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Your list of started series grows and grows but (like me) you're not finishing them/catching up to the most recent release?

This thread is for you, series starters!

As a fun challenge, we'll see how many of our started series we can actually finish or catch up with by the end of the year, in order to:
- reduce that huge TBR a bit
- actually see some big, mind-blowing finales (!!)
- feel more accomplishment
- read stuff before we've forgotten how it all started and need to re-read, and
- free up mind space for new series!

So, here's my list of series I want to finish or catch up with by the end of the year, and which books I need to read to accomplish that:

1) The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson��
Books left to read:
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2) Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence��
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3) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo��
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4) Lightbringer by Brent Weeks��
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5) Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee
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5) Finder Chronicles by Suzanne Palmer��
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6) Aurora Rising by Amy Kaufman & Jay Kristoff��
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7) Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb


Only two months left. Can I finish/catch up with all 7 series within that time? 👀 (Obviously I have more started series, but this is what I think might be doable.)

Who feels like joining me and finishing THEIR started series? (If anyone wants to do a buddy-read that would also be lovely.)

I want to do this but mood and price are in the way.

Series to finish:
Zones of Thought by Vernor Vinge (1/3) - read one, two left, I'll see if I want to continue after the 2nd book.
Planetfall by Emma Newman (1/4) - at least I have all the copies
The Poppy War by RF Kuang - for sure I'll finish this since I already preordered the last book
Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu - the last book released but still too expensive

Series to be kept up to date:
Firefly by James Lovegrove (2/4) - waiting for lower price
Finder Chronicles by Suzanne Palmer (1/2) - idem

1. Book of the Ancestor Series by Mark Lawrence

= reading this one now



2. Echoes of the Fall by Adrian Tchaikovsky





3. Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara



4. Elaki Series by Lynn S. Hightower

= read but will need to reread




Don't know if I'll make it past that

Yay, so cool! Thank you for joining, guys!

Let's vanquish some evil instead of always seeing it "rising" in book 1! 🗡️��

(Actually now that I think about it none of those series are about vanquishing evil... we'll vanquish the evil series, then!)

Sylvana: I've been meaning to read A Deepness in the Sky (book two of the Zones of Thought) for ages! If you want company, let me know and maybe we can buddy-read it. But if you prefer to mood-read I can understand that very well also.

CB: We have Holy Sister in common! 😊 Same thing applies: I'd be happy to buddy-read it.

I want to go on reading the The Invisible Library series. I read The Masked City too and want to go on reading The Burning Page and the books after it.

I also read Skyward this year and want to go on and read Starsight.

I have other series I want to go on reading, but I'll probably leave them for 2021 since this year is almost finishing. One of them is The Bear and the Nightingale series. I'll eventually read The Girl in the Tower

CBRetriever wrote: "1. Book of the Ancestor Series by Mark Lawrence

= reading this one now



2. Echoes..."

I would like to read more Mark Lawrence but I have been afraid of touching any Grimdark book due to the current reality.

This would be a good thread at the beginning of a year. Now at the end I'm so cluttered with must-reads that I don't follow up on series.

Gabi wrote: "This would be a good thread at the beginning of a year. Now at the end I'm so cluttered with must-reads that I don't follow up on series."

An idea for 2021? I have been keeping a record of series I follow for a few years now and it definitely helps.

If you want more challenge to clear up your series debts, I suggest going with the x for 1 challenge, i.e. finish/update/abandon x number of series before starting another one. I'm having the 2 for 1 challenge now.

Eva wrote: "Sylvana: I've been meaning to read A Deepness in the Sky (book two of the Zones of Thought) for ages! If you want company, let me know and maybe we can buddy-read it. But if you prefer to mood-read I can understand that very well also."

I'll let you know by the end of November :D I deliberately have my December schedule empty since I want to be more flexible.

I second the idea of making it a challenge for 2021. I'm behind on most of my 2020 challenges, so it'd be difficult to catch up on my series right now.

I should however focus on them at some point, taking into consideration that I have 42 started series. I'm keeping a spreadsheet, because otherwise I would be lost. 19 of them are ongoing series, but still... Making it a group challenge would be an extra motivation.

