I think I'm done with reading Trilogies

[Heather in Neverland]

I'm having bad luck with trilogies. It seems like they all have the same pattern for me.

 

I LOVE the first book.

The second book is ok.

The final book is blah.

 

And by the time I'm done with the third book I am so glad it's over that it ruins the initial story which I loved. Experiences in the last few years as examples:

 

Hunger Games

Legend

Divergent

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Ken Follett's Centuries trilogy

Here Be Dragons

Unwind

Beautiful Creatures

Clockwork Angel

The Map of Time

 

Those are all examples of "first in the trilogy" books I loved whose follow ups I did not. But it's weird because when you love a book you are excited to think another book will be coming...so you don't have to let go of your favorite characters just yet. Then the follow up arrives and is such a disappointment. But now you HAVE to read the third book because you've already read the first two and you can't NOT finish the series, right?

 

UGH.

 

So I think I'm either going to avoid trilogies in general or just steel myself to stop after book 1.

 

Unless there are amazing trilogies I am missing out on?

 

Any suggestions or commiseration?

[ElizabethB]

C.S. Lewis's Space trilogy

John Christopher's tripod trilogy, for kids but good as an adult too

 

I will think if I can remember any more where all 3 were good.

[Mrs Mungo]

I like some trilogies, but I have only read one of the ones you listed. I am mostly thinking of older fantasy novels like the Earthsea books or the Hed books or LOTR.

[twoxcell]

Ugh, I'm still mad about the Hunger games. Of course the books were captivating and I couldn't stop reading them but the third one was just so maddening. It just felt so depressing like maybe they all should have just died and been done with it. All that to say I feel your pain! I just finished reading them like a week ago. I'm so behind. :lol:

[6packofun]

A couple I've liked:

 

Razorland trilogy by Ann Aguirre, starting with Enclave, then Outpost and Horde.  (I've heard there are other stories set in this world, a book 1.5, etc. but I have not read those and they can be read separately, I think.)

 

Rot & Ruin series.  Post-apocalyptic zombie books that ds20 and I really liked.  Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, Flesh & Bone, Fire & Ash.  (There, it's a quadrilogy (or tetraolgy?), so maybe better?  LOL)

 

I also enjoyed Carrie Ryan's books, all set in the same post-apocalyptic world.  The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places.  All more or less related.

 

My daughter loves Marie Lu's Legend, Prodigy, Champion trilogy.

 

The Ender Quartet?  Ender's Game...

 

I liked the Silo trilogy, Wool, Shift and Dust by Hugh Howey enough to buy it and plan to read again, possibly reading Shift first next time.  This is an adult trilogy, while the others are teen/young adult.  :)

[Ellie]

Of course, Lord of the Rings is top of my list. :-)

 

I have also enjoyed the Majipoor books: Lord Valentine's Castle, Chronicles of Majipoor, and Valentine Pontifex.

 

I've been reading the Dragonriders of Pern for many years.

[6packofun]

You could try some adult series or trilogies...

 

A few on my to-read list are The Orphan Trilogy (staring with The Ninth Orphan), The Felix Castor series by Mike Carey (supernatural/sci-fi sort of, like Dresden Files), and The Kingkiller Chronicle series, starting with The Name of the Wind by Rothfuss (about a gifted boy who becomes a wizard, no idea if this is an "adult Harry Potter" like it sounds.  LOL)

 

Hey, I also loved the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger.  Victorian England with vampires and werewolves, romance and intrigue.  Fun stuff!  Soulless is the first one.  It's slightly steampunk.  I'll probably buy this series.  lol

 

Another teen/YA one to try is the Mortal Instruments series.

[Garga]

Ooo!  How about "trilogies" that never get written?

 

I read a book called "Cup of Clay."  It ended with a cliffhanger.  The local libraries didn't carry the second book and I somewhat forgot about it.  Ten years later, I found part 2 in a used book store.  Oooo!  So excited!  I'll find out what happened!  Second book ended with a cliffhanger.  A few years after that I was googling to find the 3rd part and ran across a post from the author stating that she hadn't written the third part and wasn't going to.  WHA...?!?!

