A Series That's Lost Its Lustre.

[jenmck]

For my birthday, I got a gift certificate for Borders. I picked up an Elizabeth Peters book since I was behind on the Amelia Peabody series.

 

I've finally given up.

 

"The Serpent On The Crown" was, I think, the nineteenth of the series. Maybe there should be some kind of limit. Not only was this one too predictable for my taste, but the characters seem the same.

 

I was very disappointed. When Peters began to include portions of Ramses point of view in her Peabody mysteries, I was ecstatic. But now, the plots seems to be recycled.

 

Am I just being harsh here? Anyone else kept up with this series?

 

I didn't know where else to vent this. You know, I do this with my friends and they give me that blank look "You've read nineteen of these? Are you crazy?"

 

You guys will understand.

[Michelle]

I've not read that series, but I have the same disappointment with JD Robb's In Death series. When I first discovered them, I devoured them.. but recently they've disappointed. The main characters and their relationships remain too perfect, the crime stories themselves are rather blah... Some of the recent ones were better than others, and I can't quite bring myself to give up, but I would love to see the series come to end.. with a really dramatic final book.

[jenmck]

Well, maybe it's just me.

 

I guess I like the way Patricia Wentworth did all her books. There was always the same detective and a smattering of recurring characters BUT the story was always told from a different character's point of view.

 

Perhaps that my problem with the Amelia Peabodys. There isn't real growth in Amelia's character. They've spanned twenty years but she hasn't changed much.

 

I'm just sad because I LOVED this series.

 

muttermutterwhinewhinegrumbleangstagnst

[Roland Butter]

Now that sounds like a topic for an intellectual discussion!

 

I think it's a generic problem with all "series", isn't it? It must be difficult to write a dozen or more books where, say, someone basically solves a crime (and that's about the extent of it) without exhausting all the plausible plot lines, or taking the character development about as far as it can go. By the time you've reached that stage, your characters are so well formed that it's difficult to develop them further, or put them in radically new situations, without stretching your readers' credulity.

 

I know that I gave up on the Robert Rankin "Brentford" novels for precisely that reason - they just got so "samey" I became bored - and even Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books have tested my goodwill at times. I read Jasper Fforde's "The Fourth Bear" on holiday recently, and I had visions of his other books turning out the same way, so I'm not particularly minded to read any more.

 

I think that publishers - or certainly the major ones - like to give deals to authors who can deliver series, presumably because they guarantee maximum return for minimum effort, but I'm not sure that's necessarily in the interests of good writing. There must be many talented authors struggling to get published on a one-off basis, and I've come to realise that it's well worth exploring the smaller imprints if you're looking for quality literature. Catherine O'Flynn's "What Was Lost" , published by Tindal Street Press, is a good example.

 

It would be interesting to hear if anyone knows of any series which manage to stay fresh over a lifespan of, say, a dozen books.

[jenmck]

Good question. The only series that have stayed fresh for me was Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn series. The plots always seemed fresh and I didn't notice the repetition of characters.

Also, there was character growth, especially in Agatha Troy as she goes from single artist ("Artists In Crime") to established married woman. ("Black As He's Painted")

 

And it's not like I can't sympathize.

 

I wrote a series that has become fairly popular and there have been some reviewers that have asked me when (note: not IF) I was writing the fourth in the series. No way.

 

Number one, there aren't any ideas popping up that involve the recurring character. Number two, I'd be recycling the same idea again.

 

I made the decision to leave it alone. But the pressure to come up with SOMETHING was enormous. Is it possible that other writers feel this pressure?

 

This Elizabeth Peters book reinforced to me that I made the right choice to leave the series alone. If there's nothing there, forcing it only disappoints the reader.

[aromaannie]

I've recently given up on Patricia Cornwell - I've just really struggled with her last books

[jazz]

Jonathan Kellerman-The Alex Delaware series, the first few were fantastic, the last few books I really struggled with.

[jenmck]

It's nice to know it's not just me.

[muggle not]

James Lee Burke has written 16 books with Dave Robicheaux as the main character. The books keep getting better and better. The stories take place in Southern Louisiana (New Iberia and New Orleans). Robicheaux is a very complex guy and the stories are hard hitting. I enjoy his writing as much as any living writer.

 

My point is this is one series that not only has not lost its lustre, but has got better.

[jenmck]

James Lee Burke has written 16 books with Dave Robicheaux as the main character. The books keep getting better and better. The stories take place in Southern Louisiana (New Iberia and New Orleans). Robicheaux is a very complex guy and the stories are hard hitting. I enjoy his writing as much as any living writer.

 

My point is this is one series that not only has not lost its lustre, but has got better.

 

I'll have to check out that series. I LOVE series books.