Jumping the Shark

[madbaker]

From the Borderlands bookstore newsletter:

A few months ago I was chatting with some friends about those series where one should just stop part-way through. It's not surprising that this happens to some sequences of novels. Most fiction work is subject to "Jumping the Shark," whether it be novel series, television programs, or movie franchises.

What surprised me was the almost universal agreement among those present (which included two editors, two publishers, three booksellers, and several readers). For your amusement let me present some of our conclusions.

The Dune series by Frank Herbert - Stop at the first book, Dune. If you really loved it, you may read the second, Dune Messiah. But stop there.

The Amber books by Roger Zelazny - The first set, one through five (Nine Princes in Amber to The Courts of Chaos), are excellent. Don't even bother reading the second five (The Trumps of Doom to The Prince of Chaos).

The Ender books by Orson Scott Card - Read the first one, Ender's Game. Then, please, please, please do stop. Skip wwaaayyy ahead and read Ender's Shadow. Then stop for good. And while you're at it, you might want to skip the rest of his work entirely.

The Anita Blake series by Laurel Hamilton - They continue to deliver all the way up to Obsidian Butterfly, which is volume 9. After that, stop (unless, of course, you like porn, porn, porn, with a side of porn. But in that case, my I suggest Penthouse's Forum magazine? It's much cheaper and comes out every month.)

The Thomas Covenant trilogy of trilogies by Steven Donaldson. Read the first three (Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War, and The Power That Preserves) then stop. Not only are the later books inferior but they spoil your appreciation of the central character because they remove his only admirable trait.

The Xanth novels by Piers Anthony - Read the first three. They're really quite clever and funny. But then the jokes run out, the puns become onerous, and they just aren't good anymore. But, wow, have they gone on... and on... and on (Anthony is up to number 29 now and people still buy them... wonders will never cease).

I'd add Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality in there. I quite liked the first one, the second was boring, and they got worse from there - especially as they all told the exact same events.

What I'm reading: Naomi Novik, Victory of Eagles

Comments

[goldenstag.livejournal.com]

As always, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary):

The Dune series by Frank Herbert - Stop at the first book, Dune. If you really loved it, you may read the second, Dune Messiah. But stop there.

I liked the third as well. But the others got so murky as to be impossible.

The Amber books by Roger Zelazny - The first set, one through five (Nine Princes in Amber to The Courts of Chaos), are excellent. Don't even bother reading the second five (The Trumps of Doom to The Prince of Chaos).

I liked the second series ... not as good as the first, admittedly, but still some good stuff in there.

The Ender books by Orson Scott Card - Read the first one, Ender's Game. Then, please, please, please do stop. Skip wwaaayyy ahead and read Ender's Shadow. Then stop for good. And while you're at it, you might want to skip the rest of his work entirely.

Have to disagree completely. He's done some good stuff.

The Anita Blake series by Laurel Hamilton

ER? Sorry. Never read any.

Thomas Covenant: can't stand 'em. At all. The character made me crazy from the first book ...

Xanth: This one I agree on. I have read through the whole Incantations of Immortality, and liked them better than you, but they are not great ...

[mad-duchess.livejournal.com]

I would agree wholeheartedly with this assessment--well, except that I haven't the Laurel Hamilton stuff--but since I agree otherwise, I'm just gonna take your word for it on this one. :-)

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I would be curious to know which, if any, authors have managed to write extended series of books wherin you actually find *all* of them worth reading.

Series of 4 or 5 or more, off the top of my head

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books. Not all are equally good, but none are bad.
George RR Martin's Ice and Fire series, if he ever gets around to writing any more.
Julian May's Pliocene Exile books.
Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War.

[albionwood.livejournal.com]

Discworld. (The earliest ones are actually the weakest - it took him way too long to abandon Rincewind)

[goldenstag.livejournal.com]

I liked those, except for #10 in the first series. I stopped there. Too murky/political/no action or character development, at least not as far as I got in it.

[fionnbharro.livejournal.com]

Re: Thomas Covenant Trilogy

Donaldson's in the middle of his "Last" 'Covenant' series. Having put it on hold for 20 years put some perspective into his storytelling.

What's really interesting about it is that two books in (out of a planned 4 book series), and Thomas Covenant hasn't even shown up, yet. Using Linden Avery (The woman from the second series) as the protagonist puts an interesting spin on the way - and *how* - he writes.

I'll let you know if it warrants a read when the story finishes in 2013.

[albionwood.livejournal.com]

Dune - check.
Amber - check.
Ender (and Card generally) - check.
Blake - Not my fandom.
Covenant - Couldn't finish the first book. Yuck.
Xanth - Haven't read.