 

Or how about Game of Thrones?  UGH.  I started reading the first book and was sucked in.  I think it was supposed to be a trilogy, but by the time I started reading the series it turned out that there were four books in the series.  Imagine my disgust when I realized that the fourth book was not the last book!  No!  Turns out the author expected it to take seven books to finish the story!  Seven books!  

 

So, I waited for the fifth one to be written.  

 

And I waited.  

 

And waited.

 

For seven years!  It took him seven years to write the fifth book.  If it takes him seven more years to write the sixth book, and then seven more years to write the seventh book, I will have waited twenty-one years to know how the stinkin' story ends!  AAAAAAHH!

 

The only good thing about the books being made into a tv show is that the author is feeling pressure to finish the story.  

 

P.S.  I never read the fifth book.  By the time it came out, I was forgetting the plot.  There are about 500 characters in the story.  I forgot a good 486 of them in the seven years I was waiting for the book to come out.  My plan is to wait the 14 more years until the entire series is done and then read them all back to back.

 

P.P.S The books are WAY better than the tv show.  The characters seem so shallow to me on tv as compared to in the book.  Tyrion is much, much better in the books.  But the TV show has done an amazing job of providing setting.  The settings were always fuzzy in my imagination.  The settings are spectacular in the tv show.

[Ravin]

The Island in the Sea of Time trilogy by S.M. Stirling, and the Novels of the Change (didn't stop with a trilogy), which begin with Dies the Fire.

[Audrey]

From the perspective of a person who really loves books and really appreciates GOOD writing, I'm disappointed in the trend of trilogies and series novels.  It is so rare that the story is improved by dragging it out over multiple books.  I think you have to have a very solid sense of plot direction and a very well planned vision, as well as very keen writing skills for it to work well.  In recent years, there are, IMO, too many hack writers churning out pop-plot trilogies and series with an eye on selling the film rights.  They're not really writing for a reading audience anymore, and that is an even sadder trend AFAIC. 

[AMJ]

Does it have to be trilogies? I like Martha Grimes (author), who wrote some series and some stand-alone stuff. I also like Alexander McCall Smith (several series, try starting with The Ladies #1 Detective Agency), and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (warning: 14 books, VERY involved books, can be addictive).

 

I am also a HUGE fan of Terry Pratchett, and I find Jasper Fordde's stuff utterly punny and delightful (a series about main character Tuesday Next, but also some other stuff -- look for The Big Over Easy, a Nursery Crimes book).

[Heather in Neverland]

From the perspective of a person who really loves books and really appreciates GOOD writing, I'm disappointed in the trend of trilogies and series novels. It is so rare that the story is improved by dragging it out over multiple books. I think you have to have a very solid sense of plot direction and a very well planned vision, as well as very keen writing skills for it to work well. In recent years, there are, IMO, too many hack writers churning out pop-plot trilogies and series with an eye on selling the film rights. They're not really writing for a reading audience anymore, and that is an even sadder trend AFAIC.

Yes. This. And it's like I can feel it when I'm reading the book... That feeling of "they are trying to entice me into reading another one with the promise that it will be just as good"... But it's never just as good. They are just writing the screenplay.

 

I think I just prefer stand-alone novels. It seems like when I find an author I like, I can read several of their stand-alone novels and be happy. Maybe I'm just not a trilogy kind of girl. :)

[Moxie]

From the perspective of a person who really loves books and really appreciates GOOD writing, I'm disappointed in the trend of trilogies and series novels. It is so rare that the story is improved by dragging it out over multiple books. I think you have to have a very solid sense of plot direction and a very well planned vision, as well as very keen writing skills for it to work well. In recent years, there are, IMO, too many hack writers churning out pop-plot trilogies and series with an eye on selling the film rights. They're not really writing for a reading audience anymore, and that is an even sadder trend AFAIC.

