Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: career and peak

From: M Blumenthal ( blumenidiot@21stcentury.net)
Date: 19 Nov 2001


Mark Sullivan

. I seem to remember reading that Loren
> Estlemen once made a rule
> never to write more than seven books in a series. Are there any series
> that go much beyond that number that did/do not show severe dropoff?

Mark, In general, I agree with that but think the number is arbitrary. Although he had a couple of weaker books in between, Stark's Slayground and Butcher's Moon, # 14 & # 16 are among the best and some critics feel his latest books in the series are better than those in the original run. LA Requiem is the eigth in the Cole/Pike series and the best. Jerry Healy's eigth and eleventh books were nominated for the Shamus. I don't have later information, but I think the next two were at least as good as the series norm. When the series' is pretty formulaic it's probably easier to maintain consistent quality(or non-quality). Kaminskey's Toby Peters series is an example. Mark

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