Saying Goodbye To A Series

A few weeks ago I said goodbye to a series and really, it was the first goodbye that has hit my in a way I never really expected it too. Granted, I've finished other series before this one, I'd finished Trilogies and Duologies and yes, it was a little sad to see that chapter close and to think that there would never be another book with those characters, but the most recent series really created so many more emotions than those others could have ever have imagined and it's got me thinking about how hard it is to say goodbye - especially to long series when you've been with those characters through everything, when you've been in their mind and through their pain and when you've become attached to them that they almost feel like real friends. How do you learn to let go of these of these series and what exactly are the steps to go from mourning to remembering?

If you haven't guessed by now, the series is Skulduggery Pleasant and in comparison to some readers, I have it easy. Some fans have been there from that start, all the way back in 2007, when the first book was published and I can't imagine what those fans are going through right now, but throughout all of the fanfiction, the artwork, the meetups, the genuine love for this series, all of us feel the same about it and it's hard to let go. I may have only been introduced to the series this year, but reading books #1 to #8 in two months and then the #9 a few weeks ago really has impacted my life so much more than I could have imagined. It's like, becoming friends with somebody and spending every day, every week, together, doing things, becoming attached, sharing your secrets and your emotions with them and having them move away and never come back, never speak to you again, taking all of your secrets, all of your fond memories away and it's really quite heartbreaking. I can't claim to be a super fan, because I'm not, the ending of this series hurts the same just as much as others, and while I may be close to the end, finishing my mourning, there are other people out there who are still not over a particular series, so lets have a chat about the steps to surviving a series break-up.

Step One: The Heartbreak

Step One is usually the area where you suffer the Book Hangover, which means you either don't want to read any other books, you physically can't read other books, or the other books you do read just don't compare to the awesome that was the series you've finished. Nothing is good enough, nothing seems on the same level, you're feelings are destroyed and you don't want to do anything other than wallow. In the end, no other book compares, so why bother?

Step Two: The Obsessing

I can confirm that this is an entire different step to step one and it can also be the longest step to recovery. You seek out every fanfiction so it doesn't have to end. You search for all the fan-made images and stories that continue the series with love and adoration and every time you find something, you need more, it's like a drug, you can't let the series go. It lives on in the fans, the fans keep the light lit, you can live off all of the fan work and the videos and the author interviews and the authors blog and you will never forget the series. You will find everything and you will do everything and nothing will ever stop the series from ending. You will never stop..

Step Three: The Admission

There's nothing else out there, you've read it all, admired it all, done it all, and now there's nothing left. You can't keep the obsession going, there's more to life and now you're realising that and you hate it, but it's true. It's over, it's finished. The author is writing a new series, the fans are dispersing, the books are becoming cheaper and cheaper now there's less people obsessing. You've got to start letting go, you've got to carry on living, and you start to eye up new reads to move on with. Maybe trying another book isn't that bad after all..

Step Four: The Guilt

That book you tried to move on with, it was actually pretty good. It doesn't compare but you enjoyed it, and you shouldn't have, you're still not over the other series, are you? Can you really start to love another after everything you've been through with those other characters? Can you really start to think about another chapter in your life without them? Maybe I can, maybe if I read a few more books, I'll feel less guilty? I'll never stop loving that series, but there is more to live than mopping, right?

Step Five: The Memories

This is the step I'm at now. You start to remember and recall all of the little things that made that series wonderful, down to the one liners and you get a little smile across your face. Man, he was hilarious, or damn that scene killed me and you don't feel a loss anymore, it's like living your life and being old and looking back and thinking, 'yeah, that series was fantastic, and I will always remember that series, but the old kicker still got life left in it and I should use that life'. You'll never forget and you'll always love, but there's more now, and you can see that just because somethings over, doesn't mean you have to forget it.

Step Six: The Peace

You'll never get anything more from that series, but that series is forever in your heart.
You won't forget it, discard it, lose it or fall out of love with it, it's yours forever.
It's time to let that series go, to love but leave, and find new love elsewhere.

In fact, I think I might even be at peace now, but generally, you never really let go of a series that means a lot to you, it stays with you and you don't really ever say your final farewell, especially if you own the series. I personally only own the final Skulduggery Pleasant novel and in a way, that's enough for me, because it's the most important of the novels, it's the signature, it's the finale, it's where my characters are laid to rest, and I'll miss them, but the world is full of new and exciting series that I can't not read because another is over. There's so much more out there for me to read, and I'll find another series one day I feel the same away about, but right now, Skulduggery has a place in my heart and it's not leaving any time soon..

How to you feel about saying goodbye to series?

Do you find it difficult and do you do it often? Have you travelled through these six steps yourself?