Yep, yep. I think this is especially true for young adult books.

[Heather in Neverland]

Or how about Game of Thrones? UGH. I started reading the first book and was sucked in. I think it was supposed to be a trilogy, but by the time I started reading the series it turned out that there were four books in the series. Imagine my disgust when I realized that the fourth book was not the last book! No! Turns out the author expected it to take seven books to finish the story! Seven books!

 

So, I waited for the fifth one to be written.

 

And I waited.

 

And waited.

 

For seven years! It took him seven years to write the fifth book. If it takes him seven more years to write the sixth book, and then seven more years to write the seventh book, I will have waited twenty-one years to know how the stinkin' story ends! AAAAAAHH!

 

The only good thing about the books being made into a tv show is that the author is feeling pressure to finish the story.

 

P.S. I never read the fifth book. By the time it came out, I was forgetting the plot. There are about 500 characters in the story. I forgot a good 486 of them in the seven years I was waiting for the book to come out. My plan is to wait the 14 more years until the entire series is done and then read them all back to back.

 

P.P.S The books are WAY better than the tv show. The characters seem so shallow to me on tv as compared to in the book. Tyrion is much, much better in the books. But the TV show has done an amazing job of providing setting. The settings were always fuzzy in my imagination. The settings are spectacular in the tv show.

This made me laugh. I know what you mean but I give you credit for trying. I am a "Game of Thrones Drop-Out." I got halfway through the third book and I had to quit. I think studying for the bar exam would be easier than keeping up with all those characters. So I admitted defeat.

 

Of course, now I'm not in the GOT cool persons group. :(

 

I do wonder about the TV show. With shows lasting such a short time these days, how will he keep it going until he finishes the last two books? Will they just ssttrreettcchh it out while they wait? He doesn't seem like the kind of author that caves to demands to finish quickly.

 

The settings in my mind from reading the book seem cold and gray. All the time. That's it. So I was obviously not getting it anyways!

[Heather in Neverland]

Yah, and it's always the books that they sell at Target! lolol Like don't you have ENOUGH of my money, Target?! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

Do you have Targets, OP? Surely not?

No Target (and it is sorely missed).

[Mrs Mungo]

This made me laugh. I know what you mean but I give you credit for trying. I am a "Game of Thrones Drop-Out." I got halfway through the third book and I had to quit. I think studying for the bar exam would be easier than keeping up with all those characters. So I admitted defeat.

It is nothing compared to Dostoyevsky. Maybe I should study for the bar exam? ;)

 

If you don't care about trilogies, do you like funny? Christopher Moore has some funny books like A Dirty Job. Of course, some are a little too silly for me. The Stupidest Angel was VERY silly, for example. I like Sacre Bleu also, but it was not a funny one. I am reading his latest book right now, it is okay so far.

 

Have you read Neil Gaiman? He has loads of truly excellent books, both his adult and YA books are excellent.

 

Terry Pratchett can be too silly for me, it depends upon the book, I do like some of them.

 

I tried to get into WoT and just couldn't do it. I tried both reading and doing the audio version while I walked, it just doesn't do it for me.

[The Governess]

I can relate. I've read several of the trilogies on your list, and was either bored by the end or wanted to yell at the author for ruining the series. The only series I have read that I felt got better with each subsequent book was Harry Potter. I have been looking for another series that I felt that way about ever since, and haven't found one!

[ElizabethB]

I agree, LOTR.

 

Also, I thought George MacDonald had a few, but most of his series were 2 book series, hmmm, maybe most people should just stop at 2?

