Long stories

[JamesTFHS]

So i read some review or view if you will on some pretty lengthy books and series that ive enjoyed. to name them A song of ice and fire and the wheel of time. Alot of people complain about the length of these books and the overall series. Is there a decreased interest in long books or stories lately? I get being daunted by the wheel of time but i dont get people dislike ASOIAF its only going to be seven(pray to the gods only seven) books what is the big deal? Do you still like longer stories?

Im a little concerned do to the fact im planning a 10 book story all of them with large page numbers but lets focus on published works not my rough draft.

 

[Ireth]

I don't think it's a problem with long series in and of themselves; it seems to be that some authors stretch and drag out their stories for a maximum number of books (and maximum profit) when it could easily be condensed into something a fraction of the size, and lose none of the plot.

 

[Sheriff Woody]

Many people like or dislike things for very stupid reasons.

Nothing wrong with a long book or a long story, as long as it's good.

 

[kayd_mon]

I love A Song of Ice and Fire, and even though there is criticism for the "bloating" in the last two books, I ate them up. I love the world and all the details.
I haven't read The Wheel of Time, but I plan on starting the long haul, perhaps this spring.

A long series is great for me. I tend to get really into stories, and the more I can get, the better (provided that the stories remain engaging).

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Personally I don't mind it a bit. In fact I prefer serial stories in the 3 to 8 book range (WoT dragged on a bit long for me and in directions I didn't care for so I stopped reading at 10...). Nor do I mind lengthy books if that's what the story calls for 800+ pages is no concern for me as long as I'm enjoying the work.

Some readers, choose not to read a series until it is fully completed. This comes from a desire not interrupt the storyline with years in between or see authors die before completion. I get that, yet I don't mind the wait or anticipation.

 

[Ankari]

I have a habit of only buying novels that belong to a serial story. The length of the series doesn't matter, as long as every book is full of story and not just filler. Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen spanned over 10 books. I never though it was too long (In fact, I was upset that so many threads were unaddressed by the end of the series). I should place another requirement on long serials: the author needs to produce the novels in a reasonable time frame. GRRM started writing is ASOIF series well before Steven Erikson wrote his series and GRMM is still stuck on book 6!

Uh oh. /rantoff

 

[Devor]

I don't mind the length of the series, so long as it's intended to be a lengthy series and structured accordingly. Harry Potter, for instance, was clearly always planned for seven books, with each book moving through a clear story arc, and the overall story developing at a smooth pace. Song of Ice and Fire - while it has many strengths - had book four split in half, and the second half didn't even finish the storyline GRRM was building up to. That's a pretty big pacing problem.

Other series go on without an end in sight. Sometimes the only connection between books is the setting, and I can respect that approach. Other times there's a building story arc that starts strong and weakens or feels stretched after a few books. I think that's when there's a problem.

 

[MadMadys]

As long as I'm never aware that I'm reading a long story, I don't mind. The moment I have the thought "wow, this is long" it's usually because I've been taken out of the story and I'm disappoint