I do, too... Sometimes...
I had read and enjoyed Michael Phillip Cash many times before; however, this was the first book I received in the scifi genre...
It was sent by the publisher without a specific request. However, since I had read the author before, I started to read it and made it through 50 pages...
I barely understood what was being said and what the book was about...
Do Not Expect Reviews of a final book in a series. If you want reviews, offer the remainder of the books..., if the reviewer is willing to take more than one book without knowing much about the particular author.
I recently read the final book from a Trilogy by Erec Stebbins. While I had really enjoyed the books, by the time I was reading the last book, I had to recommend that nobody should acquire the book without reading the earlier books! I would have been happy to automatically have a "Story So Far" to help me get into the final book after the months had gone by between the time I had read the first two...
Even reading all of the books does not entirely help when the books are set in an unknown planet or other setting where an entirely different language(s) is being used. Frankly, I hate those types of books. Even if you have read from the beginning, if you don't get them all at one time, a constant reader will have trouble trying to once again get into this world. Here's my thoughts for your consideration.
Create a Cast of Characters List and Include it at the beginning of the book and every subsequent book. If you have created different races, you need to give a brief description of the race and differentiate them from others in the novel. In this book, for instance, is Darracia a planet, a leader of a country, or some unknown treasure? By the way, this is a good idea for any type of book. Lauren Carr does it for her mystery series. Even though they are stand alone books, the characters remain and/or new are added for a specific story. It greatly helps to be able to refer back to that List!
All of the names have been created as alien--V'sair, Reminda, Tulani, etc... There is no easy way to quickly identify the character and his or her role. So in the Cast of Characters, each individual should be identified as to who they are, what role they place in the story, and any connection they have to others in the book...
In addition to the book blurb, have you considered a Story So Far Paragraph? Star Trek does this through the Captain's Log - where the situation to be encountered is described, together with some history of the group/people who are involved.
In my opinion, each subsequent book after the first should include a Story so Far statement which brings readers an overview of the first book and the status as of the time the book ended. This is not a new idea; in the past, it was effectively used to build interest at the end of or beginning of movie shorts! Maybe even comics, if I remember, right!
Of course, this need varies based upon the particular story, but I believe it is better to refresh the reader's mind first, rather than depend upon their own memory to pick up the story line. After all, the writer is totally familiar with his created world...the reader has to learn along the way rather than just be able to enjoy the story. Every word is important to the reader--if the writer does nothing to ensure we understand what is happening, then many readers will do what I did with this one. Stop reading.
Many will then also write a review, "couldn't get into the story" or some short comment that goes along with a low consumer ranking...
The longest scifi series I've read was more than 15 books and only the death of the author probably stopped The Guardian Series... This writer, Ruby Moon Houldson, had a continuing growing list of characters, as new children were born and new species were initiated into the story. No, I didn't remember all the characters from book to book, but I didn't have to. If I came to a new name I didn't know, all I had to do was check out the cast, see who the individual was and what relationship he or she had to the remaining cast and the story.
Having read Michael Cash before, I am confident that I would have enjoyed this book if I, the reader, had been better prepared for the created world... Sorry, Michael Cash, but I won't be reading Risen, a book that was sent to me by your publisher.
Of course, that is Just My Personal Opinion, of course... What do you think?
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