Stand alone Novels or Series?

Title says it all!

There's always the excitement of the next in the series but what about those one off books that are brilliant all by themselves? I mean, imagine say... Twilight (I have read it dun dun dun... I prefer HP though) where

SPOILER!

Laurent and his group are trying to kill Bella - some of the group is still alive by the end right? It wouldn't feel complete if it ended there because Victoria would still want her... but say North Child/East -

SPOILER

Why on earth would anything else happen to Rose or Neddy once the Troll Queen's palace is destroyed etc or when the Charles is freed

Just thought I'd see your opinions

Most of my favorite books are actually series. If it's good, then I love reading it. I just love growing with the characters and sticking with them for as long as I can. And yes, there is the incredible excitement of waiting for the next, and a slight feeling of loss when I've read it and then have to wait a whole year for the next one. Like Percy Jackson, for instance. I just finished the Son of Neptune yesterday, and it was amazing, and fantastic, and funny and completely lived up to my expectations and even more. But then it was over. And now I have to sit here till next fall waiting for the Mark of Athena.

Stephenie Meyer is an amazing romance writer, I'll give her that. She can really suck you in with all the love and the sexual tension, but her characters are just... no. Edward is too perfect and over protective. Bella is just plain and a damsel in distress who can't stand up for herself. And Jacob had lived up to his expectations and acted like a true puppy dog.
And the ending (I'm a 101% sure Maris will agree with me on this one) was not good news. A total happy ending is a big fail for a serious writer. You can't think "Oh, I love that character, I don't wanna kill him" if you wanna write a good story. J.K. Rowling cried while writing Fred's death, but it was essential for the progress of the story, and she had to do it, weather she was fond of it or not. Two days after Edward complains she won't be having kids she gets pregnant, and Jacob also gets his happy end, imprinting on Renesmee. It's just not right.

Anyway, for me, series it is. I love having a whole collection of books on my bookshelf in which one character can be 11 at one moment and 17 at the next. You get to meet them, learn their virtues, their flaws. If the series is about teenagers, you can see them develop through time and twist and change... I just love it

I'm with Lizzie. I definitely prefer a book series over a stand-alone novel, for a number of reasons.
To start off, if it's a good series, I can't wait for the next installment because I know part 2 will be just as good For example, The Chronicles of Narnia or A Song of Ice and Fire. A Dance with Dragons, book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire, took 6 years to come out but it was so worth the wait. For one thing, it's certainly long enough for a 6-year book in the making; and it was absolutely mind-blowing. I'm still re-reading bits; I can't get enough of it. As for great stand-alone books, I always get sad that they're over and always end up wishing for a part 2
Another reason is how you get to grow up with book series. Harry Potter, for example. I think half of the world's population grew up with that book. And by growing up with it and reading it so much, you learn things, like Lizzie said, how people can change and how everyone has their flaws and virtues.
And all in all, I admire writers who can write a full-length series. You need to put a lot of thought into that; a lot. I'm having trouble with juts my one book, so I can only imagine how demanding it is to have to write 3 or 4 books!

As for Twilight, it's purely a meh book for me. I liked it; I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, but it was a nice time-filler with a few funny lines and really cool vampire superpowers. I agree with Lizzie on Meyer being an excellent romance writer; totally agree there, and also with her horrendous ending. I had never liked Jacob as a character, but his imprinting on Renesmee really ruined it for me. Hated him from then on. I think the only reason I really read it was because it was Jasper and Alice - I, without any shame, freaking love those two. They're brilliant. Especially Jasper. Best characters ever.
Oh, and one more thing I have got to say about Twilight. It might be a purely okay book, with no real characters and a bad plot, but it's what got me interested in vampires. After I read Twilight, I read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sheridan le Fanu's Carmilla, Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian and all of those books were GREAT. Anne Rice especially. So, I do have Meyer to thank for that, and it's one of the reasons I'm okay with her.

On a side note, The Son of Neptune was that good, huh Lizzie? I'm going to Zagreb in two weeks - I'll try to buy it while I'm up there.

Tia wrote:On a side note, The Son of Neptune was that good, huh Lizzie? I'm going to Zagreb in two weeks - I'll try to buy it while I'm up there.

ABSOLUTELY! You've got to read it so I won't be the only one praising it so much XD. I'm planning on rereading it for another 10 times when the exam fever is done

What is the Percy Jackson series? I've heard of it... I need a nice (set of) books to enjoy now

I'm gonna do my thing now and quote my dear, dear wikipedia:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a pentalogy of adventure and fantasy fiction books authored by Rick Riordan. The series consists of five books, as well as spin-off titles such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek mythology. The Lightning Thief, the first book, is the basis of a film called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which was released in the United States and Canada on February 12, 2010.

I don't know why, but this seams really silly to me...

Okay, here's the summary of the first book:

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek god.
I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That's when things really started going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends and generally trying to stay alive.
This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I've stolen his lightning bolt - and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

And the trailer for the movie. It's a real disappointment, cause it didn't stay true to the book at all. The characters are five years older, Annabeth doesn't look like herself, and the plot is very different:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xko1Mx5w4tg

Lizzie wrote:Stephenie Meyer is an amazing romance writer, I'll give her that. She can really suck you in with all the love and the sexual tension, but her characters are just... no. Edward is too perfect and over protective. Bella is just plain and a damsel in distress who can't stand up for herself. And Jacob had lived up to his expectations and acted like a true puppy dog.
And the ending (I'm a 101% sure Maris will agree with me on this one) was not good news. A total happy ending is a big fail for a serious writer. You can't think "Oh, I love that character, I don't wanna kill him" if you wanna write a good story. J.K. Rowling cried while writing Fred's death, but it was essential for the progress of the story, and she had to do it, weather she was fond of it or not. Two days after Edward complains she won't be having kids she gets pregnant, and Jacob also gets his happy end, imprinting on Renesmee. It's just not right.

I totally agree with this.

I like both. It depends on the story if it takes one book to tell it or more. It says nothing about the quality. It does happen though that a story that could have been told in one book gets stretched into a series so the author can earn more money. I hate that. Generally, I get obsessed with series more often than stand-alone novels, simply because I get to spend more time with the characters so I grow attached to them in a way.

Maris wrote:Generally, I get obsessed with series more often than stand-alone novels, simply because I get to spend more time with the characters so I grow attached to them in a way.

Ditto.

Lizzie wrote:And the trailer for the movie. It's a real disappointment, cause it didn't stay true to the book at all. The characters are five years older, Annabeth doesn't look like herself, and the plot is very different:

Totally agree; the movie was awful. The only part I liked about it was the black flying Converse shoes at the end; those were wicked cool.
But anyway, Mac, I highly recommend the series. It's brilliant; really funny, a great idea and exciting battles. Riordan has also started a series based on Egyptian mythology, but I didn't like that book as much as I love Percy Jackson. That'll always be my fave.

Lizzie, who's your favorite character? Mine's Nico <3

Tia wrote:Lizzie, who's your favorite character? Mine's Nico <3

I think it would have to be Annabeth....