The end isn’t the end, it’s seeing the whole forest
Posted on: April 12, 2016
Have you seen? Stefan Raets is hosting a read along over at Tor.com of Kage Baker’s Company novels. The first book in the series gave me #allthefeels, and I’ve been slowly collecting everything by Kage Baker since. When Stefan mentioned this read along on twitter, I asked if there would be spoilers. And well, since the later books in the series touch on one huge overarching plot, yes, there would eventually be spoilers.
I’ve read up to book 5 in the series. And I’ve been avoiding reading further. Because once I run out of Kage Baker books, there will never be any more. it’s a sad prospect.
it’s sort of like. . .
How I’ve avoided finishing the 7th season of Parks and Rec because I don’t want the story to be over.
How I’ve rationed how fast I read Iain M. Banks Culture novels, because once I run out, there won’t ever be any more.
How I don’t even want to know how many episodes there are of Jane the Virgin, because I don’t want to know how close I am to the end.
How I still haven’t read the third book in Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach trilogy because I don’t want to have closure in whatever the fuck is going on in those books.
I guess I just don’t like endings. Closure is a type of separation, and I don’t want to be separated from these experiences.
But screw that, because life is too short. I started the 6th Company novel the other night, and don’t mind if I do binge read through the rest of the series.
And when I run out of Kage Baker and Iain M. Banks books? I’ll just read ’em again, and find everything I missed the first time around. There’s nothing stopping me from reading the entire Southern Reach trilogy again whenever I want, so what’s stopping me from reading the final book? And Parks and Rec is so good I’ll just watch the first few seasons again.
Because the end isn’t the end. When it comes to reading, and especially reading a completed series, the end is just the beginning of a new way to enjoy a much larger story. Each novel is a tree, the end of the series is the forest. and why to cling to just one tree when there is this gigantic forest to explore?
Sounds like I got some Parks and Rec to binge watch.
10 Responses to "The end isn’t the end, it’s seeing the whole forest"
April 12, 2016 at 11:34 am
I had not seen, but it’s very timely for me–I just started a re-read of the Company novels on my own. I haven’t even written up Garden of Iden yet on my blog. And I was horrified to find out that my public library no longer has the copy of Sky Coyote that I read last time, but I got them to buy another one, so I’ll be back on track soon.
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April 12, 2016 at 12:07 pm
Understand, but yeah, go on and read all these things, then read them again and see even more in them
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April 12, 2016 at 5:33 pm
I think I have the same issue. I really don’t want to complete some of my series!! I need to get over it though – there are always rereads!
Lynn 😀
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April 12, 2016 at 8:30 pm
I just discovered Kager Baker last month, in my Time Traveler’s Almanac Read-Along, with her story “Nobel Mold”. As soon as I finished it, I was like, I NEED TO READ ALL THE COMPANY SERIES STORIES… NOW. XD
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April 14, 2016 at 7:55 pm
Also keep in mind there are so many other authors and books you have yet to discover, just out there waiting. So make way, make way!
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April 14, 2016 at 7:57 pm
and thanks for everything. You know, messages and such while I was invalided.
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April 14, 2016 at 8:32 pm
i love that I will never run out of new authors and new books to discover. It’s comforting. it’s like outer space going on forever and ever, and neat stuff all over the place out there. 😀
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April 19, 2016 at 12:50 pm
I’m currently reading an Anthony Trollope novel. Like you, I’ve been rationing Trollope novels so they last a few more years. Yes, I could reread them, but that’s not the same as reading a book For The First Time. There’s no thrill quite like reading a really good new novel cover to cover!
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the Little Red Reviewer 
April 12, 2016 at 9:12 am
That’s how I felt about Star Trek DS9. I didn’t want the series to end because I didn’t want to say goodbye to my friends! (Waaaa, I still miss that show.)
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