If there is one thing I love about reading fantasy series, it is how immersive an experience it can be. Not only do you follow the same set of characters over three, four, seven, books, but you also get to travel through the land the fantastical tale lives in.
You get to see what they see, feel what they feel, understand the socio-political climate of the spacetime your characters are in, what makes them tick, what their vulnerabilities are and the little things they do that turn them into relatable humans. Especially if the characters are in shades of grey.
Recently, I went on a journey. Quite literally because the book was 1000 pages and it is the first book in a five-part series which may or may not have more books. I am now onto book two and I really wanted to share what it feels like to read something that can take over your entire life. So much so that your family starts to keep tabs on your reading and Kindle-charging habits, asking if you’re done yet and how much more you are going to read.
Reading the first hundred pages are the hardest. If you’re new to fantasy series, you should know it can take up to 150-200 pages simply to set-up the storyboard. There are character introductions, world introductions, plot introductions and keeping all that information in your head without getting distracted by something shiny on social media or getting lost in the details can be challenging.
The next 300 pages or so, by the time you reach 50-60%, are exhilarating. The plot is moving, moving, moving, you have comfortably settled into the world and your characters are not doing so well. This is where there is a climax, a reveal of sorts that gives the last 600 pages you traversed a new perspective.
It’s something I have noticed about fantasy series. They have at least two to three climaxes. After that first climax slash reveal, the story almost stalls, like it is building up to the next crescendo. This is the point I start to feel restless because oh my god will this book never end? I will start dreaming about the characters, irritated that while I’m only 200 pages away from the end, I’m also two hundred pages away from the end.
I also start acting like the characters, talking to myself about what’s happening in the story, patting myself on the back for reaching here. It is indeed a relief to know that I can concentrate beyond the 3-7 seconds, the ideal length for a viral reel on Instagram.
The best part is how my sister reacts. Because when I’m deep into my marathon reading, it is she who decides to take me out of the house to sun and water me. She worries about my sanity, quite unnecessarily if you ask me.
The last 200 pages is when I really go crazy. No, all of the above is not crazy. It’s just determination to read a book with 1000 pages. But the last pages are usually where the most action, revelations, deaths, wrapping up of plot points, set-up for book two and the larger thematic arc happens. Which is why, I will stay up late into the night, ignoring my need for sleep to finish the book immediately. I will check the time left in the book feature on the Kindle to calculate how much sleep I will have to sacrifice and how I will make up for it.
Once I’m done, I usually wait for twenty-four hours, to reassure my family that I am fine before…starting book two. You know you have a great, epic, awesome, astonishing series in your hand when you want to get into another 1000 pages after reading the first 1000.
I know I haven’t told you much about the book I read, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Suffice to say, I’m glad I added it to my 10 most anticipated reads of 2024 and it prompted me to write a word-vomit blog post on how much fun I had reading it.
How about you? Have you noticed any quirks in your reading habits? I’d love to know!
This post is part of Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile.
tales of Suchita 
Leave a reply to Shifali Cancel reply