Ramblings: Bookish Pet Peeves Post #1 Unfinished Or Abandoned Series.

Bookish Pet Peeves #1 Unfinished or Abandoned Series

We all have pet peeves.  I have decided to keep track of my bookish ones here on The Last Page Turned. The number refers to the chronological order of the posts, not the degree of my peevedness...is that a word? If not, I just made it up and it is now 😉

Unfinished And Abandoned Series - The Itch You Can't Scratch

One of my pet peeves is starting to read a series of books, only to be let down when the conclusion is never written. 

I came across an audiobook that looked interesting - part of an older series. So I decide to give it a go...If I like it, I can follow through with the rest of the series. I listen, and I like it.

YAY! Right?

Not so fast there bucko!!...

While composing my review, I started to look into the other books in the series so I could mention them by name in the review I was working on. To my horror, I found a list of unhappy GoodReads members who had enjoyed the first two books, who had then been waiting patiently, then impatiently, and finally abandoning the series and all hope of conclusion - some even declaring they were unwilling to follow the author anymore for fear of being left hanging again. It has been 5 years since the second book was published, and there is still nary an announcement, an ARC, a cover reveal - Nothing to indicate that a conclusion is actually on its way. I wish I had realized that before I got into the story - I never would have bothered. Lesson learned - when choosing an older series to start, make sure the series is complete, or at least active.

With no hope of a satisfying ending, I have chosen to abandon the series after the first book. Reading the second will only add fuel to a fire that has no hope of being extinguished. How sad. Besides, I really don't feel like supporting the author in general, or the "series" in particular at this point. 

So this led me to thinking about series books, and more specifically unfinished series.  There is something to be said about a good stand alone because one can expect a satisfying ending most of the time. But like many avid readers, I do enjoy a good series sometimes, and some stories just need more time to tell. But when the author leaves you dangling off an emotional cliff, by your fingernails, do they owe it to you the reader to provide a prompt instalment or conclusion? 

I put out a few polls on twitter about the subject - more on that later. I do however have my own opinion and it only seems fair that I share that opinion.  I have some seriously conflicted feelings on the issue, but for me the short answer is...

No. 

The author does not "owe" me anything. Like many things in life though, the short answer doesn't really tell the whole story; does it? 

Unless the book was pirated or stolen, the obligations of both side have been met. The author wrote a book, and received payment for that copy of that book.  If there is a contract with the publisher, that is between the author and the publisher, not me.

But I like to support authors who entertain me, and make me feel like I matter as a reader. The author may not owe me another book, but providing a conclusion in a reasonably timely manner really would be the nice and polite thing to do. An author who abandons a series on a cliffhanger disappoints readers; and never once admitting that series has been abandoned, while within the author's rights, is adding insult to literary injury. To an avid reader, an unfinished story is like an itch you can't scratch. While it is true that the author does not owe it to me to write the next book in a timely fashion, I do not owe it to the writer to read their next book either. A series that is left for too long, becomes a dead series in my opinion.

My personal M.O. is that an author who leaves me hanging without darn good reason will only do so once.  I will not read nor recommend any of their other books. In the case of the book that sparked this post, I found out while writing my review of the first book in a "series" that the author's last instalment was 5 years ago, so it even affected my star rating, because to me, if there was any real desire to publish a conclusion/instalment, 5 years should be enough time to at least have an official announcement. There was no conclusion to the story, and no real indication there ever will be.

How long is too long between series books? 

In a perfect world, series books would be released soon enough after the last one, that the reader retains enough memory of the characters and events to re-submerse themselves into the story with little or no feelings of being lost. That is not always possible. Writers have lives beyond their computers. They have partners, kids, parents, and friends who are as important to them as ours are to us. They have hobbies, they get ill, they need to shop and eat and do all the things we do outside of our jobs. Life is not any more simple for them than it is for us as readers. There are a myriad of reasons why an instalment in a series could be delayed.