 

He did have two that were trilogies that were good:

 

The Vicar's Daughter (1871–72), a sequel to Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood and The Seaboard Parish

 

There and Back (1891; republished as The Baron's Apprenticeship), a sequel to Thomas Wingfold, Curate and Paul Faber, Surgeon

 

His best were 2 book series, though:

 

Donal Grant (1883; republished as The Shepherd's Castle), a sequel to Sir Gibbie

 

The Marquis of Lossie (1877; republished as The Marquis' Secret), the second book of Malcolm

[Harriet Vane]

It's the rare author who can hold it together for more than two books in a series. They get bored with working with the same characters and same formula, and you can feel that blandness and lack of interest come through in the writing.

 

Some notable exceptions are Lord of the Rings, CS Lewis (Narnia, Space Trilogy), and yes, JK Rowling. While she is not the same caliber of writer as Tolkien (but then, who is?), she did an excellent job writing a seven-book series that I still enjoy re-reading.

[EndOfOrdinary]

I finally broke down and read Fifty Shades of Grey. It is total crap, but such good crap! Completely riveting mind candy. All three books were read in less than four days. It might resurrect your faith in trilogies.

[eternalsummer]

The Fionovar Tapestry was good.

 

The Silo books are terrible terrible.

 

I liked all of the Hunger Games, more or less - the end (not the very end but the end of the action if you know what I mean) was worth the intermediary.  

 

Divergent was just crap after the first book, I agree.  Sometimes I think an author writes a decent book, planning for 2 or 3 more, but the first one gets popular and the pressure to put out two more popular/good books is just too much.

 

I didn't like Harry Potter much when they came out (I was in high school/college) but when I reread them with my daughter last year, my god they were good!  Especially the last one.

 

The Giver books are good; Gathering Blue and Son are the other two.  Son is exceptional if you have kids. (not for the kids, for you).

 

McKillip's Riddle Master trilogy is good. So is the Darwath Trilogy (the first one of those is the best but the others are very readable).  I read the first two of a trilogy that should be complete later this year sometime recently - Shadow and Bone is the first one I think?

[Mrs Mungo]

 

McKillip's Riddle Master trilogy is good.

One word about the Riddlemaster of Hed books, you *really* want to buy all three at once. ;)

[MFG]

A trilogy that I have enjoyed so far is the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have both been good. The third book is due out this summer.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_5?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=discovery+of+witches&sprefix=Disco%2Cstripbooks%2C286

 

ETA: My nominee for worst train wreck series is the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel. The Clan of the Cave Bear was unique when it first came out and explored a number of interesting ideas. By the second book it was heading into soap opera and kinky sex and just went down from there. The final book, The Land of Painted Caves, wins the prize as the most excruciatingly boring book I have read in a long time. With barely any storyline left, it read as if she had just cut and pasted her research notes into the text. Truly awful.

[medawyn]

I'll second the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, even though the third novel isn't out yet (but it's actually coming out... unlike the multi-year wait for George R.R. Martin - whose books I ended up hurling across the room - or Patrick Rothfuss).  The second book in the trilogy actually stood up to the first, which I agree is rare.

 

I have grave concerns about Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller trilogy.  I LOVED the first two books, but I'm just not sure if he can pull a third one out, and his premise doesn't lend itself to extending the series.

 

I have read most of the ones you listed in your OP, and I completely agree.  Daughter of Smoke and BOnes is sitting on my bedside table; now I'm not certain I want to dive in.  I didn't actually know Unwind was a trilogy (the first was handed to me by a student a few years ago), and I have no desire to peruse the rest of the series.  It didn't strike me as needing a follow up.

[tori@thehomefront]

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams - first bk is The Dragonbone Chair

*technically a trilogy, although bk 3 is so large it is usually found in two volumes*

 

The Elenium (1st bk is The Diamond Throne) and

the Tamuli (1st bk is Domes of Fire) both by David Eddings

 

The Winter of the World by Michael Scott Rohan -first bk is The Anvil of Ice

[tori@thehomefront]

And if you like a challenge in reading endurance and go beyond trilogies, look up Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series. At least you don't have to wait for it to be finished.... That was a long wait. And yeah, I was frequently one of the weirdos waiting at the store at midnight to be sure I got a copy the day it was released. ;)

[Heather in Neverland]

I have read most of the ones you listed in your OP, and I completely agree. Daughter of Smoke and BOnes is sitting on my bedside table; now I'm not certain I want to dive in. I didn't actually know Unwind was a trilogy (the first was handed to me by a student a few years ago), and I have no desire to peruse the rest of the series. It didn't strike me as needing a follow up.

