TLC Forum

I was super disappointed in the Maze Runner trilogy. Aside from the fact that Thomas was a total Stu, I thought that the whole conclusion felt rushed and forced.

I agree about the Pendragon Cycle. I initially thought it was a trilogy. When I found the fourth and fifth books, I was ecstatic, thinking I would finally have a conclusion to the trilogy. I was very wrong. They actually left me more confused than before (and I found the third book pretty confusing). That being said, I absolutely love that series, especially the first two books. I haven't been able to read Avalon yet, but I don't think I'll put too much effort into finding a copy.

Finished the Ender Quartet yesterday. Glad it's over. I think I should probably have stopped with Ender's Game, though there is a very moving bit at the end of Ender's Shadow, but it's a grim story to get there...maybe I could have just read the last two chapters and been fine.

Really? Does the rest of the quintet get worse than Speaker for the Dead (which is bad in philosophy and some content yet weirdly interesting)?

I don't think I've had any run-ins with bad series' endings recently but there's one series I can't bring myself to finish: The Wingfeather Saga.
I know some have good things to say about it, but, for me, it isn't worth putting in the effort. At first, I thought I liked the series but after putting more thought into what I was reading, I decided it just was not for me. I found it too predictable and guessed major plot points just by reading the first pages of each novel. If the author wants to put in "plot twists" I don't want to be able to guess them within the first chapter. The characters, save two or three, were not likable and characters make or break a book for me. The last part of the third book didn't leave me emotional like the author might have wanted - I was annoyed. Since the storytelling didn't leave the best impressions I don't believe I'll be purchasing the fourth book.

Yeah, I think the general consensus is that it gets worse after Speaker for the Dead (I never read Ender in Exile.). Violamum and Googfyclan seem to like the companion series featuring Bean pretty well, though, and as I said, the ending to Ender's Shadow did get me, even though the story is rather bleak. Xenocide and Children of the Mind make me think way too hard in comparison to the enjoyment factor. If I want to think, I'll read Lawhead. If I want to mindlessly enjoy something, I'll read John Flanagan or some other YA fiction. (Maybe this is what's so appealing about Narnia. It demands very little from the reader on the first pass but basic enjoyment, but there's plenty to think about later if one wants to.)

Regarding Wingfeather, I'll admit the author kind of broke a cardinal rule of writing with the end of book 3, possibly because he didn't realize who The Monster in the Hollows was until partway through writing it >.<

But that's nothing to the rule he breaks at the end of book four, so...to each her own.

The Wingfeather Saga ending basically ruined the entire series for me. : P And it just wasn't a fabulous series. The head-hopping almost made me stop the series, and, like Ela said, the characters were.....mostly unlikeable.



SPOILERS!!!
For example, I wasn't the least bit sad when Podo died. He was really a boring character, in my opinion.
END SPOILERS!!!


And...well, a couple of you already know of my detestation for Sara Cobbler. She is the Suest Sue to ever Sue. SHE HAS LITERALLY NO FLAWS. It makes for a very boring character.
Like someone else said, I immediately guessed who the monster in the hollows was. And I also was disappointed that they didn't explore the relationships between the sets of brothers more. That's just my opinion on the series. I thought it was better...until the ending. And then I hated it so much that all the stuff I disliked before became.....worse in my mind. I know some of you really like it...and I'm not trying to insult the series, I just don't particularly like it.

kristi wrote:What about you? Have you read any series you wish you'd abandoned sooner? Or that made you want to burn the lot when you reached the final page?

Sagan om Isfolket, Sandemo.

It turns out one of the heros, Marco, is none other than Satan. Byron style - the noble rebel who defied a narcissistic God, you know that rant.

The bad guy is some kind of Antichrist figure, the protagonists are his relatives, who have taken side against him. The scenario is pretty much like Rob Skiba's scenario for Nimrod, except that in the end there is a merely human defeat of this guy (and diabolic too).

Now, that book series is really sth which I do not recommend anyone to read.

kristi wrote:What's with all the series lately where you've followed something for four to seven books, the stakes couldn't be higher (danger, death, world domination), only to find that ALL THE VILLAIN REALLY NEEDED WAS A HUG (No, seriously. Hug him and he'll go wibbly and lay down and conveniently die.) Without naming names, I've read two or three series with that approach recently.

There was ONE such villain in that series, but not the major one.

Some guys are like that.

I agree with Kristi about the sequels to The Imaginarium Geographicum. Book one was enjoyable, but the sequels less so until the end when the plot was so frustrating that reading was like walking uphill barefoot through stickers. I wanted so much to love this series but...

yeah, the sequels were bad.

I loved the Wingfeather Saga, but I can appreciate that others didn't. It's all cool.

Lil wrote:I've had series that I wish I abandoned, but more for my mental state then for poor quality of the writing. Though his tendancy to kill off characters who were not major players (or in this case of this one book everyone one except the two protagonists) did annoy me.

kristi wrote:You gonna tell us which series? Or would that be too spoilery?

Warning: Due to the sometimes dark nature of later books, young should be advised to avoid the Shannarah series of books, and sensitive readers this review.

*returns about three to four years late to answer question*

Kristi, I think I was referring to Terry Brooks Shannarah series. (Not TLC or Lil recommend.) Although a friend of mine is very certain they are terrible writing, I'm not critic of good taste so I couldn't say. I liked the first one when I read it was a kid "The Sword of Shannarah." Then I found Lord of the Rings and realized how very plagiarism-y the Shannarah seemed. #genericfantasywriting.

The series and the following one "The heritage of Shannarah" had some parts that I really liked and characters too and interesting ideas, but they got a whole lot darker over the series. Sword" is in my opinion the best and lightest of them which features an evil overlord baddie overcome by truth. (The author tries to follow a family line, but sometimes jumps many years ahead so you don't really find out what happened to the other people other books.) It also has demons, I think featured in the second book I think, progressing to the last book in the heritage of Shannarah (at least that I read) into a sort of evil demonic zombie like force that takes people over. (There's no god that I remember being mentioned, unless it's in 'Sword' and the demons are defeated by magic. I didn't at all appreciate the making of something spiritual into a fantasy element.)

I appreciate the chance to have gained ideas from his universe (however generic) and to meet (to me) interesting characters, but the forces the characters often fight is pretty dark sometimes. I can't think that I'd ever re-read this series.