How do you keep track of all your sci-fi/fantasy series?

ixoy

Does anyone else have trouble remembering all the various characters and plot threads, places and events from the different sci-fi/fantasy series they're reading? Given they're often multi-volume sagas (particularly with fantasy) and, depending on the scope, can range from intimate to casts of hundreds (and in the case of the Malazan series spread over millennia and multiple continents with characters with multiple identities), I've found it quite difficult to keep it all in my head.

Or do people try and read trilogies. etc in one run to avoid all this? Or maybe you go back over the books before the next instalment (something I never have time to do)? Or maybe you take notes or just have a really good memory.

For example, I'm currently reading the following series (ranging from Book one to the final): Joe Abercrombie's 'First Law' series, Neal Asher's Spatterjay sequence, Terry Brook's "The Voyages of the Jerle Shannara", Stephen Donaldson's "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant", Raymond E. Feist's "Darkwar" saga, Greg Keyes' "Kingdoms of Throne and Bone", K. J. Parker's "Engineer" trilogy, Stephen Erikson's "Malazan: Books of the Fallen", Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time", David Zindell's "E.A Cycle", Alan Campbell's "Deepgate Codex", Ian Cameron Esselmont's own Malazan sequence, Patrick Rothfuss' "Kingkiller Chronicles", Scott Lynch's "Gentlemen Bastards" series, Steph Swainston's "The Year of Our War" series and R. Scott Baker's "Prince of Nothing" series.

In other words: It's bloody difficult and I can find it takes a bit of time sometimes for me to remeber details. In the case of something like "Wheel of Time" I can often never remember the many minor characters (especially the interchangable Aes Sedai) and perhaps I'm losing some of the richness and flavour.

So how do you cope? Am I just too trying too much?

Ronanc1

I try as you said ioxy to buy books that have quite a few follow ons or sequels either that or the entire series and read them back to back to preserve and enjoy them, example being when i first started reading the wheel of time series, book eleven had just come out so reading them i got a wonderful unbroken back to back read that really made me appreciate the depth and scale of the story, funnily i often encountered people who had grown irritated and disillusioned with the series because they had started reading while Jordan was still writing and every time they waited a year for the next they forgot more and more of the other books which culminated in them becoming irritated with the series and giving up on it, thats why i didnt buy book 12part1 yet cause im goin to wait for the next two years and read the whole series from start to finish when the last three will finally be out.

i also used to do what you do read several books at once i long gave up on that cause i found i never got as much appreciation outta them that way

though there is a limit to reading books in this way and ive almost reached it, that being you read all the series or groups of books by the same author or authors and find yourself with none left and inevitably have to read single novels from many different authors all the while waiting for the next installment for each which in the end lessens your enjoyment of them cause youve forgotten bits

sushisushi

Usually by doing a reread of the other books before a new one comes out, if I have time and there's a long wait between books. Although I do read fast, that's not always possible (or I'm not always that bothered), so that's where t'internet comes in useful - sites like http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/ are very useful when you encounter the fifth Aes Sedai with a similar-sounding name starting with S popping up to say something significant and you have no idea whothehell she is (guess what I've just been reading... )

pH

I've gone the other way - I refuse to read the first part of any series until the series is complete.

For example, later this summer I'll start reading Hamilton's "Void" trilogy as the final one is due late August.

It's not just keeping up with the characters, it's the disappointment if/when a series drops in quality (say Wheel) and also a sense of being fleeced as an author seems to attempt to drag things out (say Martin).

Iago

ixoy wrote: »

Or maybe you go back over the books before the next instalment (something I never have time to do)?

This^^^

ultimately it means that I might have to wait up to 6 months or so before reading the latest installment but I read so much that it's too hard to keep track in any other way.

I'm just about finished The Bonehunters for the 4th/5th time now with the latest in the Malazan series sitting patiently on my bookcase for me to get to it.

NothingMan

I tend to read one author religiously and in order then move on. Although with The Wheel I read 1 - 10 straight through, waited a year til 11 and kind of remembered everything. I started rereading preparing for 12 but got as far as 7 and couldn't do it, they really start to drag in that book.
Haven't started 12 yet cos I don't think i'm up on all the details to fully take it all in.

Am reading Feist at the mo, I read Conclave of Shadows 2 years ago and started at the beginning a few months ago. Main problem is I know some characters in Conclave so I know they ain't in any danger through Riftwar and I accidentally started Darkwar and realised I was way too far ahead.

