2007.09.12
Would You Buy This Book?
All you Harry Potter fans, imagine this scenario. You’ve been following and loving the series since it came out. Then the final book comes and and for one reason or another you don’t get the seventh and final book right away. Maybe you had no money, or you were out of the country, or you were in the hospital or whatever. A few weeks go by and you decide to go get it.
But it’s not available. Anywhere.
You discover it had a very limited printing. You don’t know why. Now you can’t find the last book anywhere and it pisses you off. Then depresses you. Then pisses you off all over again. You decide you’re not even going to read the damn thing since they couldn’t be bothered to print enough for you to get a copy.
Years pass and you wonder what happened to Harry. Did he die? Or did he finally defeat Voldemort? In a moment of weakness you reread the previous books and you remember how much you love them. You go questing for the seventh book so you can finish it.
New books stores: not in stock
Used book stores: not in stock
Online: prices ranging just shy of $200
Piqued, you go another few years not knowing how the series ended. When you visit book stores you casually glance to see if they have a copy. They have the others, but not that all important last book.
Finally you can take it no longer. You go online and discover some remote bookstore that has a copy for just under $100. Would you buy the book? It’s been ten years since the book came out. Ten long years where you’ve only heard second hand online how it all ends.
I ask again, would you buy the book?
My nemesis book for the last ten years has been The Marriage of the Living Dark by David Wingrove. It’s the eighth and final book in his Chung Kuo novels. I have the first seven and have read them a few times. I think that Mr. Wingroves books are some of the best speculative fiction books -in terms of characters, story, writing, concept, and scope- I have ever read. I love these books! And for ten years I’ve had no idea how it’s ended. I’ve looked and only found it for close to $200 for years. A couple weeks ago I found it online for eighty-odd dollars.
To answer my own question, I bought the book. And in a few weeks I’ll let you know if it was worth it; I have to read all the others again first so I have all the details in mind. I think I’ll be a bit sleep deprived until this is all over. Finally.
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9 Responses to “Would You Buy This Book?”
- roberthahn says (September 13th, 2007 at 03:18:16 )
While I get what you’re trying to say here, in the case of Harry Potter, anyway, I’d be reasonably certain you could find the 7th book in the library…
- Jason Clark says (September 13th, 2007 at 07:11:20 )
In a heartbeat- anything I enjoy reading I have to finish. But these days I won’t even start a new series until all the books are published. Too many goes-on-forever series (I’m looking at you, Msrs. Jordan and Goodkind, among others) have taught me well.
- Eric says (September 13th, 2007 at 12:57:27 )
I talked to a woman at this year’s BookExpo who told me she paid $100.00 for a copy of “Dragon Sword & Wind Child” by Noriko Ogiwara. When the VIZ Media edition comes out in October, she’s gonna put her first edition in a mylar plastic bag. Ha! From what I could tell, she had a sense of humor about the whole thing.
- Mookee says (September 13th, 2007 at 17:02:06 )
I’d buy the book if it looked like a giant phallus, but I might get some strange stares while reading it.
- douglas says (September 13th, 2007 at 18:10:43 )
Robert… With the Harry Potter connection I was just trying to think of a book that enough people might be in to that I could make a comparison. Not that enough people have read the Chung Kuo books… More should, though!
Jason… I tend to be the same way with books. I hate picking up a series that isn’t complete. It’s caused me no end of consternation in the past!
Eric… I don’t think I’ll be putting this thing in a plastic bag. I’m far too utilitarian; if I buy something I buy it to use it, not to collect it. That being said, I am looking forward to the day when this series is reprinted… I’ll be buying whole sets and sending them out as gifts!
Mookee… You get enough strange stares when you read. “What? He can read?!?” That being said, I’d pay a dollar to see you reading a phallus-shaped book.
- Uncle Roger says (September 18th, 2007 at 10:38:19 )
The answer is simple and obvious — assuming you can afford it, (that is, it’s not a choice between paying rent and the book,) you buy it. If it turns out it sucks to high heaven, you can always turn around and sell it on ebay.
I’m assuming, btw, that you checked with libraries to make sure you couldn’t just borrow it?
- douglas says (September 18th, 2007 at 11:30:16 )
I never looked in the libraries because I would be too tempted to actually steal the book, which would be bad form. It was always my ambition, in this case, to actually own the book… For me merely borrowing was never a thought.
- Synnove says (September 19th, 2007 at 04:29:37 )
Any comments about Mr. Jordan’s passing and the incompleteness of his series?
- douglas says (September 19th, 2007 at 09:24:22 )
I actually haven’t gotten around to reading any Robert Jordan yet so while I am sad for his passing, the impact is definitely less for me than others. I understand there are grand swaths of people out there are very anxious about how some series of his ends as he didn’t get a chance to finish it.
