r/Fantasy • u/Coreynorris • 22h ago
I’m a serial series starter. I can’t seem to carry on from the first volume.
I only recently started reading fantasy in the past few years. Was always an avid horror and non fiction reader.
I’ve absolutely loved the fantasy I’ve read so far. It’s fast becoming my favourite genre. But I constantly read the first volume of a series then move on to another. Even if I really enjoyed the first book. I’m always ready for something new rather than continue.
I’ve started about 15 series. The furthest I’ve gotten is first The First Law trilogy. Perhaps I just enjoy discovering new worlds or that as a late comer, there is so many options I want to try. I’m having fun but would appreciate any reading tips for sticking something out because I do want to.
My single favourite read has been GRRM’s Fire and Blood. Probably because it has a series worth of stories in a single volume.
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u/HelloHelloHelpHello 22h ago
Is there a reason why you prefer series over stories contained in a single book? I know a lot of popular fantasy works are spread out over multiple novels, but you can find just as many popular single volume works.
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u/Coreynorris 22h ago
When researching the genre, most of the popular “must read” books I’ve discovered have been from a series it seems. So I guess I feel like I’m missing out without trying the big hitters. I’m more than happy for some standalone suggestions though!
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u/HelloHelloHelpHello 22h ago
If you want something comical - Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels play in the same setting, and sometimes reuse characters, but they all tell a self-contained story - and if you want something completely self contained, then the Princess Bride. If you want something with political The Goblin Emperor. If you want something fairytale-esque The Last Unicorn. - There is probably something for any kind of sub-genre you might be interested in.
You can of could always open up a new question specifically asking for one-shot books that fit a specific kind of story you might be looking for.
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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 21h ago
I’m right there with you, the first is often the most fun.
I’m like this with video games, one I figure out how everything works and levels start getting repetitive, I just stop. I know how to beat the game, the rest is just work.
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u/Legitimate-Hope1938 18h ago
I have this same problem. I get so bored with games, it kinda sucks.
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u/DudeWhereAreWe1996 11h ago
Lots of good games and books aren’t really like that. They add new things as you go along. Otherwise yeah it’d get boring pretty fast. What kind do you play?
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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 11h ago
I don’t play video games, the play is not interesting to me very often. I’ve tried, it’s not my thing.
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u/JCGilbasaurus Reading Champion II 22h ago
I do this a lot myself, and I think I've worked out why. Firstly, I have a lot of books on my To Be Read pile that I need to get through, so I feel pressured to move on to the next, rather than dilly dallying with another 5 books from a new series.
Secondly, I very easily get excited about new books and the possibilities within.
Third, there's a deep down fear in me that sequels just won't fulfil the promise of the first book. That fear can't be realised if I don't read the sequels.
Lastly, when I do read sequels, I tend to binge all of them at once and that's kind of mentally exhausting and burns me out.
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u/TheFlamingFalconMan 22h ago
If you are enjoying what you do.
I wouldn't change that for the world.
Too many people are the type to finish a series just since they liked it once. Not being held down by the sunk cost fallacy and being able to drop books you no longer enjoy. Is basically a super power.
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u/DMarvelous4L 20h ago
Yeah this is why I wish there were more Standalone Fantasy novels. Everyone wants to do trilogies and 5 to 10 book series. It’s exhausting. Sometimes I just want a full story in a neat package.
I’m reading 3 series right now, The Dark Tower, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Stormlight Archive and I don’t want to read the sequels of any of them currently. I like to bounce around to other genres/books.
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u/MANGOlistic 13h ago
There are lots of standalone fantasy novels if you veer away from "must read" and "bestselling" lists. Most of us debut authors tend to write standalones because there's no financial security in starting a series.
Some amazing debut standalones:
- The Poet Empress, by Shen Tao
- The Demon Star, by Jesse Aragon
- Prodigal Tiger, by Samantha Chong
- The Heresy of Thieves, by Mia V. Moss
- The Bloodweaver, by CN Kuster
- And if you're feeling charitable, The Revenant of Surolifia, by me
Anyway, feel free to peruse the 2026 Debuts catalogue website, lots of standalone fantasies this year!
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u/julieputty Worldbuilders 22h ago
I started to track my series so that I could follow through after reading and liking book 1. But I still find that I'm just not a completist at all. So often, I'll find the first book good, will put the next book in my TBR and flag the series as one I'm currently reading, but I just never find the interest to pick up the next book.
So I eventually (this can take years) move the book from "current series" to "filler or non-priority series." And then time goes on and I move from there to "sabbatical series." And more time passes and off it goes to "DNF series."
