The Last Werewolf (POV shift)
When I get used to a protagonist, I don’t want to start all over with another one.
Moira Moore Heroes (gah) (#2 did finish this series, however, she skipped the poorly rated second to last book and there’s another book in the series she could have done without… really the first, second, and last books are all that are needed. It would have made a decent trilogy!). #1 read the first and second, and then on the third one I started going enh…
Spirit Lens (POV shift)
I loved this book! I don’t want to read another character!
The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack (only half the book was good)
Vish Puri mysteries… the first one was interesting, but I don’t think I need more than one.
#2 is not sure if she’s ever going to finish the Kim Harrison series. She wishes the author would give the main character a break, maybe even between books. Some time off to heal or something.
The Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher. I just don’t care enough. (#1 agrees. There are some parts I really like, but I don’t have the stamina for the whole thing.)
#1 is still happily going on the darkborn/lightborn/shadowborn series.
Really amazing world-building.
Also about a million other series I am still working on! I can’t list them all; it’s easier to list the ones I quit on. According to my LibraryThing tag “awaiting sequel”, I am awaiting approximately 45 sequels. Doh!
Are there any series you’ve decided not to push through? How about awesome series that you can’t not finish?
August 15, 2012 at 9:23 am
As a new writer, this is interesting. Most POV shifts turn me off–even within a book if they aren’t done well. Don’t rehash the same scene from the other person’s POV, I don’t need to read the same conversation over again.
Overall I’ve not read many series in the last few years (except the YA Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, which I didn’t expect to like and then had to finish!) But I’ll not finish books if they move too slow for my liking (The Historiann. Good idea, just freaking get there already!) or if the characters don’t feel real to me anymore–not even fitting in their own world. I may not finish the Reckless series, even though I normally like YA author Corneila Funke. I haven’t finished the Eragon books because I was annoyed that he moved from a triology to something longer. And I haven’t read the last Twilight book because I don’t WANT to read from Jacob’s point of view. I can’t stand him. (Judge all you want, Twilight is one of my no-brainer books when I need to just relax enough to fall asleep. Chick lit serves the same purpose.)
I will be looking into the Lightborn/Darkborn/Shadowborn now, sounds interesting!
August 15, 2012 at 9:32 am
#2 doesn’t mind POV shifts.
August 15, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Oooh that born series looks good. I have not yet come across a series I haven’t finished, I don’t think because even if it’s crap, I have to know what happened. That’s what happened to Twilight.
August 15, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Sometimes #2 reads the wikipedia page for the series for that reason (see: Harry Dresden). Much faster than actually reading the books!
August 15, 2012 at 4:18 pm
So smart!
August 15, 2012 at 4:23 pm
SMRT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcGQpjCztgA
August 16, 2012 at 9:53 am
LOL! Yes!
August 16, 2012 at 9:28 am
I do that with movies I don’t want to finish.
August 15, 2012 at 5:08 pm
I coudn’t even really start Lord of the Ring or Wheel of Time (way too much going on or very boring). The last Harry Potter wasn’t really worth it either. Last Twilight book definitely wasn’t worth it. Not sure I’ll ever finish Inheritance (Eragon).
As far as the Dresden books, you might want to try the next one (Cold Days I think) in the series. Major changes have happened in the last two, and the series might be going somewhere finally. Or not, since Butcher has stated the series will probably be 24-26 books long.
It seems that for most series, once it gets past book 3 or 4 things start to slide. (Obviously exceptions to this)
August 15, 2012 at 5:14 pm
the last few harry potters would have been improved by editing
wheel of time series definitely dull– they tell you every time a character goes to the bathroom
I liked The Hobbit…couldn’t even sit through the LOTR movie… just die already, this isn’t an opera, you don’t need to sing an aria!
August 15, 2012 at 8:31 pm
The Eragon books are emphatically Not Worth It. The Dresden books do improve over time, but I got to the point where his writing was good, and still they make me tired.
August 17, 2012 at 9:52 pm
I watched the TV show first and couldn’t really get into the books.
August 15, 2012 at 7:14 pm
If you like novel series, I highly suggest Upton Sinclair’s 11-novel “World’s End” series. Really awesome character development and dramatic plot revolving around the Nazi takeover of Germany, WWII, and the immediate aftermath. And the protagonist hero is named Lanny Budd!
August 15, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Did you hear, there’s this book called “Alive”…
*grin*
August 16, 2012 at 10:53 am
If only they expanded thatte f*cker into a series!!!!!
August 16, 2012 at 9:19 am
I cannot continue with Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series…started good but then the writing deteriorated, the characters acted more anachronistically, and the plot dove into boring territory.
The Kim Harrison books just got boring.
I still like the Harry Dresden series. I’m on book 10 or so and I don’t think the books are getting better at this point, but they’re not getting worse and that’s good enough for me.
August 16, 2012 at 11:18 am
Yeah, I petered out on the Temeraire series too. For me I think I had just gotten everything I was going to get out of it, and then I was done.
August 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
I love series, but mostly “straight” mysteries and those tend to be pretty cut-to-the-chase.
Used to read a ton of fantasy/SF. Anne McCaffrey, Harry Harrison, Star Trek, “Tarzan,” Piers Anthony, Jack Chalker. Would not be at all surprised to find myself getting back to those in future years. “Tarzan” is already on my Kindle. :-)
One series I loved at the beginning but had to bail out on was LKH’s “Anita Blake” series. Got too boringly porny.
August 16, 2012 at 11:19 am
It’s pretty amazing how porn got boring, but I agree with you! It was repetitive and didn’t go anywhere. Remember in the first book how she used to be a detective? Hahahaha.