopped reading the series and wasting my money when it got boring and just stupid. Now, there's nothing wrong with writing an extremely long series so long as you keep the ideas flowing, originality fresh, and you don't stretch it on for the sake of keeping the series alive. Compare those books listed above to the Harry Potter series, to The Chronicles of Narnia, or even A Series of Unfortunate Events. Those series are pretty long, but the authors knew when to stop and still keep the book series interesting. Can you see what I'm trying to say here?

5)   And last but not least, you love the series so much and yet it still ends. It's a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, the series is finally over and that was a great ending. On the other hand, the series is over and that was the ending. Once again, this is more the reader's problem than anyone elses. And maybe this isn't a problem so much as it is just bittersweet ending. Unless you've obsessed about the book series since book one, have changed your name to the main character's, write your own sultry fanfiction about the series, and fantasize your life as if you lived in that world. Then, something is extremely wrong and maybe you should get some help. Especially if the series you've been obsessing about just ended or is becoming a movie or television series. Seriously, go and get some help before you hurt someone. :)

That said, these have been my five problems when dealing with a book series. Leave a comment if you can relate, or have your own five problems about book series. Thanks for reading!