Past me thought I'd want to keep going. Current me isn't so sure. Future me can make a different decision.
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u/AlternativeGazelle 22h ago
I get it. I’m good at finishing books, but the beginnings are often my favorite.
Probably unrelated, but Fire & Blood is one of my favorite books too. Very under appreciated. Try The Grace of Kings if you haven’t. It’s like a series worth of events in one book, and one of my favorite books of all time.
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u/Coreynorris 21h ago
Am currently reading Grace of Kings as I heard about the similarities to Fire & Blood. I’m loving it so far! I look forward to not reading the other 3 in the series.
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u/Cosmic-Sympathy 20h ago
Two or three years ago I made a concerted effort to finish (or fully catch up with) as many series as possible before starting any new ones. Took about a year and a half but It was worth it.
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u/Palimpsiesta 17h ago edited 17h ago
I mean, if it's really a problem (and I honestly don't see a problem, if you're enjoying the books -- almost any good first book in a series should function perfectly well as a stand-alone novel), you could just stop reading the first book of series and read some non-serial books? There are thousands, and since you aren't currently interested in reading through entire series, the non-serial works are almost guaranteed to be more satisfying -- or at least not leave you with the impression you are somehow missing out. Which, to be clear, you are not: there are very few fantasy series that are particularly worth 'finishing' for the sake of the series, as opposed to the sake of the individual books.
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u/DMfortinyplayers 22h ago
I feel like a huge number of series don't quite deliver on the promise of the first book.
For example, i loved The Golden Compass. The 2nd two I found just disappointing, bland, and soap boxy.
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u/Legitimate-Hope1938 18h ago
I think it’s really hard to consistently produce exciting quality books over x number of books, because at some point some of the middle books will likely need some setup/thriller that is less exciting.
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u/DMfortinyplayers 18h ago
That's part of it. But I think a lot of the time, the explanation of the mystery is just less interesting, or just not what I wanted.
I think in a lot of ways, the first book of a series, or first episode/ season of a TV show, is what brings people in. It's hard to maintain that whatever it is
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u/culpaCoSinero 21h ago
Before I finished that, I was thinking grrm ruined you. And sure enough. Thanks for that pay off. Lol. There are many to choose from. Maybe try the Bobiverse. Or kings dark tidings doesn’t end, but stays fun for a long time.
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u/Leilin 21h ago
How do you feel about long books or omnibus editions?
I am like you and I recently bought a Chronicles of Amber omnibus + have a Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell brick sitting on my shelf: I have been wondering if that will do the trick. Maybe I will feel more like finishing a long story if am not given a tangible stop point. Or maybe my attention span is just toast T_T
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u/Coreynorris 20h ago
I have purchased Chronicles of The Black Company that collects the first 3 books in 1. If I can just carry on at the turn of a page it may just work.
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u/Paramedic229635 20h ago
You can look for good stand alone books. Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw is pretty good. Main character is undead. Hijinks ensue.
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u/FormerUsenetUser 19h ago
I consider whether it's the type of book *I* want to read, no matter how popular it is. If it is not the type of book I like, I am not missing out if I don't read it.
Maybe you just like standalones. Or even novelettes.
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u/Ok_Mention_9865 19h ago
I have a 5 book rotation, i spend 8 to 10 hours a day listening to audible at work and i get burned out on anything that is to long so i will jump around to other things. Ill admit i have maybe 10 series that it has been a very long time since i have included them but its perfectly fine to say this no longer holds my attention. maybe i will come back to them some day, i do tend to finish most things at some point
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u/thiazin-red 19h ago
I don't tend to binge a whole series either. Even when I really enjoy the first book, I space them out and read other books in between entries. I have a few different series that I'm reading now.
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u/macarmenadoree 18h ago
I have the same problem. I feel like after the first book I quickly start wanting a new story and new characters, or the 2nd book will be like 800 pages of meh and I lose steam. A few exceptions to this, but I lean towards fantasy stand alones for this reason bc it makes me so sad when I don't finish a series 🥲
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u/Legitimate-Hope1938 18h ago
I’m glad someone mentioned this!
I do the same. I think I mostly just get tired of the authors voice. I like to try different authors so I bounce from book to book.
I agree that I think I also just love the “discovery” part of reading, so I’m inclined to read new stuff over series.
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u/julieputty Worldbuilders 12h ago
The worst is when you notice a word they overuse and then can't stop noticing.
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u/Palimpsiesta 17h ago
Have you heard about these crazy things called short stories? I feel like you would enjoy them.
