Is there a disease that makes people draw things out to the point of long, stringy boredom. Is it greed? Is it lack of imagination or too much? I’m going to contradict myself continually from this point with the countless examples of where more has been a good thing (The Sopranos!) but I think, in general, I get bored after the first one.

It’s like cups of tea from the same pot - the first is the one I want. The second I drink because it’s a waste not to, it’s still hot - the third because I feel I should finish it. I mention it because I’m currently reading, and greatly enjoying, The Hunger Games. A trilogy. I like the characters and I’m genuinely gripped to see what happens despite there being the potential for only one ending really, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens along the way. All you HG addicts out there can smile smugly at me now because you know what happens and maybe I’m totally wrong but at the moment I’m assuming Katniss and Peeta will win the game at the end of the first book. Which is great and I hope it happens…

So what can happen in the second book? And the third? I’m guessing a love triangle will occur and it will be difficult to simply go back to the life she craves so much in the arena. Things will have changed, Peeta is important now. What about Gale. And so the story will have to go beyond district 12 in the third book - maybe some sort of anti-Capitol revolution and ultimate overthrow of the government. Gale or Peeta will die. All sounds very exciting really, but at the same time…doesn’t.

I know I can’t judge books I haven’t read yet so forgive me this generalisation - its just an example. I find the same in so much continuation - why is that early seasons of Buffy and the X files were so brilliant and varied with single episode cases - the mystery had to be solved by the end of the episode and it could end with a sassy comment or a little joke. Perfect. Then it all spins out of control and the stories need to last longer, more and more episodes feature The Smoking Man/The Initiative until the cases were all on-going and the odd episode that featured a single case was a special treat in a dull series - everyone remembers The Gentlemen because by that point Buffy et al had wrapped themselves up in too many messy subplots and nothing was shocking until they appeared at the door, smiling.

At least THG is a trilogy and the last book, filled with all the fiddly loose ends, will not double as a doorstop. Maybe it’s different. I’m going to read the whole thing anyway but I can already feel the contained excitement of the neat arena slipping away from me. Will I care about the bigger picture? I’ll let you know. 

I read Blood Red Road earlier this year too, recent winner of the Costa Book Award in the Children’s category. I liked it, in fact it was the first dystopian novel I’ve really enjoyed and it got to the end and I felt very satisfied - until I turned the back cover and saw news of the impending sequel… is it only me who feels that despite enjoying the first one, I don’t really want to hear any more? There are other characters out there that I want to meet, other adventures I want to have. 

I’m also going to try the Chaos Walking trilogy, in an attempt to undo my unfair lack of enthusiasm for books that continue. It’s ongoing therapy, but it’s difficult to motivate myself to undertake series, of which there are more and more piling up around me, when I find so many standalone novels absolutely floor me in a way I have never experienced with anything serialised. 

I’ll name some I do like, for balance- Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicholson’s diaries, that were as funny in book one as they were at the end, Six Feet Under, the tv show that never disappointed me, Toy Story 1 - 3. 

This feels like a very bratty post. I’m heading back to the arena now. I’ll come back and say sorry when my mind is changed and I declare THG part 3 to the best thing in the history of all time.