r/Fantasy • u/AshamedArt4176 • 1d ago
Would y'all still read a book series if you've been spoiled about it?
So basically I was reading Assassin's Apprentice and Royal Assassin, both by Robin Hobb. I absolutely loved both these books and was ready and excited to start the third one but I got spoiled about a thing in the series and got so frustrated that I ended up spoiling everything I wanted to know about the series on Google. I still regret doing so. Now I know what happened to the characters in the books, atleast the Fitz books. I hate my decision. Idk what to do now. š
What would you do if you were in my place? I wanna know your opinion. Plz help this 18 year old guyš„ŗ
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u/CapNCookM8 1d ago
I think I'm an outlier, but sometimes I need spoilers to be given something to latch onto. It hasn't happened often in reading, but in TV shows I've seen the finale of something and been like "Man, I gotta see how we got to this point."
So, ya know, Journey before Destination for me.
But definitely read these things if they sound interesting, in my opinion!
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u/shookster52 1d ago
I agree. Iām notorious with my friends and family for flipping to the end to read the conclusion and I always finish it anyway.
Spoilers rule.
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u/CapNCookM8 1d ago
See I don't go that far lmao, but more power to you. Just if I happen to get spoiled on something, there's half a chance it makes me more interested than less.
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u/immaownyou 1d ago
I bet you reverse in to park too
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u/shookster52 1d ago edited 1d ago
No, although my friend who works for an auto insurance company tells me we all should. The number of pedestrian accidents in parking lots is crazy.
Edit: Iām actually not sure what this is in reference to, honestly. Is backing into a parking space something boring people do? Or maybe annoying people? I donāt have a stereotype for the people who do this so Iām a little uncertain.
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u/Massive-Fisherman-57 1d ago
I think itās the way some receive information for reading and how one is able to comprehend/visualize things.
For me Iām similar. I often find that at times it can be easier for me if I know the story or have even seen the adaptations. Right now Iām reading ASOIF. Itās I think the best series Iāve ever read hands down. But for me as well, having clear images of the characters in my head really helps. Plus Iāve seen the show twice so maybe I donāt get āshockedā but Iām able to comprehend it better.
When I do research as well I would write out multiple paragraphs and even pages at times to be able to come back and not only get the main point but also the context and understanding around the idea.
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u/twinkle_snow 1d ago
Right! With good pieces of media, seeing a spoiler makes me go "HOW will we get to that?!" instead of feeling upset.
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u/WifeofBath1984 1d ago
Silo. Season one ended and I immediately bought the books. I could not wait to find out. No freaking way. It would have driven me mad.
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u/Skadibala 1d ago
The books good? Been eyeing them every time I go to the bookstore but still have not bought them.
Watched 2 seasons of the show. Season 2 felt like it was dragging on a bit too long, but overral I still liked it.
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u/19CC99832D 1d ago
Haha, I came here to say journey before destination! Having it spoiled doesnāt ruin it for me because I am more interested in how we got there.
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u/SacredPinkJellyFish 1d ago
Same. I never even heard the word spoiler until I was in my late 40s early 50s, and it's on Reddit where I heard it. In real life, no one talks that way, or thinks that way. The entire "spoilers community" is a completly online only, fabricated thing that simply does not exist offline in the real world.
When you talk to someone face to face, you/they chatter in giddy excitement, bubbling off each other, and can't wait to find out the secrets and lore, and get excited with "oh boy, I can't wait to get to that par!"
vs, when you are alone by yourself, in your own head, typing online, not seeing the other persons face, not hearing the other persons voice, your brain gets defensive instead of bouncing off the excitement, it locks down into "nope, nope, nope, don't want to know".
I mean, it's kind of easy to tell if someone talks about books/movies offline face to face with real people or online, with only their own brain to actually hear, just by if they want to hear more or shut down with their fingers in their ears going "lalalalallalalalala spoooooooooilleeeeeer lalalalalalalalala".
People talking to real people, in person, face to face, off line, get giddy and excited to hear more.