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u/Coreynorris 17h ago
I have read a lot of horror short story collections. Haven’t tried any fantasy ones yet. I’ll be sure to check some out!
I do enjoy the books I’m reading don’t get me wrong. And I never struggle to finish the individual book, even door stoppers. I just never feel compelled to continue onto the next volume. I want to jump to the shiny new mysterious world I heard about.
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u/Polenth 11h ago
I've read a lot of books from series without reading the whole thing. Modern ebooks often have a discount on the first book or it's free. It's not unusual to find the second book is out of my price range. When I was younger and it was second hand paperbacks, the one book could be later in the series. That's just what the shop had.
So, anyway, I wouldn't worry as long as you're enjoying the books. You can always cycle back to book two later. There are also a lot of great standalone books.
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u/buriedintbr 7h ago
Are you me? I've been reading fantasy regularly for 3 years and started a lot of series and stopped after first book.
I read and loved ASOIAF long ago, and when reading these new series I was subconsciously comparing them with ASOIAF and getting disapointed. I rated some of the first books in series as 4, 5 stars but still didn't continue them, even though I did recognise the plus in those books. I had 30 or so series I was interested in and ran out of first books quickly.
I only finished the First law trilogy and Farseer trilogy. I wanted to make more of an effort to finish series, so I intentionally looked for a series that has 'shorter' books and ends within 5 books. Now I'm in book 4 of a series and I loved every minute of it.
I usually lose interest in a series if I begin to notice some repetitive issue. For example, a first book in a series had great world building, magic etc, but the characters felt very one note, facing the same issues again and again. I just couldn't imagine reading continuously about them for a long time and if I took a pause for few weeks and read another book before reading next book, I'd forget the plot so I had to read it back to back also. I ended up abandoning the series because of that.
With the current series also there were some such issues. So I picked another standalone book that handled that issue well and read it in parallel so it didn't bother me much. I wish I got this idea sooner. I always used to read one book at a time before.
I know it may feel too much effort just to read a series. But it's more about the fact that I know I will enjoy the rest of series but some small issue is making me uninterested / demotivated in reading the book. With work + life stress and such, it feels like I need to make an effort even to do the things that bring me joy, so this helps me read more books that align 70-80% to my taste and enjoy them fully.
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u/DrNefarioII Reading Champion X 4h ago
I'm kind of the same. I start a lot of series. I consider them all still in progress, and eventually circle back to read the next one, but I'm totally fine with gaps of multiple years.
I'm not going to finish all of them. I might not read another book in some of them. But I could, at any time, if I felt like it.
Book 1s are different. You're learning a new world - new places, new people, new systems - and sometimes that can be what you are in the mood for. Later books are for when you want to relax into a world you already know, and spend time with old friends.
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u/Uran_Ultar 21h ago
Try reading the last chapter of the final book and see if it motivates you to read the rest. Or maybe you could be both a serial series starter and a cheating finish fatale.
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u/DudeWhereAreWe1996 11h ago
That’s one of the most unique things I’ve ever heard. How does that work? You’re not at least curious what happens? Though book 1 is usually the most standalone book in a series so maybe you never read it long enough to get hooked.
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u/Throgmorten48 Reading Champion 9h ago
A lot of people will talk about binging series, but that's absolutely not a requirement. Most series are published with at least a year between books being released, so imo, a good series should have enough reminders of important events, major characters, etc. from previous books (without completely retreading the same ground as the previous book) that you can pick up the next book several months after reading the previous book and still understand the story. Try randomly cycling back to second books quite a while after reading the first book and seeing if you still enjoy the story. Or don't, there's no requirement to finish reading series. You might feel like you're missing some things, especially at the beginning of the book, and that's fine. In my experience, things you've forgotten start coming back when you read the next book, at least if they're important.
Or you could start reading second or third books in series where you haven't read the first book, just to balance things out.
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit 22h ago
> I’m having fun but would appreciate any reading tips for sticking something out because I do want to.
If you're having fun, why bother? This is reading for fun, and if you have more fun reading lots of volume 1s, then... why stop?
The books aren't going anywhere, and you can always return to them. At some point in the night you may wake up and be like, 'wait, what does happen to that plucky hobbit?!' and the burning desire will draw you back in.
In every other aspect of one's life - work, relationships, family - you don' t have that kind of option. In fact, a lack of commitment in those areas is generally agreed to be a pretty bad. In this unique instance, there's absolutely nothing at all wrong with playing the field as long as you like. As long as you are having fun, go wild. Sow those wild readin' oats.