So, Daniel Greene (a fast-growing YouTuber – check him out) posted a video a couple of days ago called Post Series Depression and he mentioned something that I wanted to talk about.
There are people who read Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings trilogy and then never read anything else.
I know some people who only read stuff that relates to Tolkien’s Legendarium, because nothing else will be quite like it.
Granted, you can spend a lifetime reading and rereading and studying Tolkien’s works. Many have done it, many still do. However, there is so much more out there to explore!
If we stay on the Tolkien example, moving on to The Wheel of Time is a perfect step, or even Earthsea is similar (especially to The Hobbit). These books would add so much to the reader’s experience, and even enhance the rereading of Tolkien’s works because of the greater knowledge of the genre the reader would gain.
I strongly believe that being involved in fandoms and talking about your favourite series is a good thing. I really do. But there are other books, other stories, that do things differently but also can be very similar.
I might have never stopped reading Harry Potter. I was obsessed, but then I was on holiday at about 10 years old and picked up Priestess in the White by Trudi Canavan. Probably a little mature in some of the content for someone of that age but I loved the book, and I devoured the trilogy. I then moved onto reading everything else she had written, and after that I went searching for new and exciting worlds to read about.
My point with my personal example is that even branching out to one more series, or standalone, just one, might make you want to keep reading new things and keep the spark for stories alive.
There is nothing wrong with loving The Lord of the Rings and obsessing over the intricacies for the rest of your life, but you will be missing out on decades of incredible stories.
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I am seriously guilty of this. I also read Harry Potter and just couldn’t imagine enjoying anything else. I even convinced myself that I don’t like fantasy, but I have trying out more and more and surprising myself by how much I enjoy it. I think it is definitely an important thing to bring up and talk about for sure.
I haven’t branched out beyond Tolkien, Harry Potter and Rivers of London. I loved all three series, so I guess I should look into more fantasy. On the other hand, when you start with these three amazing series, it can only go downhill (that is my reasoning, anyway). Great post!
That’s what you might believe, but I can promise you that there are other series that are just as good in a different way! 🙂 Happy reading anyway!
I’m glad you’re trying out new books! Harry Potter is of course wonderful, but there are so many other books and series you are missing out on! I hope you find something new to love reading 🙂