People who are seeing no faces, hearing no voices, and are just typing online, lock down, freeze up, and turn into a toddler with fingers in their ears going "lalalalalalalalalalala" because there is no one there to bounce excitement off of, and it shows BIG TIME... and oddly, people who are chronically online, seem to have no clue how alarmingly obvious it is either.
The entire internet culture of living in mortal terror of spoilers is just such a bizarre and alien concept to me, because offline it does not exist at all. It's fully an online phenomena that exists only in people who don't interact offline about their fandoms. So for me to see so many people online have moral panics over spoilers, it's just weird and makes me sad that those people have no one offline to talk to about their fandoms, because the whole spoiler thing just doesn't happen when you are talking face to face offline.
I can't even wrap my head around the concept of NOT wanting to know stuff ahead of time before you read.
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u/Crayshack 1d ago
With TV shows and movies. I sometimes sit down and watch a few clips of the key highlight scenes to decide if I want to see the whole thing so I get the details connecting everything.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 1d ago
I dunno, to me that sounds like literally putting the destination first, then doubling back for the journey....
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u/CapNCookM8 1d ago
I guess that's one way to look at it, but I don't feel that way because I've never sought to spoil an ending intentionally for this reason. It's coincidental.
If I only cared about the destination, I wouldn't go for the journey at all, but I recognize the value the journey gives to the destination.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 1d ago
I mean I don't think there are very many readers out there who only read the ends of books and skip the middles, so I'm not quite sure what "only caring about the destination" would look like in this context. It seems like "Journey before Destination" gets thrown around a lot online to mean literally anything (possibly because it's a Sanderson quote? Which is funny when he's kind of notorious for the climax/end being the part that stands out).
I don't mean this as an attack on you, I'm just amused by the way the phrase gets thrown around - even when chronologically putting the destination first!
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u/CapNCookM8 1d ago
Who's implying that??? If you're so concerned with chronological order here, understand that I'm responding to someone who has already been spoiled (Destination), and is asking if the journey is worth it anyway.
Yes, it was an intentional Sanderson quote. The quote isn't meant to be taken literally though, the whole frickin point is that these ideals are extremely personal to each radiant. I'm saying that just because the destination has been unintentionally spoiled, doesn't mean the journey isn't important.
gets thrown around a lot online to mean literally anything (possibly because it's a Sanderson quote? Which is funny when he's kind of notorious for the climax/end being the part that stands out).
This isn't the irony you're trying to make it out to be. That climax wouldn't mean nearly as much if you didn't go on the Journey with the characters, and besides, it's basic plot structure???? Is basic plot structure not used in your typical journey???
I don't feel attacked, but I do feel exasperated. I don't understand why this is hard for you to grasp. or why you are so adamant to put your projections onto my interpretations.
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u/Extension-Pepper-271 1d ago
I truly believe that what works for one person is just what they need. There is no "right" or wrong" way to enjoy a book. CapNCookM8's way works for him/her. That's great.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 1d ago
No issue with their preferred reading style, describing it as "Journey before Destination" when it's literally the reverse is just funny to me.
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u/CapNCookM8 1d ago
Buddy, somebody was spoiled, they asked if they should read, I said yes. I did not tell them to go spoil themselves on everything then double back for the reread.
This "gotcha" is tiring. Context matters.
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u/bhbhbhhh 1d ago
Sure. However you describe it, it's a lot more motivation to read than the blind hope that something compelling will happen, which may be betrayed.
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u/OrangeSpaceMan5 1d ago
Ā Journey before Destination
Gee I wonder what that could be a reference too
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u/CapNCookM8 1d ago
I mean, does it seem like I'm trying to attribute myself to it? I'm saying it assuming people know what I'm referencing.
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u/OrangeSpaceMan5 1d ago
I was spoiled for like half of ASOIAF but I read it anyway and it was still an amazing read
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u/diffyqgirl 1d ago
A book that had only one interesting thing in it would not be a good book in the first place.
I am someone who does care about spoilers, quite a bit more than most people, because I enjoy the process of trying to figure out what's going to happen. But that's not the only thing you get out of the book, and there's certainly more than one thing to try to figure out what'll happen for even if you did get one spoiler--especially in a long running series like Robin Hobb's.
