So, I was just doing some searching for my favorite authors to see if they’ve released anything for me to add to my summer reading list. Brandon Sanderson? Yep, novel and novella. James Islington? Yep, novel. Craig Schaefer? Yep. Jim Butcher? Nope, . . . Huh, I haven’t read anything by him in a while when is the next one coming out? Ummm . . . he just started on the Dresden Book and the last one was released in 2014 and his last novel period was 2015.
Most authors seem to be on an every other year release pattern for large novels while guys like Schaefer that write tiny ones can pump out one per year. I stopped reading George RR Martin when I didn’t remember what had happened in the series anymore when his latest book came out and I didn’t want to deal with rereading it to figure it out and it looks like Sanderson is heading down the same path.
What authors do you know that just wandered off and left a series hanging? I wouldn’t count Robert Jordan since he ensured his series could be finished without him.
I did mention Martin as an example. I didn’t realize Rothfuss wandered off. He’s been on my list to pick up and give a try too. Thanks for the heads up and why I started the thread.
So has Stasheff. According to him, a grand total of 11 of us bought his Starship Troupers books. As much as I’d like the series to continue, the man does have to pay his rent.
I came in to mention Gerrold, but people have been using the OP’s phrase to also mean that the series went off the rails despite continuing, so I’ll toss in the “Gor” books. Started out as a decent SF take on “sword and sandals” and degenerated into psychosexual weirdness.
Perhaps Snowboarder Bo was referring to the stroke Mr. Pournelle suffered?
As for Butcher - I don’t view a slowdown (a year gap between novels when we’ve been accustomed to a novel a year) as “wandering off”. Writing a novel is work, and if a prolific author wants to take a break so what? Better that than turning out dreck, or dropping from exhaustion.
And if “going off the rails” counts I nominate Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series, which went from interesting occult detective and zombie raising to bad fan fic porn after Obsidian Butterfly.
Not buying that one, either. Storms of Victory was published in 1987. Jerry’s stroke was December 2014. Even allowing for him to be distracted by the cancer, that was discovered in 2008. 21 years is without excuse.
I would think the Shades of Grey was done in by the other title. It’s also possible the book didn’t sell well enough for the publisher to continue the series.
That happens sometimes. If the books don’t sell, the publisher drops them. There are also other reasons why a publisher doesn’t continue the series: change of management, different editor etc.
David Weber has apparently lost interest in the Honor Harrington series, just as he was about to get to the final crux of what caused the whole kerfluffle in the first place.
Well, his last Dresden book was released May of '14 considering he just started writing the next one I’d be surprised if it is released before Fall of '18. so that’s a lot more than a year off. Yes, he released a different series in there but that’s at least looking like he’s bored with the Dresden Files. That’s basically the length between Martin’s 3rd & 4th book then Martin went to what 6 years between 4 & 5. I won’t be surprised to see Butcher follow the same path though I agree it’s probably too early to say he’s equally as bad.
