I saw this post on Floor to Ceiling Books and kind of sat on it for a few days. Then, I realized that maybe I should embarrass myself a bit and admit to all my half-done projects. I’m doing this in the hopes of two different results:
1. Comments, opinions or insights as to series I absolutely MUST finish right away.
2. Maybe one of you kind people will see this list and say “hey, if you’ve read (insert book title), you should try (insert book title) out….”
There are a few reasons I don’t finish a series right away. One (and most common) is because I enjoy it so much I don’t want it to end and thus I end up sitting on the rest of the series until hell freezes over (ridiculous, I know); or two, I get distracted (okay, this one is really common as well). I usually will allow a little amount of time to pass before I continue on with a series, but distractions happen and I will eventually forget to get back to the original series before turning my attentions on to something else.
So, here is my unfinished series list in all its glory.
P.S. I am not including series I don’t care about continuing or (obviously) unfinished series and I would link this to the actual books but it’s Friday and I’m lazy (three cheers for honesty!).
Sevenwaters – Juliett Marillier
1. Daughter of the Forest – read
2. Son of Shadows – read
3. Curse of the Prophecy
Shadows of the Apt – Adrian Tchaikovsky
1. Empire in Black and Gold – read
2. Dragonfly Falling – Read
3. Blood of the Mantis
4. Salute the Dark
5. The Scarab Path
The “Havemercy” etc (does this series have a name?) – Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett
1. Havemercy – Read
2. Dragon Soul
3. Shadow Magic
Mythago Wood Cycle – Robert Holdstock
1. Mythago Wood – read
2. Lavondyss
3. The Hallowing
The First Law – Joe Abercrombie
1. The Blade Itself – read
2. Before They are Hanged – read
3. The Last Argument of Kings
The Night’s Dawn – Peter F. Hamilton
1. The Reality Dysfunction – read
2. The Neutronium Alchemist – in progress
3. The Naked God
The Castings Trilogy – Pamela Freeman
1. Blood Ties – read
2. Deep Water
3. Full Circle
The Engineer Trilogy – K.J. Parker
1. Devices and Desires – read
2. Evil for Evil – read
3. The Escapement
The Scavenger Trilogy – K.J. Parker
1. Shadow – read
2. Pattern
3. Memory
King Raven Trilogy – Steven Lawhead
1. Hood – read
2. Scarlet – read
3. Tuck
The Prince of Nothing – R. Scott Bakker
1. The Darkness that Comes Before – read
2. The Warrior Prophet
3. The Thousandfold Thought
Lighthouse – Carol Berg
1. Flesh and Spirit – read
2. Breath and Bone
The Godless World – Brian Ruckley
1. Winterbirth – read
2. Bloodheir
3. Fall of Thanes
Doctrine of the Labyrinth – Sarah Monette
1. Melusine – read
2. The Virtu – read
3. The Mirador
4. Corambis
Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone – Greg Keyes
1. The Briar King – read
2. The Charnal Prince
3. The Blood Knight
4. The Born Queen
And, I have to add this to shame myself (if for no other reason) –
Malazan Book of the Fallen – Stephen Erikson
1. Gardens of the Moon – read
2. Deadhouse Gates – read
3. Memories of Ice – read
4. House of Chains – read
5. Midnight Tides – read
6. The Bonehunters – read
7. Reapers Gale – read
8. Toll the Hounds – read
9. Dust of Dreams
10. The Crippled God (forthcoming)
Though I am in the middle of “Altered Carbon,” the Takeshi Kovacs novels should be added to the list as well. And I just realized, in all of my genius, that I do have some unfinished series on here (I think) despite the fact I said I wouldn’t be putting them on here. Go, Sarah, go!
5 Responses
In order ;-): Finish the bloody Escapement. Really, that's ridiculous. Brilliant ending that puts the entire beautiful series together. Then do the third Abercrombie (and the fourth. and the fifth). Then take a break and read something else. Then maybe do the other Parker series, but you may want to start from the beginning again…
(I love Richard Morgan, but you shouldn't read all his books in a row. They're a bit superintense.)
I've read the first Holdstock and have little desire to read the others (think it was good as a standalone, weirded out by it being one of several). I didn't make it through the first Tchaikovsky, although I keep meaning to try again, as he really impresses me whenever I see him on a panel.
I, er, really disliked the first Stephen Erickson book. Really, really disliked. I hope this doesn't cause a problem 🙂
Series you have to finish: Shadows of the Apt (one of my favorite series at the moment!), Godless World (though if you didnt like book 1, the other 2 are more of the same, and the ending is a bit grim), First Law (definitely worth finishing), Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone (I liked this series, though I'm in the minority in that I also didnt have the problem with the last book).
Series I personally wouldn't finish: Lighthouse (Although I own all of Berg's books, I never get past book 1 in any of her series. Have decided her writing just isn't for me for some reason, and moved her books to my trade-in pile), Prince of Nothing (just too graphic for me and I wasn't that interested..though I have book 1 in the next series, and will keep the books in case I change my mind), Castings Trilogy (was too slow and uninteresting. Didn't even finish book 1)
I need to finish The Engineer trilogy myself, and I want to check out her(?) other series as well. Reminds me I need to read The Folding Knife, too.
Oh goodness, the number of series I've started and haven't finished is probably endless. I have some of the same series on that list as yours – the last Jones and Bennett book (have no idea if it has a series name and keep wondering that myself), Malazan, Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, and King Raven. I want to finish them; I just have Book ADD.
It's not my favorite of Carol Berg's books but I really enjoyed the Lighthouse duology. And Sarah Monette's series is one of my favorites ever.
Mechanical Dragons 🙂
The authors were kind to do a guest post on FBC and used that name; book 4 is called Steelhands and is on track for summer 2011.
As for series,I follow lots but very few in which there is an installment I have not yet read.
Of the series above Night's Dawn, Apt and Scavenger are the ones I rank the highest (eg Night's Dawn is my top finished sf series of all time, Apt is my #1 current fantasy series and Scavenger is maybe #2 or #3 of finished all time fantasy series – Legacy of Kushiel is #1 and the Sean Russell double duology River into Darkness/Sea Without a Shore would be the competition for #2)
OMG HOW HAVE YOU NOT READ THE MIRADOR AND CORAMBIS YET? READ THEM! READ THEM NOOOOWWWW!
/caps abuse
I haven't read too many of the series you've listed, though some are on my disgustingly long list of things I wanna read someday.
Regarding those I am familar with:
I was really disappointed with CHILD OF THE PROPHECY by Juliet Marillier. In fact, I sort of wish I'd stopped after SON OF THE SHADOWS. I'd say it's worth finishing the series if you really, really care how the prophecy turns out, but the characters and their relationships aren't nearly as compelling in the final volume.
While I loved HAVEMERCY, I only kinda liked SHADOW MAGIC and was incredibly disappointed with DRAGON SOUL. A few days ago, I posted a review that outlines why.