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I found out that the series I just started has 8 books and I ditched out. (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 month ago by wowwoweowza@lemmy.world to c/books@lemmy.world

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Proud moment for me:

I made it through the second of 8 absolutely delightful, engaging, and extremely PLEASURABLE novels in a series about a topic I love.

But the first book ended POORLY... because they knew that fans like me would be the second. It’s like it LITERALLY had zero ending. Meaning there was this absurd violation of novelistic structure.

And the second cemented my creeping suspicion that this all... all all all... was trifling crap. It’s like porn for people who like fast talking smart alecks, snide, sarcastic, and battle after battle after battle.

One amazingly engaging battle after another. So enjoyable. Exactly what I love.

Except that there's zero heart, soul, message... oh... it takes a head nod in the direction of what is noble and how should people behave...

But at the end of the day...

Lovely useless battles of stupid.

So... I did not buy the third.

I'm done.

Victory.

I’m not going to mention the name of the series because I don’t want to get into it with fans who are fine reading the same book 8 times: Hero and partner in exotic setting fight stuff until they live or die.

That’s the book.

Sirens of Titan made me weep for three hours. This is what I expect a novel to do. Moby Dick changed the way I examine culture and society. Emma taught me to be expect the unexpected. Valuable books do valuable work. Entertaining books entertain. I get it. I consider the elevation of my human experience more valuable than being entertained for five hours. Thoughts?

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

But the first book ended POORLY

I can think of a few series that had books where I really enjoyed the first books, but felt that the series went downhill over time. The Dune Chronicles

I really liked the first book, but the later books just got progressively worse, in my opinion. Or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

But I can't think of any series where I had a bad first book and then the thing progressively got better.

Granted, that may be selection bias

maybe I just never complete a series if the first book is bad.

[–] JaymesRS@piefed.world 2 points 1 month ago

It’s widely regarded that the first 2.5-3 books in The Dresden Files are the weakest writing. Not bad, but immature writing skill.

The series gets very good and deeply engaging after that, but that’s a close comparison to what you mentioned.

[–] wowwoweowza@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I’m trying to be considerate in not naming the series and thus insulting the fandom, but I said the first book ended poorly… I didn’t say it was bad. For what it was… it was exciting in places and enjoyable, but by the measure of novel structure: F grade