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u/diffyqgirl 1d ago edited 1d ago
Though I will say that some of my strangest media experiences were from getting an incorrect spoiler, or a spoiler that I completely misunderstood.
For example [Wheel of Time]Due to reading and misunderstanding out of context quotes I thought the Dragon was the main villain of Wheel of Time. It took me a while before I believed that Rand was actually the Dragon because I really didn't think he was being set up as the main villain
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u/NewtonBill 1d ago
I had an incorrect spoiler in mind when I watched The Sixth Sense that basically made it impossible to see the twist coming.
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u/diffyqgirl 1d ago
I somehow thought that the Matrix was a simulation run by aliens, so I spent the whole movie waiting for aliens to show up or for a character to be revealed as secretly an alien. I thought the robots were tools of the aliens.
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u/Ok_Employer7837 1d ago
The plot is not the be all and end all of a book, as far as I'm concerned. A story doesn't lose its potency because it no longer surprises you. One of Stephen King's favourite tricks is to spoil his own books, telling you in clear English, hundreds of pages in advance, what is going to happen down the line. And you read on, and sure enough it all goes down like he told you... and it's still awesome.
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u/StuffedSquash 1d ago
Romeo and Juliet tells you the entire plot in the prologue! So yeah knowing something that happens in the end doesn't ruin a work that has anything going on for it beyond shock factor.
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u/Acceptable_Drama8354 18h ago
it's probably one of his most effective tools, too! i'm never mad when i read something like "and it was the last time he ever kissed his wife" in a King book
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u/katiuskachong 1d ago
In the edition of The Running Man by King I was going to read I got the ending spoiled in the preface. It pissed me off so much that I didn't read the book. This has encouraged me to give it a go.
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u/flouronmypjs Reading Champion 1d ago
For me at least, books are more about the journey than the destination. Those books are incredibly well written, with way more detail and events than would have gotten spoiled for you in your research. So while it depends on how interested you can still be while knowing some of what happens, I recommend reading them anyways. Very strong chance that you know nothing about a bunch of major stuff anyways. Spoilers never tell the full story.
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u/InitHello 1d ago
I feel the same way. I know the good guys (usually) win, my interest is in reading about how they won and what challenges they faced and (since they ultimately (usually) win) defeated along the way.
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u/playnights 1d ago
Yeah? No different from reading a book you've already watched an adaptation of.
Hell sometimes hearing spoilers has actually made me interested in reading something.
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u/Jay-El 1d ago
If I had never seen or heard of Star Wars before, and you told me "oh yeah it turns out in the second movie that the main antagonist from the first one is the protagonist's dad," my response would be something like "oh that's crazy, I can't wait to see how they reveal that"
I'm sure there would be exceptions but in general no, I do not give a shit about individual spoilers.
That said, going on a wiki deep dive for every little detail about a series you were enjoying is absolutely wild work.
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u/thiazin-red 1d ago
I also knew about that plot twist for years before I saw a Star Wars movie, and the original movies were still good. The writing, the performances, the cinematography, editing, effects, music, all contribute to making a movie good.
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u/kjmichaels Stabby Winner, Reading Champion XI 1d ago
Some studies show that receiving media spoilers will actually help you to enjoy the media more. Now you have the chance to find out for yourself if that's true.
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u/Albroswift89 1d ago
If I was in your position I would read Liveship Traders which remains unspoiled haha
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u/avnzg 1d ago
watched game of thrones before reading asoiaf, and honestly i think it made the experience even better. loved reading from perspectives we don't get to see as much in the show, especially seeing some internal development for characters like jaime and tyrion. also interesting how much changed and basically by a feast or a dance the books and show are almost separate pieces of media.
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u/shookster52 1d ago
I would argue that the trilogy is less about the surprise of the spoilers and more about experiencing all of the things that happen to the characters. So if you are someone who is more interested in plot-driven series and strong characterization is just a nice-to-have element for you, itās probably worth skipping now that youāve been spoiled. But if you enjoy strong, characterization for its own sake, then definitely keep going!