Yes, I had been planning to make it a challenge for 2021, as well, but actually had planned to do little "within the next two/three months" challenges because year-long challenges are always too long for me. I like planning 2 months or so ahead, but when I plan ahead further than that I end up not following my plan. So I prefer these shorter sprints, they're just easier for me to follow. But if anyone wants to do a whole-year challenge next year, please do! Personally, I think I'll stick to more short-term stuff. :-)

Leticia wrote: "I would like to read more Mark Lawrence but I have been afraid of touching any Grimdark book due to the current reality."

No need to fear this series, I think: the characters are likable and have pretty altruistic motivations, there is ZERO sexual violence (not even a threat or mention) in the entire series, it's about saving the world: no discernible grimdark trope so far. It does have fighting and violence and one scene of animal abuse (perpetrated by a villain) and the world is clearly ending (if nobody saves it), but I usually don't like grimdark and had no issue with this series. :-)

Maybe we could do a hybrid? I can’t join a new challenge now, but I do have plenty of series that I could make an effort to finish. So starting fresh in January would be better for me. Like Eva, I never seem to achieve any of the year long challenges, so psychologically, it might be better for me to break it up into 2 or 3-month chunks. So, we could let people decide how they want to do it; in chunks or as a whole year thing.

Ooh, this is great, Eva! I have a few series I definitely want to finish this year, and a lot more for next year.

This year:

1) Planetfall by Emma Newman:


2) Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner


3) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
currently reading:

This has been my low key goal for the last month or so. So far I finished the Cassandra Kressnov series, the Shades of Magic Trilogy, and the Daevabad trilogy. I'm currently working on the Chrestomanci series and The Expanse. I've got so many trilogies where I only have read the first book so it would take to much to write them all out but I intend to finish more of them before taking on series starters.

I agree this would be a great year long challenge as well. So I would be down for a support thread in the new year as well.

yes - for next year I have

over 20 Drizzt books
18 Saga of Recluce books
Elizabeth Kerner's Tales of Kolmar books (3)
Jo Clayton's Duel of Sorcery trilogy
Ru Emerson's Tales of Nedao series and Night Threads series (7 books)
Mark Lawrence's Impossible Times series

and a lot more

Hah, I definitely have too many series to finish by the end of this year, but I'll give a few of them a try. Adding to everyone else who'd do this as a yearlong challenge next year.

But for this year, I'll try and finish or catch up on some shorter/ongoing series:

Thank you everyone for replying, joining in and for your thoughts. I've reconsidered the suggestion of a year-long challenge and think that actually I can make such a thread for next year, and I'll just break it up into intermittent goals to make it easier for more short-term thinkers. :-)

Perfect! That works for me!

me too - I'll hold off on the series except for the Book of the Ancestor Series of which I'm now reading the second book Grey Sister

Silvana wrote: "Gabi wrote: "An idea for 2021? I have been keeping a record of series I follow for a few years now and it definitely helps."

Same here, Silvana. Excel is doing good service! From my spreadsheet, I have... [redacted] series that I am genuinely interested in finishing at some point. (It's more than 20. It's... almost twice as much as 20.)

As far as the end of this year, here's Beth going into easy mode.


Over halfway done with this, and finishing this second volume will have me all caught up.



If I have time,
OR
Shadowed Sun has been on TBR the longest of anything on my spreadsheet. We'll see what happens--I've read 100 pages of both of these a couple of times and lost interest.

I'm definitely up for something similar for next year. Those almost-twice-as-much-as-20 series ain't gonna read themselves!

I need to finish -

The First Law

The Stormlight Archive

The Witcher

Gentlemen Bastards

I’m not super far into Witcher so I probably won’t get that one this year.

Oh I like this! I also find that I do better with short-term challenges. Like, I love Space Opera September. Love your idea of morphing the two together, Eva!

For the rest of this year, I want to finish Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee. I'd also like to read Queen of Nothing by Holly Black. 2 books seems like a manageable goal before December 31st :)

I also need/want to read those two Brandon Sanderson books! It's been 4 years since I read the previous two so I should probably do a reread, but it feels overwhelming. I won't add those to my official list.