And that's the key... Which books actually "need" a follow up? Turns out, not many. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a great book. Just stop after you read it. It doesn't really need a follow up. Neither did the Hunger Games.

[Pippen]

I like some trilogies, but I have only read one of the ones you listed. I am mostly thinking of older fantasy novels like the Earthsea books or the Hed books or LOTR.

 

Totally agree about Earthsea, but only if you treat is as a trilogy and don't go on to the other Earthsea books LeGuin picked back up writing 18 years later. 

[Susan in TN]

I enjoyed The Hawk and the Dove trilogy by Penelope Wilcock, though the 3rd book was quite a departure from the format of the previous 2. I enjoyed it for itself, though, particularly because it addressed some difficult issues (caring for the elderly disabled/sick.) TLotR is the only other trilogy that I remember really enjoying.

[melbotoast]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Brandon Sanderson! His Mistborn trilogy was excellent. I have high hopes for The Stormlight Archive - (two five-book arcs, the first two books have been completed.)

 

I agree that some trilogies can be helped by reading them all together, like Hunger Games. I think if you spend years anticipating the ending, it is hard for it not to be a let down. Of course, some are definitely a let down :p

[6packofun]

I love seeing everyone's opinions here!  How someone can think Hunger Games is good but another trilogy is terrible.  LOL  Audrey has a very good point about forcing a story into a trilogy or series, but there are still a few hidden gems out there.  (I hope; I haven't found many.  lol)

 

Anyhow, one of dh's favorites is the Watch Pentalogy by Sergei Lukyanenko.  Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, Last Watch, and New Watch.

[poppy]

 

From the perspective of a person who really loves books and really appreciates GOOD writing, I'm disappointed in the trend of trilogies and series novels.  It is so rare that the story is improved by dragging it out over multiple books.  I think you have to have a very solid sense of plot direction and a very well planned vision, as well as very keen writing skills for it to work well.  In recent years, there are, IMO, too many hack writers churning out pop-plot trilogies and series with an eye on selling the film rights.  They're not really writing for a reading audience anymore, and that is an even sadder trend AFAIC.

 

Trilogies and series aren't anything new at all in YA and fantasy/sci fi. They're just more popular.  The quality is about the same as it was when I was a Y reading YA books in the 80s.  I do like that there is not the same stigma as there used to be for fantasy/sci fi.

 

I generally don't read the 3rd book of trilogies, and often not the 2nd.  Exceptions are for really well written ones. Which are few and far between.

[OneStepAtATime]

Of course, Lord of the Rings is top of my list. :-)

 

I have also enjoyed the Majipoor books: Lord Valentine's Castle, Chronicles of Majipoor, and Valentine Pontifex.

 

I've been reading the Dragonriders of Pern for many years.

Oh, yes, definitely loved all of the above....

 

And the Godstalk series by P.C. Hodgell was really good.  Piers Anthony's Xanth Series was good.  Also, Roger Zelazny's Amber Chronicles.  Alan Dean Foster's Flinx series had some really good ones, although they are kind of hit and miss.

 

Maximum Ride series isn't bad, but may not hold an adult's interest...

[Word Nerd]

And that's the key... Which books actually "need" a follow up? Turns out, not many. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a great book. Just stop after you read it. It doesn't really need a follow up. Neither did the Hunger Games.

 

I disagree on The Hunger Games. What would have been the point of ending after the first book? You can't stop before the revolution.

[OneStepAtATime]

Oh, and I actually enjoyed the Game of Thrones books WAY better than the TV series (but some of the actors in the series really make the characters come alive).  No needless putting in of sex scenes just because they can.

