Does size matter?

[Black Dragon]

Book size, that is.

Does the length of a novel influence your decision to read it? Are you more or less likely to read a larger book?

What about the size of a series? If there are many books in a series, are you less likely to start reading it?

 

[Map the Dragon]

I wouldn't say that it matters entirely, but there are extremes. When I picked up Sanderson's new novel, The Way of Kings, I let it sit for a few months - putting it off till I had the time to dedicate. In the meantime, I probably read ten other books. So maybe it just looked daunting at 1001 pages. I spent a good amount of time and money reading the Dragonlance series that I fell in love with as a preteen and read through adulthood. There are some series that I simply haven't given a chance because I didn't want to dedicate as much time and energy to reading them as I did DL; I wanted to mix and match genres and authors and not be so loyal to one world. I have to be honest, though, and say that if a fantasy novel looked too thin, I might get suspicious.

 

[At Dusk I Reign]

The more books in a series the less likely I am to believe that the author has anything interesting to say. Once something goes past a trilogy I automatically suspect padding, and I've seldom been proved wrong. Individual books are a different prospect, and if the initial paragraph grabs me by the throat I'll usually stick with it.

 

[BeigePalladin]

I choose from the cover, then get asked why I bought such a big book, and why not get the e-book (my friends don;t understand the sheer epicness of real books )

 

[Behelit]

For me, thick books spell out padding. Some of my favorite stories are less than 200 pages (some less than 50) none of them over 400.

 

[JoanofArch]

Completely misinterpreted the title of the thread XD

But in all seriousness, I have a hard time taking really huge-looking books seriously anymore. A series to me used to mean something I could follow consistently for a few years, but now I look at a series and it just seems like work, and a lot of money. Ironically enough, I'd love to write a series someday. I don't know how I expect to get any support, when my own attitude towards series is so negative.

If it's big, it better be worth it. The last big book I bought was Lonely Wolf Girl by Martin Millar, and that's only because I know what a minimalistic writer he is. He HATES words with more than four or five letters, and he doesn't mess around with pointless filler. If he's written a five hundred page book, it's because there's a lot happening in it.

 

[Chase Simba]

Huge books are often just filler, using excessively long words and unnecessary descriptions to add page filler. However, this is not always the case.
Matthew Reilly is one of my favourite authors, and he writes long-ish books. But it's filled with as much action as he can put in. He doesn't add filler, he just doesn't need it.
Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle is a collection of big books, but any scene he writes is either plot driven or actually adds something to the book.
I have read quite a few long books, only to find them dull, slow, and unnecessarily long, but I keep reading long books in order to find a gem.
Because in the end, I find it's worth it.

 

[Ophiucha]

Though I definitely don't avoid big books or long series -- it's fantasy, and let's be honest, that defines a good 60% or more of the genre -- I am definitely far, far more attracted to short novels (sub 100k) and novellas. Even short story anthologies. A think fantasy book is far more likely to warrant a spontaneous read or purchase than a beast. I really only buy big novels or novels in series if I know the author or know OF the author (that is, he is well-recommended by friends or a community such as this).