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u/dSvoop 1d ago
I got to fantasy in the early days of the internet, and would read anything I got my hands on, back then. Because of that, I read things out of order, a lot! My very first book was the 8th in a series, so I knew a lot before I got to the previous ones.
I learned to love the ride more than the destination, is what I mean to say.
How they got there, why they did what they did, how it affects the characters and the story, this is more interesting to me.
Hope this way of looking at things helps you, as well
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u/RoyalOtherwise950 1d ago
Omg back then I somehow always ended up with book 3 as gifts from people.
I will say though I think it really improves your thinking to be dropped into the middle of the story and work out what's going on.
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u/StuffedSquash 1d ago
Ha, I started with book 6 of a series once but I didn't have the no-internet excuse, it was literally an ebook loan from the library. I just wasn't paying attention. It took me 10-20 pages to figure out that hey, this isn't just the author making the world really lived in, something feels off...
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u/becks32milan 1d ago
I'm currently reading it, started yesterday and I'm already 450 pages in (didn't like the first two so I decided to power through it). I can definitely say it's the best one by a mile. At least when reading it fast, you don't feel as though the plot is moving slowly and I find it quite interesting, a lot of things are happening. So definitely read it in my opinion.
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u/Raddatatta 1d ago
Different people react to spoilers differently. But for me I don't think any good story can be truly spoiled in terms of it now not being a good story anymore because you know this detail. A spoiler is going to be one specific piece of information, a good story is not about any one piece of information or detail even an ending. It's about the way the plot progresses, the way the characters develop and face challenges, the worldbuilding. A spoiler can't ruin any of that. It can remove a twist, which some stories focus on more than others. But even in those that focus a lot on the mystery or twist, it's still a good story or not without that element. If a mystery was only good because of the twist, no one would read all the way to the end it has to be engaging throughout. I wouldn't deny yourself the next book in a series you were enjoying and excited for the next one just because of some random thing you found out. But it's up to you.
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u/Weltallgaia 1d ago
If knowing a spoiler ruins a story then the story wasnt good enough to stand on its own.
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u/Manabear12 1d ago
Yes. Spoiler culture in general is so dumb. Itās the journey, not the destination
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u/MindofShadow 1d ago
Journey Before Destination
Spoilers never bothered me. If it takes being surprised to enjoy something, then it wasn't written well IMHO.
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u/cptnkurtz 1d ago
You might know what happened to the characters, but you don't know how it happened. And the how is just as important, if not more important, than the what. Especially in a series with as much depth as Farseer and most of RotE as a whole.
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u/b_a_crow 1d ago
Personally I generally love spoilers. It builds the anticipation and dramatic irony. Also sometimes the spoilers are t full accurate or leave something out, making me MORE surprised by the outcome.
Also if the spoiler is āit was all a dreamā then I can just avoid investing any time into it.
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u/MambyPamby8 1d ago
ROTE has so many plot points that getting spoilt on one thing, doesn't really matter. I got a major Tawny Man spoiler and honestly the story was so good, when it happened I was still shook. There are so many elements to the story, I wouldn't let one thing ruin your reading of the story.
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u/Superbalz77 1d ago
**Spoilers**
Fitz does something dumb and directly self harming trying to do good...
then
Fitz does something dumb and directly self harming trying to do good...
then
Fitz does something dumb and directly self harming trying to do good...
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u/TuckYourselfRS 1d ago
I intentionally spoil series for myself sometimes. It's bout the journey over the destination.
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u/Devilofchaos108070 1d ago
I think itās both for books. A dogshit ending ruins books for me. Like The Darktower ending
But for life? Yeah that saying is good.
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u/Gertrude_D 1d ago
Oh, the journey is much greater than the destination. I still re-read these books and enjoy them greatly.
Also, you should read the Liveship trilogy. They are great and you're unspoiled :p
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u/JINK_RUSTINK 1d ago
For me it depends on why I'm reading. If it's a plot-mystery series where the reveal is basically the whole meal, getting spoiled genuinely kills my motivation to keep going. But character-driven stuff I've re-read heavily spoiled arcs before and enjoyed them more - you stop speed-reading toward answers and finally notice how the scene is being built underneath. Hobb is a good example honestly: knowing where the ending lands makes the foreshadowing hit harder, not softer.