One of the best known unfinished series - G. R. R. Martin's Game Of Thrones was way-sided largely (but not completely) due to his work on the the television adaptation. In theory, the next instalment was available by a different media format (T.V.).  Not sure how I feel about that to be honest. I think guess I am inclined to give that a "soft" pass.  There has been much said about the forthcoming Winds Of Winter, but at this point I will believe it when I see it, and not sure how much I will still care if/when I do. I loved the books, I enjoyed the show (even if the last season seemed a little rushed and was plagued with continuity errors - *cough*Starbucks*cough*. A reader's memory can only last so long, and at least I was able to see a conclusion to the story albeit on television.

Let us not forget also, that Writing is an art. Good art does take time - sometimes less, and sometimes more. But certainly, once the first books are written, the characters are already developed, and the story is well into its story arc, within a few years the author can at least point to a rough date for completion, you know - "early next year", or "late 2020".  

There is a juxtaposition with this topic. I hate reading comments from readers acting like spoiled, entitled children all but demanding authors work on the project they want instead of what the author is feeling inspired to work on; But I would never want an unfinished painting on my wall, or listen to a music that ends on an abrupt note and unfinished lyrics,  or watch a play/movie that that ends right at the climax - and I don't want to read a story that never sees a conclusion.

Writer Sarah Kozloff responded to my Tweet, telling me that she often loses interest if she has to wait too long, and chose to complete writing her upcoming series first, and then release the books in monthly instalments. The Nine Realms will be available from Tor books starting in January. There will be no danger in forgetting characters, or story lines, or being left hanging without conclusion there! I LOVE this idea.  I know it is not always possible to do it this way, but what a treat for readers when it can be done!

Of course for every "rule" there are exceptions.  Many novels work well as stand alone books even though they are part of a bigger series. They have a beginning, a middle and a clear end. I can be far more accepting of this. 

Some books are actually written as stand alone novels, only to have a sequel that was not initially planned for, considered well after the fact. Neil Gaiman's novel Neverwhere was published as a stand alone, but he has been talking of writing a sequel for many years.  To me, this is totally acceptable.  It is not "unfinished business", but rather business that is in "expansion planning". I had been provided with an ending to the  original story that left me satisfied, and at the time that I first read it, I was not even expecting to be given the gift of a sequel.

So what do other readers think?

One of my book-twitter friends and fellow bookblogger @kellywellread responded to my questions with a few points. She has the same sentiment as I do about books that are unplanned sequels. She also  points out that epic fantasies may take more time to write than some other genres, but, like many, she finds frustrating if too much time passes and she forgets what happened in the earlier book(s). She does say however, that for the right series, she would be willing to wait as long as it takes for the author to write another book.

Another Instagram/Twitter friend @LisaBReads says that while she may need a refresher, she too is just happy that there is another book. 


My Twitter poll results are as such:

Do writers who create a series owe it to their readers to provide a "next book" and/or conclusion in a reasonable time frame?

• Heck Ya! Ending needed! - 38%
• Don't owe me anything - 63%

What is a reasonable time frame for the "next book" in a series to be available?

• 1 year - 56%
• 2 years - 44%
• 5 years - 0%   

Have you ever abandoned a series you were enjoying because of a long wait for the next book? 

• Yes - 36%
• No - 64% 

 

What can author's take away from all this?

Dear writers - You can write or not write as you see fit, that is your right - but leaving your fans hanging for years and years will cost you readers. Despite a majority readers feeling that they are not owed new books in a series from writers, support for the series seems to fall after just one year, and over a third of readers who feel they are waiting too long will abandon the series. Granted, this is a very tiny group of respondents, but even so, I think it paints a rough picture.

One of the most wonderful things about books, is their ability to evoke emotion. We attach the emotions the author's name too. The emotion associated with an unfinished story is one of disappointment. In the case of the book I referred to, the author has written much since, but I no longer have any desire to read their work, and I dare say that I am not alone in that.

What can other readers take away from this?

Start a series at your own risk, yes, but as most avid readers know, a little knowledge goes a long way.  Older series can and possibly should be researched to ensure the are either complete or active.  New series may be a bit more of a gamble, especially if the author hasn't been around long enough to evaluate by reputation. 

I personally will still give the benefit of the doubt to newer authors and first time series writers, but I will never again start an older series without looking into whether it is complete or active first. 

Happy Reading, 
Christine