Posted by: C.D. Reimer in 2009 on 10 Feb 2009
I recently ordered eight paperback books from Amazon. Since I will soon have an economic event in my near future ("Hey, Ma, no job!"), I thought I would stock up now by taking advantage of Amazon's 4-for-3 offer. Out of the eight books ordered, two were for free. The standard shipping was also free. Made for a good deal. Except for one small problem.
Each of the paperback belongs to a different series.
When I was teenager growing up in the 1980s, I would buy ten paperbacks at a time and spend the next three months reading the stack. A paperback back then cost about three dollars each, and some of the fantasy paperbacks were part of a trilogy. These days a stack of paperbacks cost a small fortune; almost every paperback is the beginning, continuation, or ending of a series; and I usually read one or two paperbacks per week depending on length.
Perhaps because I read in the fantasy, science fiction and manga genres that standalone books are rare. Don't get me wrong. I will enjoy all the new paperbacks. But finding and reading a standalone paperback is a rare joy when publishers—and readers—insists on more of the same. There's nothing unique here.