Reading an Unfinished Book Series

To start a series or to wait several years.

Reading a series that is yet unfinished can be daunting and a leap of faith.

There are many readers out there who are frustrated with George RR Martin for continuing to leave his Song of Ice and Fire series unfinished. Fans of Patrick Rothfuss are also frustrated that the King Killer Chronicles has not yet finished. It can be easy for fans to say that they will wait until a series is finished and fully published before jumping in, yet in doing so we miss out on something special.

When Harry Potter came out I was swept away by Jim Dale’s narration of the book. I had many long car rides and his narration made those rides fly by. I would even go on drives specifically so I could listen to the books. I worried that the series would stop before it completed yet it did not. I went to midnight release parties for books six and seven. It was a joy to be in a crowd of people who all loved the same thing and were so excited for the story to continue. 

With the same excitement I dove into Martin’s Ice and Fire series. I read the first two books incredibly fast. As I was reading them A Dance with Dragons released. Looking at the publication schedule it seemed that I would need to wait at least five years for the next book which was fine. But then, nothing. It has now been more than a decade and still no news on when the Winds of Winter will be released. I would like to know how Martin envisioned the end of his story, yet I worry we will never know. 

I am a patient person and I honestly don’t mind waiting a few years for a series to be finished before starting it, yet I am choosing not to do this. Why you might ask would I risk the frustration and possible time of needing to reread a book due to the time between books being released. Well it’s simple for me. It’s in part about the community. Some of my fondest memories of the early internet are of being on forums about some of my favorite series and pouring over the details with other fans trying to find small details that would foreshadow books yet to come. 

While I doubt midnight release parties for books will be a thing again, it still is fun to see the other fans of a book series tweeting out their reactions to the books they have gotten. There is also something powerful about taking the time to anticipate the next books release. I recall reading a very well thought out essay on the Leaky Cauldron about the possibility that Kreacher was the one who went with RAB to take the horcrux. It was amazing to go back and think about this section and take time to wait to see if this theory was indeed correct. Getting to craft theories like this is something that we miss when we read a series start to finish without pause. 

I think this is also something that we lose when we are given full access to a TV season all at once. The fun can often be at trying to guess what will happen next and the community is robbed of that when the answer is to just watch the next episode because it is already there for you. Waiting and discovering as you go allows the reader or viewer to feel more engaged. We get to think, to feel rewarded for noticing foreshadowing and be there as the story unfolds. Fan theories can be some of the most enjoyable parts of exploring a series as it slowly releases over time. We miss out on this when we are able to start and finish a series, whether it be TV or book, all at once. Further when we have all the answers waiting for us we have no incentive to think deeply and to pay attention to the small details. Discovering a series in many ways is an exercise for the mind and allows us to dive deeper in the narrative. 

Still, it can be difficult to trust that a series will end. TV shows are canceled before they can tell their story, and book series sometimes just are not finished. Even books that are commercially successful, such as A Song of Ice and Fire, will not ensure that the author will finish the story. While authors do not owe their readers anything there is an unspoken promise that is made when a series is started, and that is that it will be finished. I think of Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time series. He knew that he would be unable to finish his work and thus ensured that there was a steward to continue his story after he passed. Jordan ensured that the unspoken promise of finishing his story was fulfilled, even if not by him. We as readers agree to show up, to read the books and to continue with the next installment of the series. We support the authors through purchasing their books and if we can attending their book signings and convention appearances. 

So while at times I might be disappointed at never knowing the ‘real’ ending of a story I enjoy the ride too much not to continue to be a part of series as they are developing. Presently I am enjoying Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series which likely will not be finished for another 20 years. I’m going to enjoy discovery and possibly midnight release parties as the time goes by. So let us all pick up book one of a new series, read, and reread it as we await the next book to see what theories held up, and which we were just wrong about!