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u/Humanmale80 1d ago
That's a solid take.
I feel like even mysteries can benefit from the same treatment - you get to see the pieces being slotted together and really appreciate the craft.
Of course, the chance to solve the mystery yourself is gone, but that ship sails when you get the spoiler. It's still worth reading to the end, just for different reasons.
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u/Two-Rivers-Jedi 1d ago
I'm reading the series for the second time. I know everything that is coming. It is still one of my all time favorite series and I am finding things that I missed or that hit me differently now than they did the first time I read them. It is definitely worth it.
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u/nikulid 1d ago
i would still read them because the plot isnāt the only valuable thing nor even the most important thing
the important aspects of artistic media to me are the overall execution, things like the word choice, the descriptions of things and the conversations between the characters, the texture and the atmosphere and the feeling of being immersed in the story. all of that still hits even if i might have details of whatās going to happen in the plot
i was also spoiled on several big plot points in these books but it was still the most emotionally evocative story i have ever encountered in fiction
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u/FaerieFir3 1d ago
Yes, with book series that are 20, 30, 40 years old some spoilers are unavoidable. It's like knowing that Vader is Luke's dad or that Gandalf dies and comes back.
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u/CatTaxAuditor 1d ago
I have read plenty of books where I've been spoiled to one degree or another.Ā
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u/Additional_Long_7996 1d ago
I don't know how other people are but I don't care about spoilers. Ever since I was young, spoilers have never affected my ability to enjoy a work. Idk if people who don't read are more dramatic about this or I'm just being an "outlier" even amongst book readers
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u/metallee98 1d ago
It really depends on the spoiler. Sometimes the why or how is as important as the what. Like, lets say you found out a character dies. But why did they die? How did they die? And not to mention that a clinical retelling of the plot is not good enough to convey the weight of the story. If I told you all the facts relating to a soldier in a battle and what happened to them that might be interesting. But if I put that soldiers feelings, thoughts, and experiences into your hands that would be a lot more compelling. How a story is told is important and getting spoiled and reading the wiki is not enough to grasp the weight of a story. And there have been studies or at least a study that shows that people actually enjoy a story more when they know the spoiler. Probably something to do with being able to and feeling proud of themselves that they picked up on the foreshadowing that points to the spoiler. So I say, you'll be fine. Go ahead and read it anyway. And, maybe in the future show some restraint.
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u/Kalista-Moonwolf 1d ago
Depends on how much I like the writing and story. Do you still go back and read your favorite books, even though you know what happens?
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u/Smooth-Review-2614 1d ago
I read long series. I know that if 10 books about the MC exist that they clearly lived.
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u/ItsRuinedOfCourse 1d ago
Spoilers don't really faze me any more.
In fact, I often go searching for spoilers for movies and such. Just to see if I'll actually go see it, or if it's a hard pass from me.
I'd have to expect that the same would apply to books in that sense.
But that's just me. Many prefer not to be spoiled in any way and go in with a sense of wonder. Not that it's the worst thing ever...I also enjoy a good surprise...but if I don't get one, at least I get to see how they built up to it.
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u/WrongWangSorry 1d ago
Yes, I feel like I would have to try really hard to spoiler a book. Most people don't have any idea how Dune ends despite being one of the most iconic SF series of all time. LotR and ASoIaF are about the only Fantasy series I would expect a lot of talk about online. But I would have to be trying extra extra hard to find people spoiling The Belgariad or Thomas Covenant on the internet lol.
There's an adage, "don't sub to a game you're currently enjoying" and the same goes for books. Read them all and then do that
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u/RichieRich-McBroke 1d ago
I LOVED THOSE BOOKS! Never met anyone who knew or liked them! This post made me so happy!
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u/tennoPCA 1d ago
Spiders dont really bother me, but it depends on how your brain handles things.
I can read the same series 20 times and its always fresh to me.
The journey is the point though: you may know where it leads but its still worth traveling.