Only Author I have successfully read without messing up timelines is David Gemmell, and I reread them all in order again last year. I hate that he's died and although the last Troy book was excellent you could tell what chapter he stopped and his wife took up.

ixoy

Ronanc1 wrote: »

though there is a limit to reading books in this way and ive almost reached it, that being you read all the series or groups of books by the same author or authors and find yourself with none left and inevitably have to read single novels from many different authors all the while waiting for the next installment for each which in the end lessens your enjoyment of them cause youve forgotten bits

I think you've got the nub of it. Perfect example is Kate Elliott's "Crown of Stars" series. I read Books 1-5 very close to each other an Book 6 not too long after that. I remember enjoying them very much. Then I let quite a big gap grow before reading the final book... I found I had trouble remembering what happened. It definitely lessened it for me as I spent the first 200 odd pages trying to remember the state of various factions, political histories, character growths, etc. Even when I did recall (vaguely) I couldn't get into the rhythm and style in the same way.

I'm thinking of maybe adopting the style of others here - reading a series when it's complete. It might be too difficult for series that are being released over decades but for trilogies I should be able to accomplish it or, at most, leave no more than a year between titles. After all it appears nobody else is using my method so I think it's not the right approach.

Ronanc1

Tbh ioxy when i first saw your threads and posts on books youve read, they seemed so close together i had to wonder "where the hell does he get the time to read all these and soo quickly hah"

johnnyskeleton

pH wrote: »

I've gone the other way - I refuse to read the first part of any series until the series is complete.

Luck you, you'll never have to read the wheel of time.

ixoy

Ronanc1 wrote: »

Tbh ioxy when i first saw your threads and posts on books youve read, they seemed so close together i had to wonder "where the hell does he get the time to read all these and soo quickly hah"

Heh - and therein lies my problem. I'm not a fast reader, so by the time I get back to series I've forgotten what happened!

Trojan

I buy books at random sometimes, so if I'm lucky, they're all out - e.g. I just finished the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. I note that he published them all within a month of each other, so that might have been a test or clever marketing decision by him and/or publisher.

I read quite a lot of sf/f (or did before I started a business!) so it's often years between.

Luckily I have a pretty bad memory for trivial/detail, so I usually do a full re-read before tackling the latest. I often re-read my favourite books

Exception: with WOT, I read 1-7 or so through the re-read blog that was going on, then did 8-11 by reading the actual books.

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

Sir Ophiuchus

I tend to re-read a lot anyway, and usually refresh my memory of a series before a new book comes out. I also don't work on reading multiple books simultaneously.

Oh, and for all the other Wheel of Time fans out there, here's the best summary of the first 10 books ever (contains spoilers, obviously): http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386600

Sarn

I have the same problem trying to remember characters, although I stick to one book at a time. With multiple series running concurrently it gets tough, fortunately it comes back fairly quickly although it does lessen the enjoyment.

I also read the Night Angel trilogy back to back and thoroughly enjoyed them. However, in other cases I've overdosed on the author's writing style so have had to take a break which is why I try and alternate between sci-fi and fantasy. It depends on the pace and quality of the story I suppose.

The biggest problem is trying to keep track of where I am in all of them. Sadly I've started to put together an excel sheet of what I've read :rolleyes: in order to keep track of the trilogies etc. and stop me buying duplicate copies (I've run out of book space and have them stacked fairly deeply to bother searching through them).

pljudge321

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Luck you, you'll never have to read the wheel of time.

Keep the faith, the end is in sight, it just took so ****ing long to get here.

pljudge321

pH wrote: »

I've gone the other way - I refuse to read the first part of any series until the series is complete.

For example, later this summer I'll start reading Hamilton's "Void" trilogy as the final one is due late August.

It's not just keeping up with the characters, it's the disappointment if/when a series drops in quality (say Wheel) and also a sense of being fleeced as an author seems to attempt to drag things out (say Martin).

Now would be a good time to start reading The Malazan Book of the Fallen, last one's due around November.

quietsailor

Sarn wrote: »

The biggest problem is trying to keep track of where I am in all of them. Sadly I've started to put together an excel sheet of what I've read :rolleyes: in order to keep track of the trilogies etc. and stop me buying duplicate copies (I've run out of book space and have them stacked fairly deeply to bother searching through them).

Thank god I'm not the only person doing this . I don't feel half as bad now. All I have to do now is build a bigger bookcase and put them in order so I can se what i've got, what I haven't got and worse what I've duplicated - at least one JV Jones I'm sure.