So, I’m incorrigible for reading the first book of a series and not reading the rest. These are the series I would like to finish one day that I can’t think of off the top of my head:

Native Tongue Trilogy, by Suzette Haden Elgin

Dragon Prince Trilogy, by Melanie Rawn

Gifts trilogy by UKL (I’m actually hoarding these a bit)

Deryni, Katherine Kerr (I’ve read the first Tril but not the rest - there are 16!)

The Broken Earth, NK Jemisin

Patternmaster, Octavia Butler (I’ve read 2 of 4)

I know there’s more.

Stephanie wrote: "I also need/want to read those two Brandon Sanderson books! It's been 4 years since I read the previous two so I should probably do a reread, but it feels overwhelming."

Have a look at these fantastic recaps on youtube, they'll save you the trouble of having to reread:

Way of Kings:

Words of Radiance:

Watching these two saved me from having to reread anything and I could just jump into Oathbringer yesterday without any issues (and I'm already on page 708 because I seem to be inhaling it).

@Beth: Lol about the "redacted" amount of open series you're currently reading: mine are in the same number range! 😅

I tried to sort my bookshelf a bit into series I want to follow up after book 1 and series I will abandon.

I have 29 series I want to read on ... this will take a serious amount of time - especially since one of them is the Wheel of Time series ^^'.

29 Lol, but you read so fast Gabi that you better keep something for next year. ;-)

I've been lately not wanting to commit to long series but rather to trilogies, the exceptions being The Invisible Library and The Bone Season. I'll pick more next year.

Leticia wrote: "29 Lol, but you read so fast Gabi that you better keep something for next year. ;-)"

LOL! I won't read any of those this year. I'm still trying to keep up with the possible Hugo-nominations. That keeps me busy these last months.
But for next year this would be a nice challenge.

Oh! I forgot the Stormlight (?) series (Sanderson). I read The Way of Kings last year and definitely want to continue. Thanks for the links to the summaries, Eva!

Gabi wrote: "

LOL! I won't read any of those this year. I'm still trying to keep up with the possible Hugo-no..."

Dang I just realize in four months is the nomination period again. I look forward to see your ballot later :D

Diane wrote: "So, I’m incorrigible for reading the first book of a series and not reading the rest."

That's definitely how my [redacted] number got so high.

"Dragon Prince Trilogy, by Melanie Rawn"

Ooh! You'll be getting a PM soon, Diane.

That mention of Dragon Prince got me thinking of the longest and/or oldest series that I'm midway through.

The Hound and the Falcon: 3 books, 1985-86. Read: 1

Deverry: 16 books, 1986-2020 (!). Read: 2, own 8

Discword: 41 (main series) books, 1983-2015. Read: 11, own 20-ish. I don't necessarily count this one because the "read" list fills itself out as I feel like reading the next one sequentially. Pyramids is a little boring though...

Pern: a bunch, between the ones written by McCaffrey herself and her son Todd, 1968-present. Read: 2, own 4. I might just finish up the YA series and White Dragon and call it a day on this one.

Chronicles of Elantra: 15 books, 2007-present. Obviously more recent, but quite long. Read: 3, own 4.

Beth wrote: "Chronicles of Elantra: 15 books, 2007-present. Obviously more recent, but quite long. Read: 3, own 4"

I just have the last one plus the start of the new series to go

Let's see if I make it, though I highly doubt it:

First Law Trilog, right now:Before They Are Hanged
Ember Series: A ​Sky Beyond the Storm
Entire The Poppy War trilogy
entire Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set

and of course these, though that'll never happen:
The Doors of Stone
The Winds of Winter
The Thorn of Emberlain

CBRetriever wrote: "I just have the last one plus the start of the new series to go"

Thanks for the heads up on the new series, CBR. Hadn't heard about it at all. I'll probably want to take these in pub order, so it'll be some time before I get to it...

Eva wrote: "Have a look at these fantastic recaps on youtube, they'll save you the trouble of having to reread:

AH thank you! That is exactly what I need!

I also have tons of series left unfinished... many of which I wouldn't mind finishing someday... just hard to make the time when there's always the allure of something new. Also sequels often are not as good as the original. I'll have to cross reference with reviews to find the ones where consensus is that the series improves or at least maintains quality as it goes.

