Have you ever finished a book and thought to yourself: I wish there were more books in this series? Or alternatively, have you ever encountered a series so long you think: I wish this was all over already?!
I’ve definitely been in both situations. With this post I would like to get your opinion: do you prefer short series or longer book series?
Of course the shortest a series can be is two books, also called a duology which Google insists is not a real word. It is, okay?!
And then on the other end there are series that consist of over 20 books! I personally think that’s a lot, but it’s not something that necessarily daunts me. One of my favorite science fiction series, Touched by an Alien/Katherine ‘Kitty’ Katt, has 17 books out now, with three more on the way. I’m currently on book 11 and definitely not sick of the series yet.
Then there are also books that are part of a longer series but you don’t necessarily have to read in order. A lot of thrillers are like this, because even though the characters remain the same, the plot of each book is different and there’s no large overarching plot. Sure, the characters might progress throughout the books, but it’s not always important to the plot. Anyway, that probably makes a long series seem less daunting, too.
The Pros and Cons of Long and Short Series
There are many pros and cons to long and short series, and I think ultimately it depends on the quality of the story. I’ve binged entire series back to back, but I’ve also left months or even years between books of the same series. And also, some series definitely needed to be extended. The Shatter Me series to me was incomplete with just the first three books, so when it was extended I was really happy. We got a lot more world building in the next three books, and the plot overall got way better.
Nevertheless, here are two graphics that list some of the pros and cons!
So what do you think? Do you prefer long or short series? Do you read more of one than the other? What are your favorite long or short series? I want to know your opinion!
