[JRMurdock]

When reading a fantasy trilogy, series, etc, do you prefer to read one by one and wait for the next, or do you wait until a trilogy or series is complete, snap up the whole set and read through?

Being that I've lived under a literay rock for 10 years, I'm finding it nice to grab a set of books and read them all in one sitting (well, ok, one reading period). It's nice to know I have that next book in the set sitting on my shelf waiting for me rather than 1, 2, or even 3 years away.

So how do you prefer reading your fantasy? Do you like the anticipation? Do you like the wait? Do you get your hopes up only to be disappointed?

[trentdick2882]

it doesn't really matter to me. i usually pick up a series and can get into it again fairly easily without reading previous volumes. it's also nice not to have the pressure of "oh, i have to read the next volume now because it's already out". but either way, i still enjoy the story.

[Horrorfiend]

I don't read fantasy. I read horror. But I can still answer your question.

I like both. If it's a book with a cliffhanger then I prefer to have the next book on my shelf waiting to be read. If the story basically ends but still has plots to be resolved, I like the anticipation and making my own guesses as to what will happen.

Right now I'm reading the Vampire Chronicles. I'm not sure if the series is over or not. Rice keeps adding more books every once in a while. So far I could go with waiting because each book ends the story.

[zakhrin]

I really don't mind. I generally pick up a whole serie and read up but i like as well the moment where i found out the book so long awaited is out :)
I rush to the library and just can't wait to start reading it. That's the case for ASoIaF.

[JohnH]

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[Radone]

I'd rather just read the books all at once if they're available, but I don't mind waiting for a year for the next book within reason. I've grown more leary, though because of a number of authors. There's Jordan and Martin as the most famous examples. But Kristain Brittain with her Green Rider took 6 years in between books, as did Laura Resnick. And of course Joanne Bertin seems to have hit a brick wall with the Last Dragonlord (its been almost 7 years and no word on when the third book is coming out).
These days I'm more likely to pass on a brand new series until I know that the thing is complete and published. I may not read all the books one after the other, but if I want to I can, and I won't have to wait for 5-6 years for the next (by which time I'll have forgotten everything that happened in the previous book).

[Blackwing]

There are so many finished series available that I'm far more likely to start a completed series. Especially, if the author is likely to take lot of time in completing a series. However, I do read continuing series because I've started them years ago and don't want to wait for the writer to die before continuing to read them.

Sorry, if that sounds horrible but it seems to me that the only way that some series are finished is the death of the author. And after all of his notes are published after death.

[Talvalin]

For me, it all depends on the series. If it's something that is relatively simple and with only a few main characters, then I can usually cope with a gap between installments, but anything more complicated and with lots of characters, like WoT (which I gave up on in the end) or aSoIaF, will give me grief so I wait for all of the books to come out first. I did it with the Gap series, and it was great to be able to sit down and read one book after another without any pauses.

Admittedly, if the books are truly excellent (as people keep saying about the Martin books), then perhaps they deserve to be re-read whilst I'm waiting, but I have way too many unread books lying around to finish before I start thinking about re-reads!

The only series that I am contemplating reading before it has been finished is the third Covenant trilogy, the first book of which will hopefully be out at the end of the year. :)

[JohnH]

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[Nunchuckz]

I'd rather read a series that has already been completed, however that is a preference rather than a rule.