But at least a couple of respondents to my poll this week said that they felt standalone books had to be plot driven while an extended series was often dependent on character development.
And yet, I know that in my reviews of books that are part of a series I often remark how nice it is to get to know the characters better. In fact I sometimes use this as a reason for recommending reading a series in order. When an author begins a series, he/she often doesn't reveal all about the main characters. With each new book little bits are added, the characters are fleshed out just a bit more.
With some series, like Donna Leon's Brunetti series, meeting up with Brunetti again is like meeting up with an old friend. We don't need introductions (although that causes a problem for the author if the reader is new to the series) and can get on with the story.
So what do you think? Is that the reason you enjoy reading a series?
Do take the poll over on the right and leave a comment.
