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Series' Length


Moonlight on Water

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ETA some actual content: Starting a new series I really don't care how long a series will be, but I have zero desire to try WoT partly because of it's over all length and that that length has so much filler in it. The Dresden Files had 11 books already released when I started it, and The Vorkosigan Saga had 15, so length is definitely not really a deterrent for me.






I only read series where the total of pages comes to a prime number.





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No, the length doesn't matter for either the individual books or the number of books, although obviously if I'm enjoying something, I prefer it to last. That said, series which are both long and interesting throughout are rare because for a book to be interesting, the plot has to move along and/or there has to be character interaction which I find amusing. In long series, the plot tends to stall and the characters run out of things to say to each other (or are removed by the plot) which generally leads to the introduction of new and less interesting characters. This is the case in both The Wheel of Time (which I gave up on at around Book 10) and A Song of Ice and Fire (which I'm still reading, but it's definitely gone downhill starting with AFFC). On the other hand, I've just finished reading The Vorkosigan Saga which is of order 15 novels and a few shorter stories and I'd read more of it if there was any so it's definitely possible for a longer series to keep my interest.


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So many books, so little time.



I'm picky, especially because I spent several years as an editor and proofreader. As a result I have little tolerance for loquacity and padding in books. Yet I love series, though more historical fiction than fantasy. To me, a chance to burrow into a well-written, juicy series is as relaxing as taking a month's holiday. But instead of lying on a beach I'm curled up on a sofa with a bag of potato crisps and a packet of chocolate digestive biscuits. The longest series I"ve read is Colleen McCullough's six-book Masters of Rome. So ASoIaF will eventually (when, O Lord?) be the longest.



Book length doesn't bother me either; my all-time favorite novel is War and Peace. But they have to be good. Luckily, ASoIaF is good.


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Series length and book length aren't really factors for myself. What I factor in is affordability, availability, well-received, recommended based on what I've previously read, and does it interest me. Currently I'm seriously considering starting to collect Pratchett through my local used book store and Discworld is almost to 40 books, yes pretty small but it's still nearly 40 books.


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