Do you think a series can ever be too long?

[lbuckman]

Yes - there is definitely a time when a series can become too long. In many cases, the plot may become predictable, or there is a logical end to the story.

[CoffeeBreakWithMe01]

Yes and no yes because i find that when a series goes on for to long with some books you start losing interest because they kind of feel forced and like they have run out of things to happen and then no because if a series is written well and all the characters are fleshed out well and there is a good story line then a long series can be really good to read.

[AMarchAnt31]

Depends on the subject, length of singular books and whether it stays true to its beginning. That said, a good series can be a brilliant find.

[ElizabethG]

Yes, the Janet Evanovich number series has gone on too long. The stories are getting dull and the boyfriend problem doesn't get resolved. Stephanie doesn't get any smarter. Unfortunately her other series are doing the same thing, her "plum" series and her "full" series. Same goofy characters and funny stories. But you are better off if you only read a few and then stop because you will get bored.

Another series, "The Cat Who" by Lilian Jackson Braun. This series never really was big on plot but just had quirky characters. They get duller and more boring the more they go on. The stories are set in a small town, so there isn't a lot to work with there to begin with. I think writers just start capitalizing on their name after a while and just start cranking them out to meet a publisher's quota without working about whether it has any entertainment value or not.

[ZenNonna]

I think a trilogy is good. If you like book and character you want more but three is enough. I love the way Bernard Cornwell does it. Jonathan Kellerman, though, is good with his psychologist. But I think that works because it is a murder series. Also I am not sick of the Lincoln lawyer in Michael Connelly's books. So I guess it just depends.

[mydarlingbeloved]

i think yes, because sometimes authors tend to write 'too much' and get boring.

[standi69]

YES!!! I have been reading the House of night series by P.C. cast and Her daughter. I am just ready to hear the end of the story at this point but I think we are on book 13. At the end of each book I think ok this one has to be the last one and nope its to be continued. At this point I feel like each book is the same story but I keep reading because I know the next book is the last in the series....

[claire mckay]

I think the James Patterson Alex Cross series went on too long. I really enjoyed the first couple then it became too predictable and formulaic and I went from loving then to skim reading them especially the family parts. I now can't read any James Patterson as I find them all too much the same! In contrast I managed all the Rebus books and loved them more and more so it can be done if they have enough character development and interesting supporting characters. I think the fact her is more flawed rather than super perfect Alex Cross helps!

[thankyou]

Yes, definitely. There is a limit for everything, no matter how good it may start out to be.

[jechamer]

Not if its a good series. There are several authors I read that have very long series and I can't wait for each new book.

[H0LD0Nthere]

Ha ha, I loved the Stephanie Plum books for a while! Pure escapist fun. I stopped reading them when I got tired of all the crudity. They seemed to get sexier as they went on. Maybe I haven't read up to 14, but in the few that I read, there were certainly lots of new developments in Stephanie's love life.

In a series like that, I don't except character development. I just go to it for the laughs and entertainment. Sometimes, with a really long series, the readers WANT the characters and their world to remain unchanged. It's comforting that they are always the same. Like Sherlock Holmes and Watson, or Jeeves and Bertie. Of course, the Bertie books get better written with time. Maybe that is the problem you are having, maybe the quality of writing is somehow declining?

[jenbel]

Most definitely! I love the House of Night series by PC & Kristen Cast, but the series has just gotten too long for me to read anymore. I guess I've gotten bored with the characters.

[Frobertson]

Yes! A series that exceeds a certain amount of volumes will automatically include unnecessary filler elements...

[Fran]

I think it's always a good idea to quit while you're ahead

[TigersUnderFoot]

Absolutely. I loved James Patterson's Women's Murder Club for about the first five books. By book nine I felt like Patterson's was just repeating himself and I stopped reading them. There are currently twelve books in the series and I don't understand why they continue.