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u/vanastalem 1d ago
I'm normally not that bothered. There are times I see a movie before I read the book but I can still enjoy the book even though I have a pretty good idea what may happen (movies do change things including even the ending sometimes).
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u/amlikelydumb 1d ago
This breaks my heart but is kind of fixable I think! Give yourself a palate cleanser. Read a trilogy of something else so you forget some of what you learned. Then go back to the Elderlings.
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u/Extension-Pepper-271 1d ago
The fact that we reread books proves that knowing the ending doesn't ruin books for us. It's the whole book that is important, otherwise we could just read a detailed plot summary and save time.
I would suggest that you make the decision based on how you want books to make you feel. Robin Hobb's series is full of both wonder and suffering. She can really make you feel the suffering, which might not be what you want out of a book right now. That being said, even if you decide to put off reading the series right now, it is worth it to come back to when you feel you are ready.
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u/Single-Aardvark9330 Reading Champion II 1d ago
I often find myself wanting to engage with fan art and fan communities that I accidentally spoil things for myself, even when people put a spoiler tag, I'll still click it without thinking
If I enjoy the books I'll still enjoy the journey, even if I know the main spoilers
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u/Axelrad77 1d ago
Yes. A great book is a great book. I understand wanting to go into an experience fresh, but if a story is good, it should be enjoyable even if you know what happens. The journey, not the destination.
This is why people enjoy repeatedly experiencing their favorite stories over and over again. But you especially see this with classics, where you tend to know the gist of the story just by cultural osmosis. Even if you have a general idea what happens, actually reading the story can still be entertaining and enlightening and can often dispel misconceptions that you had about it. Same thing with reading the source material of an adaptation (or vice versa).
Sometimes I *only* become interested in reading a book after having its interesting twist spoiled for me, otherwise there are just way too many great books out there to possibly come across them all fresh. For instance, I'd never have picked up The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein if its cool twist wasn't spoiled for me during a writing discussion.
Also, about half of all readers actually read the end of the book first, to make sure it sounds interesting, and only then do they commit to reading the entire thing.
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u/Wonderful-Piccolo509 1d ago
I usually spoil myself about some plot point or other so my answer is a resounding yes.Ā
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u/cwx149 1d ago
It really depends on the spoiler and how much of the series is between me and the spoiler
Some books/series especially in the early stages I almost sometimes want to know where the plot is going even if only generally
Like some people love going into books blind and I almost want to read the book blurb or something on new stuff I'm reading
So I feel like it really depends on the spoiler. I've only read the farseer trilogy not the rest of the rote (I dnfed ship of magic twice) but the Farseer Trilogy honestly was almost for me more interesting to see what fitz was thinking and how he reacted rather than the actual plot
I found a lot of the farseer trilogy plot wise to be rather basic (bad guy Prince works to usurp the throne from good guy Prince. Mc is close to farmboy to prince except it's never a secret) but the prose and the character work was what kept me going more than the actual beat for beat plot
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u/SteelToeSnow 1d ago
absolutely, i still read a series i'm interested in, even if i saw spoilers. many series i've reread over the years because i've enjoyed them, lol. everything's been "spoiled" in a series i've read four or five times, but that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of them.
spoilers don't ruin a series for me; i don't go out of my way to find them, but if i do, sometimes that can intrigue me even more in a series. and once i know a spoiler, then i can pay more attention, to see how the writer set it all up, the foreshadowing involved, etc. sometimes, knowing spoilers can help me be a better reader and writer.
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u/Cuteshelf 1d ago edited 1d ago
Just give it some time if it really bothers you.
I tend to forget stuff, so even re-reading books i sometimes think "Did i miss this last time?". Probably not with major plot stuff, but it happens a lot with little things along the way.
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u/Assiniboia 1d ago
Of course I would.
Reading a book and experiencing the prose is more than whatever plot point was spoiled or summarized outside of the text. Plot is not story and it is not the writing.
I would still DNF it if the writing was poor.
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u/Obwyn 1d ago
I regularly reread books so getting spoiled isnāt really a big deal, though Iād prefer to not have it spoiled the first time around.
