So I finished The Fifth Wave. I'll have the sequel soon, I put it on hold and the library has copies for me. But I'm in withdrawals. I want the The Infinite Sea now, not tomorrow. Ah well, I take solace in my own creation. It's not as good, but I'm working on making it as good. I can immerse myself in that world, the one I'm creating. But at this moment I love the one Rick Yancy created. What's a writer to do? Seek company on a writers' forum of course.
I feel like I get a good sense of closure from the stand-alone (and last sequel) books. I tend to discover and start reading series very late so either after it's finished or has one or two books left to go. So I can just marathon them and laugh at the cliffhangers. For the stand-alone books, I think my tastes as a reader just correlates to a writer that can tell a great story and write a satisfying ending. Haven't read too many of those recently, sadly.
I comfort myself with the thought you never stop reading your favorite books. Not really. I've read Dante three times now, and I am itching to take the journey with him again. I've lived Winston Smith's fight against Big Brother more times than I care to count. Some books you never get to the bottom of, and good. I'd rather it were that way, so you can relive and relove the experience.
It's rare for me to read a book I loved so much I didn't want it to end, but I did feel that way about Hunger Games actually. I just loved Katniss and wanted to read more about her. But funnily enough, I never reread books. Sometimes I think I should. Edited to add: just checked out the book you mentioned @GingerCoffee and it looks pretty good... think I'll read it, too.
It was really good. I was surprised it hadn't been picked up by a movie producer and lo and behold, it has been.
Think they'll do a good job? You gonna watch it? Does it have a release date? Movies adapted from books are becoming quite the trend... makes me wonder if the movie industry has just run out of ideas or run out of talented screenwriters/directors/quality movie pitches...
Oh I'll definitely watch it. But as for them doing a good job, the odds favor: no. There's nothing new about screenwriters turning books into movies. I think what might be new is all the publicity for certain books.
Yeah but I've never seen so many books turned into movies in such great succession. At one point, I think something like 9 out of 10 movies at the cinema had been based on a book.
I'm sure I have a different taste than most of you when it comes to reading, but I was really sad to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians end. I've reread those books so many times, they're falling apart. But then the Heroes of Olympus (fun fact: my iPad tried to autocorrect heroes to herpes) series came out, which helped my Percy Jackson obsession. But now it's over again. And I have to hope Rick Riordan's new series will include old characters too. The Hunger Games was a good series. I was actually really surprised at how well they did the movies, too. They missed a few things, but I feel like they did it mostly for time. I love love love the Divergent movie. But I'm afraid to read the book. I don't want to know how different they are because I don't want it to ruin how much I love the movie... lol
You may very well be right, but I'd like to see a systematic analysis rather than just going by what appears to be a different. The books they are making movies of are commercial successes so it still could be that this reflects an increase in reading popularity rather than a decrease in screenwriter talent.
Hadn't thought of that. As for systematic analysis, I admit I am too lazy for that, but if you happen to find something, please post it!
Oh piss. So I powered through the sequel, The Infinite Sea, and it was very unsatisfying. It went on and on with pages and pages of mostly one character's introspection and contemplation about the invaders. A few interesting things happened. And then it ended, right in the middle with multiple frayed ends. It wasn't that long. I think Yancy should have just finished the story. Maybe he couldn't decide on survivors' happily ever after or the death of the last character. But more than likely he's going to drag this thing out to a third sequel. Or maybe he had a publisher deadline, I do hope that wasn't it. What's with this trilogy fad? I'm writing a duology.
I'm the same way. When a book that I love ends, I think, 'Nooo! I want you to keep going! Forever!' ...and ever...and ever... But all things must come to an end, and I prefer that my favorite books end on a high note rather than drag on and on until what was once enjoyable becomes a chore.
I agree, Link! They're was a YA series I read. By the eighth book, I realized the authors had lost their focus and dragged it out just because they didn't want the series to end. It became dull, mostly filler events just to stretch it out. I believe it's up to twelve now, but I can't be certain. I stopped paying attention once I stopped reading.
After reading The Infinite Sea I'm so over you, Fifth Wave. On to bigger and better things. I'm giving Taken a go. I was avoiding it because I avoided the TV series. So far it's not bad.
No clue what the fad is with trilogies. What's the fad with series in general? Most people who start threads on this forum's writing a series and I just don't get it. As for things dragging on and on - that reminds me, Disney's rebooting all its classics and filming them as life-action movies instead (Snow White and Maleficient, and apparently there's Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast coming up ) I wouldn't mind if it was actually any good, but Snow White was appalling. I haven't seen Maleficient but its honest trailer looks hilarious. My friend who did watch it told me what the twist was (which was why she liked it so) but it sounded soooo lame... I do still wanna watch it, but I'm really not expecting much. Why don't people know when to let a good thing go!? The Japanese, also, are masters at not letting go.
When I was a child I used to hate when books, shows, movies ended. It all stemmed from my subconscious fear of death and loss. As a hyper mature adult I now accept ends as a prerequisite to true permanence. A character that has an an end is a character with destiny. When we make a hero go on and on and on, we turn him into a puppet for our amusement. The same can be said for setting, definitely plot, and even voice in general. Series are for kids.
Especially when they really should have. I'm looking at you, every Bleach episode after the end of series 3. What about Dante? The Epic Cycle? Remembrance of Things Past? The Forsyte Saga? I've also found, to add on to what I've said, that you never stop watching your favourite films. Anyone else ever found this? I've just happily sat through the film Momento twice, after having not seen it in some time, and I took much more from it the second time.
I would rather suffer this longing, though, than have the book (series) end in a way that makes me wish the writer had stopped. I felt that way when I finished Iron Council, the third of China Miéville's Bas Lag series. The first two where life-alteringly brilliant. The third was also brilliant, but in it China let loose with the politics and it became an impassioned, Che tee-shirt wearing, college beard having, patchouly stinking, proletariate anthem. I understand now what all those readers who don't want the novel they are reading to bring them some particular message are on about. It was unadulterated polemic.
I should say series that are uneccessarily series. Purgatory and heaven come with hell. Although I've actually only read Inferno :/
For the record, my duology has a specific purpose and both books stand alone with beginnings and endings and a different protagonist in a different setting with one character that ties the two stories together.