[twoxcell]

 

I disagree on The Hunger Games. What would have been the point of ending after the first book? You can't stop before the revolution

Yes I agree how could it have ended without the second or third book? I have a love hate relationship with the series. :lol:

[Word Nerd]

Yes I agree how could it have ended without the second or third book? I have a love hate relationship with the series. :lol:

 

Me too. I hate Mockingjay in some ways, but I still think it was a good series all the way through. 

[Heather in Neverland]

I disagree on The Hunger Games. What would have been the point of ending after the first book? You can't stop before the revolution.

To me the revolution was obvious. It was inevitable after what happened in the arena. I didn't need a book (or two) to describe to me in detail what happened during the revolution. It was the initial rebellion in the arena that sparked a dream of revolution. THAT was the story. The revolution itself is an after thought, something better left to the imagination.

[Crimson Wife]

I disagree on The Hunger Games. What would have been the point of ending after the first book? You can't stop before the revolution.

I can think of plenty of "classic" dystopian novels that ended with just the protagonist joining the rebellion/resistance. The reader doesn't actually see whether or not the fight for change was successful.

[Word Nerd]

To me the revolution was obvious. It was inevitable after what happened in the arena. I didn't need a book (or two) to describe to me in detail what happened during the revolution. It was the initial rebellion in the arena that sparked a dream of revolution. THAT was the story. The revolution itself is an after thought, something better left to the imagination.

 

I don't agree, and I think the author's "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" direction was not typical of this genre. It doesn't sound like you should read trilogies. ;)

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

And if you like a challenge in reading endurance and go beyond trilogies, look up Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series. At least you don't have to wait for it to be finished.... That was a long wait. And yeah, I was frequently one of the weirdos waiting at the store at midnight to be sure I got a copy the day it was released. ;)

 

I was just coming on to recommend this as a series that holds up at least through the first 5 books or so.  I read these in high school and dropped out around book 6 or 7.  I am now re-reading them and am in book 4 right now and am still amazed at how good the story and the setting are.  Jordan really did create a masterpiece.  And THIS TIME I plan to just muscle through all 14 (???) books and finally know what happens!

[OneStepAtATime]

I had not tried the Wheel of Time series...may give it a go when I have a moment...

[mommymilkies]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Brandon Sanderson! His Mistborn trilogy was excellent. I have high hopes for The Stormlight Archive - (two five-book arcs, the first two books have been completed.)

 

Except there's at least 18 month in between each book and I CAN'T WAIT.  :p  I love Sanderson.  His writing is excellent. 

[mommymilkies]

 

I have grave concerns about Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller trilogy.  I LOVED the first two books, but I'm just not sure if he can pull a third one out, and his premise doesn't lend itself to extending the series.

 

Ok, I can't find the links right now.  Maybe it was the Reddit AMA?  Anyway, I won't go into too much detail to avoid detailing it but there will NOT be more stories about Kvothe.  However, he has already written one Auri/Bast novella and some short stories.  He may write more about that universe, but NOT about Kvothe.  So we can assume what happens at the end there. I'm a hardcore Rothfussian. lol

[BrookValley.]

I'll second the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, even though the third novel isn't out yet (but it's actually coming out... unlike the multi-year wait for George R.R. Martin - whose books I ended up hurling across the room - or Patrick Rothfuss).  The second book in the trilogy actually stood up to the first, which I agree is rare.

 

I have grave concerns about Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller trilogy.  I LOVED the first two books, but I'm just not sure if he can pull a third one out, and his premise doesn't lend itself to extending the series.

 

I have read most of the ones you listed in your OP, and I completely agree.  Daughter of Smoke and BOnes is sitting on my bedside table; now I'm not certain I want to dive in.  I didn't actually know Unwind was a trilogy (the first was handed to me by a student a few years ago), and I have no desire to peruse the rest of the series.  It didn't strike me as needing a follow up.