Off the top of my head the series I've read book one but never any follow-ups, despite enjoying the first:

Raksura series (just read Cloud Roads)
Semiosis (never read the second part of the duology)
Atlas Alone (loved it, haven't gotten to the others)
Termeraire (loved His Majesty's Dragon)
Natural History of Dragons (own the series, only read first)
The Color of Magic
The Warded Man (I enjoyed the first but it was problematic)
Earthsea (adored the first just haven't gotten to others)
InCryptid

Also there's a special mention for The Wheel of Time where I read the first 7(?) books and then gave up on it during college when the last one was too much of a slog and my reading time was under too much pressure. Loved it for the first 5-6 books though but hard to imagine going back to re-read them and for whatever reason I don't seem to agree with Sanderson (have started and DNF'ed Mistborn multiple times, stopped reading Way of Kings a few hundred pages in, keep wanting to retry as many friends like him but at this point maybe just not for me?)

Also... Red Sister was great, haven't read the rest.

Christopher wrote: "Also... Red Sister was great, haven't read the rest."

I finished Grey Sister last night and am on to Holy Sister.

i love a series, my biggest problem is when a new books is added, i have to re read the whole series again

Although i must admit i skim the descriptive bits

at the moment re reading Demon Accord by John Conroe, as i ahve bought the new book

This is the perfect challenge for me. I have tons and tons of unfinished series. To be realistic I've chosen two I can manage to finish/catch up by the end of the year.

1) "Legacy of Orisha" - I've read the first book so I have "Children of Virtue and Vengence" to read

2) Andre Norton's "Witch World" ("The Estcarp Cycle") - 3 books to read: "The Gate of the Cat", "Ciara's Song", "The Duke's Ballad" (I include books written with Lyn McConchie)

If it will go well I might add a guilty pleasure series "Throne of Glass" by J.S. Maas or "Dora Wilk" a Polish urban fantasy series by Aneta Jadowska.

Update: I've now finished Oathbringer, Crooked Kingdom and Raven Stratagem, but disliked the last one, so instead of finishing the Machineries of Empire series this year, I'll catch up with Suzanne Palmer's Finders Chronicles.

Count me in for this challenge next year. Back in the spring I decided that 2021 will focus on finishing the many series that I started but haven't been able to continue due to book club commitments.

I've not started Tchaikovsky's Echoes of the Fall series yet but that's one that I want to devour soon.
The last book in the Expanse series on release.
One of Robin Hobbs series. Not sure which yet.
The Poppy War series.
The sequels to Rosewater.
The Winternight Trilogy (The Bear and nightingale sequels).
The Licanius Trilogy.
Fonda Lee's Green Bone saga.
The Pelbar Cycle by Paul O. Williams
Lady Astronaut (Maybe).
Silo by Hugh Howey
Jo Waltons Thessaly series.
The Terra Ignota series. I may have finished this already but I have it as a trilogy in my mind despite goodreads telling me it's a... quadrulogy (Quartet?).


I really need to stop starting incomplete series.

This is a great idea. I had a goal at the start of the year to make progress on series reads. I did okay, but I'm also looking at what I'll be rolling over to next year. In the interest of full disclosure, I have at least 20 series in various states of progress (sci fi, fantasy and mystery).

Like others have mentioned, at this point in the year I'm trying to wrap up reading challenges. I would be totally into a group challenge with discussion for cheering each other on and setting short-term goals.

Yay! I'll definitely make that thread for 2021. :-)

finished the Red, Grey and Holy Sister series. Excellent reads

Yeah I should set some goals for 2021

Of course, instead of reading any of the series continuations... I've started another series. Yey! Bravo me ;)

Me too, I figured that since I've now read 3 continuations, I can start at least one or two new series! 🤭

Aga wrote: "Of course, instead of reading any of the series continuations... I've started another series. Yey! Bravo me ;)"

Sounds eerily familiar. I'm doing this all the time myself. Especially in the last year, it seems that for every series I finish, I start 3 new ones 😅

CBRetriever wrote: "1. Book of the Ancestor Series by Mark Lawrence

= reading this one now



2. Echoes..."

Thank you for introducing me to Adrian Tchaikovsky! I really enjoyed The Tiger and the Wolf and look forward to the next in the series.