Only in the last 2 years have I begun my journey on reading as a hobby and pastime. I focused on sci-fi and fantasy picking series of books like The Witcher, The Wool series and The Expanse.
As I get to the last page of these books and browse the other books by the author they often have standalone novels set in the same universe.
The same thought crosses my mind that these books are probably not as good as the series of books and are more world building or cashing in on the success of the others.
What single novels or miniseries have you read that stood out as more interesting to you than the series an author is famous for?
The closest I’ve got is Neal Stephenson, specifically his System of the World trilogy vs the standalone Cryptonomicon, both set in the same larger context, and even with a character that shows up in both.
I loved the standalone, but I’ve tried and failed multiple times to even make it through the first of the trilogy.
The Expanse novellas (if that’s the kind of thing you mean) are all quite good, and expand on stuff that wouldn’t have fit neatly into the main series’ pacing/structure. The show even manages to weave them in directly.
The same thought crosses my mind that these books are probably not as good as the series of books and are more world building or cashing in on the success of the others.
If quality is your concern, there are plenty of series that have less-good main entries, or are bloated with stuff not everyone will care about, or are like 40+ books long but the same plot every time. Personally, I’d rather have a solid, streamlined series with side content available for those who really love it and want more.
Brandon Sanderson has lots of stand alone novels that are just as good, or better than the ones that are part of a series
His secret projects are probably his best written books.
I’ve read most of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood stories and don’t like any of them, even though they’re probably his most recommended works. His novels are all worth reading, and some of them are quite fantastic. I particularly love Imajica and Coldheart Canyon.
Is he just horror? Or are there other genre’s and themes in his single novels?
Some are more fantasy than horror. But there’s usually some blend of each. Some of his books deal with the AIDS crisis either explicitly or via allegory.
My challenge with giving a meaningful input to this thread is that I struggle to think of an author whose books series I have read and have read their stand alone stuff.
The closest I can come up with is Leigh Bardugo and this answer doesn’t really fit what you are asking for.
Her main series is the Shadow and Bone trilogy, her stand alone book that actually became a duology is The Six of Crows, which I enjoyed much more than the Shadow And Bone stuff. In fact I couldn’t finished the second book of Shadow and Bone.