 

 

Ok, I can't find the links right now.  Maybe it was the Reddit AMA?  Anyway, I won't go into too much detail to avoid detailing it but there will NOT be more stories about Kvothe.  However, he has already written one Auri/Bast novella and some short stories.  He may write more about that universe, but NOT about Kvothe.  So we can assume what happens at the end there. I'm a hardcore Rothfussian. lol

 

There will be a third. I'm sad there will only be three, but it will be AWESOME. It has to be. Because there will only be three. Don't tell me otherwise. :laugh:

[alisoncooks]

Hunger Games

Legend

Divergent

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Clockwork Angel

 

 

Of your list, I have read the above.  I agree Hunger Games could've been better (I was very disappointed my first read... but when I went back and reread it, I liked it much better.)  Legend was satisfying ending.

Divergent did suck.

I liked Daughter of Smoke & Bone (I agree the 2nd book was lackluster/depressing... and Book 3 introduces a totally unnecessary -- IMO -- subplot which throws the whole feel).

Clockwork Angel was good -- but yeah, the ending was very much "have your cake and eat it too."

 

 

Now, talking about waiting forever for sequels:  

Anyone here read the OBERNEWTYN books?

That's a whole 'nother kerfuffle.  The author has been writing this series for like 20 years?  Gah.  This series is the bane of my reading existence and yet I MUST FINISH IT.  (FWIW, these are excellent.)

[ElizabethB]

I enjoyed The Hawk and the Dove trilogy by Penelope Wilcock, though the 3rd book was quite a departure from the format of the previous 2. I enjoyed it for itself, though, particularly because it addressed some difficult issues (caring for the elderly disabled/sick.) TLotR is the only other trilogy that I remember really enjoying.

I also enjoyed The Hawk and the Dove....she recently added a few books to the series and those were good, too, although not quite as good as the first 3, but still worth reading.

[Heather in Neverland]

I don't agree, and I think the author's "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" direction was not typical of this genre. It doesn't sound like you should read trilogies. ;)

Really? I think it is very typical lately... the same thing happened in the Legend series and the Divergent series."The government is evil and you shouldn't trust them no matter who is in charge" is a tired, old theme.

 

The better focus of the first book was on human nature, our desire for entertainment and what we consider entertaining, what becomes culturally acceptable because the in crowd says so, how we are really just a few laws removed from the days of the Coliseum and how quickly we could devolve back to those days even though we would never believe that of ourselves... all the parallels to Ancient Rome. That was the magic of the first book. Makes me think of all our threads on bullying. In the world of The Hunger Games you are either a bully, a victim, or a spectator.

 

The revolution part was boring after that (especially when they had to go back into the arena. That part was just embarrassing).

[OneStepAtATime]

Really? I think it is very typical lately... the same thing happened in the Legend series and the Divergent series."The government is evil and you shouldn't trust them no matter who is in charge" is a tired, old theme.

 

The better focus of the first book was on human nature, our desire for entertainment and what we consider entertaining, what becomes culturally acceptable because the in crowd says so, how we are really just a few laws removed from the days of the Coliseum and how quickly we could devolve back to those days even though we would never believe that of ourselves... all the parallels to Ancient Rome. That was the magic of the first book. Makes me think of all our threads on bullying. In the world of The Hunger Games you are either a bully, a victim, or a spectator.

 

The revolution part was boring after that (especially when they had to go back into the arena. That part was just embarrassing).

Well, I did find it harder to relate to and get into the 2nd and 3rd book, but I don't regret reading them.  I found them mildly entertaining.  But I agree with the bolded wholeheartedly and honestly wished they had explored that in a bit more depth....very good point Heather.  :)

[Harriet Vane]

DUNE is another good one. Sci Fi has a lot more series than other genres, yes?

 

I have to disagree. This is one series that spiraled badly out of control. The further in the series one reads, the more it's about kinky s@x. It became harder and harder to keep a handle on the storyline.