Comments on: Series, Series … Who has a Series?

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:16:54 +0000

Hey, Spy, I’m with you. Its hard to let a character go when you’ve been in their head for the past three or four books. I just finished Patricia Briggs’ third book and am itching to pick up that fourth one (the hardcover) but am refraining. Trying to be brave here …

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:15:36 +0000

A three book series does tend to be manageable, Michelle, but I do enjoy revisiting characters. There’s a series I’d read … who was the author … dang. Oh, Michele Bardsley. She writes in the first person, yet each book was written in a different person’s POV. So she was writing first person on the different characters in her story.

I found this interesting because Michele (for the most part) managed to keep each character’s voice distinctive. Not an easy thing to do.

By: spyscribbler

spyscribbler — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:09:44 +0000

Oh, Liz, I LOVE series. Nothing better, for me. If I fall in love with characters, I want them to go on FOREVER. It’s why I’m suddenly loving mysteries: romances tend to focus on different characters each time.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:17:51 +0000

I am an avid mystery and fantasy fan, and my series started young with the Wishing Tree by Enid Blyton. But by the time I was reading her, I think she was either retired or had died, so the whole series was there, ready and waiting. I read her Famous Five series, her Secret Seven series, I read Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins. The Lone Pine mysteries were another early favourite. Same goes for The Hobbit and LOTRs. I was an early series fan .

But I have found nowdays I prefer a 3 book triology, and that’s it. Nora Roberts has that concept well-honed. PD James, Elizabeth George and Anne Perry all lost me for a good year or two, because I just couldn’t read any more in the series, but I recently picked up the latest Elizabeth George, and I have to say I devoured it in about two days. Very interesting change in her writing style, as well, from when I last read her, which was refreshing.

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:02:10 +0000

I don’t know if I can recall any author who’s wrapped up a series … although I suspect that Laurell K. Hamilton might have wrapped up the Merry Gentry series. At least that’s what it sounded like to me when I read the last book. I’d be interested in knowing if she did wrap it up.

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:00:34 +0000

Too funny, Kath. I remember reading John Jakes ages ago. Yeah, I’d say that was a series. He certainly used a lot of the same characters throughout … if I remember correctly.

Didn’t know “Dexter” was part of a series. Interesting. Never managed to get into that show, though.

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:47:07 +0000

Excellent point, D.A. Instead of dumping all the information regarding a character in one book, you can draw it out. One example of an excellent character development is Carrie Vaughn’s “Kitty” series. Kitty starts out as such a submissive character in the first book that I really didn’t like her much. But you can see her growing with each subsequent book.

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:45:27 +0000

Good question, Mary Jo. I think as long as the author sticks with the core of the story … or the world he/she built, its considered part of the same series. Keri Arthur has a werewolf/vampire series going (into the fifth or sixth book, I believe) and just started a new series based on dragons. I’m intrigued.

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:43:33 +0000

That was the problem I had with Robert Jordan’s series. He took FOREVER to get the next book out that I literally had to re-read the previous books to recall what was happening. This got a bit difficult by the time he got to the 8th or 9th book. Could no longer spend the time refreshing my memory. And now he’s passed away. I understand his widow has hired/allowed another author to complete the series. I hope so. I’ve invested (literally) years in this series and will be royally pissed if it fades away.

By: Liz Kreger

Liz Kreger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:41:06 +0000

I’ve noticed that, too, Edie. There was one series that I really fell in love with … um, St. Crow’s series and after the third (or was it fourth) book, I totally lost interest. Just couldn’t bring myself to continue. I still have the last two books but will I get to them? Don’t know.