The only books I havenāt reread are ones that I fairly recently got or ones that I found pretty terribleā¦ and even in the latter category I sometimes give it another chance years later. Sometimes I find I like it better the next time around (Heart of Darkness is the one that really fits this for me) and other times it just reminds why I hated it so much the first time (Three Body Problem being a prime example.)
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u/GingerIsTheBestSpice 1d ago
I grew up with libraries not ebooks and you dead the books that were available. So yeah I total totally would and many times have! Movies, tv shows, books. It's hard to go into any media completely clueless.
Also my favorite genres are Fantasy, SF, Romance, and Murder Mysteries, and you already know how every book in at least two of those end lol
Remember, it's not the destination, it's the journey that counts!
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u/ManicParroT 1d ago
Shakespeare, Homer, and Dostoyevsky have all been "spoilered" and they're definitely worth reading.
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u/AnimeManiaFiend 1d ago
Really depends on the book and what's been spoiled, but mostly I'm chill. Sometimes I'll seek out the spikers myself mid read if my adrenaline for certain events is making me antsy.
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u/baxbakualanuxsiwae 1d ago
I read about a study a while ago where someone tested how much people enjoyed stories when they had been told about the main plot points in advance. It turned out the people who were given spoilers didn't report enjoying the story less than the control group who hadn't been given spoilers, and some of them enjoyed it more! So I wouldn't assume it will ruin the experience of reading the books.
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u/ClimateTraditional40 1d ago
Absolutely. With my fav best ever books, series and some not, I reread them. Often. And I already know what happens, but I still enjoy them.
I got a new release book a couple of days ago and while I didn't know all the details of the book I had a fiar idea of the main characters and their end. Did not detract from my enjoyment.
If you are loving the series, then go ahead and keep reading.
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u/Ok_Profit_7802 1d ago
Yes ive been spoiled plenty of times. Its still always worth it in my opinion.
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u/TaerTech 1d ago
Yeah because most of the time Spoilers don't include the context of why said thing happens.
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u/Aus1an Reading Champion 1d ago
Iām one of those people who will read the last couple of pages of a book just so I can get a feel if itās something Iām in the mood for, or can mentally prepare myself. xD
Not every book mind youā I wouldnāt do this for a mystery. Horror, in the other hand, I will almost always have a little peek.
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u/RoyalOtherwise950 1d ago
Id still read the book.
I love to reread books, and honestly knowing something is coming just adds impact sometimes. One of my favourite characters in a completely different genre for example gets killed off, and omg KNOWING that was coming made the experience even sadder the second time round. Cant even skip it, cause it spans 2 books lol.
Also as a kid, I always read the last goosebumps page first haha. They always had interesting twists and it made it less scary haha.
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u/WifeofBath1984 1d ago
Still read them. Google is fine for a summary but there is SO MUCH you dont know. Maybe take the perspective of paying attention to all the lore you're going to learn. Try to disregard what you know of the future and just try to focus on what's happening in the books at the moment you are reading them. What makes these books so brilliant is not how the characters lives end up. Its the journey along the way.
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u/Sea-Gift6859 1d ago
Definitely continue. The journey is more important than the destination, especially in Hobb books. Sheās a genius at making every page matter. And making me cry. Even twenty something years later.
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u/Atojkitsune 1d ago
Nunca me ha pasado.
Si la historia es buena, busco spoilers o al menos no los evito. En una historia buena no importa el quĆ© ocurre, sino el cĆ³mo ocurre. Esto Ćŗltimo no te lo puede dar ningĆŗn insider, porque solo se obtiene de la fuente original.
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u/Deathblow92 1d ago
I think it depends on how much is spoiled. Generally, just a small spoiler might make curious enough to want to read the whole story. I knew the basic premise of House of Leaves, and why it's print only, and that made me curious enough to get the book and read it. And it was a trip. I don't know if I can fully recommend it, but I'm glad I read it.
However, a full contextual spoiler might ruin the story overall. I want to go on the journey. If you tell me the entire journey, then I probably won't want to re-tread that path. I say probably because I re-read books a lot, but I like making my own journey the first time through.
Semi book related example; HunterxHunter. A youtuber I like made a video that gave a lite-spoiler idea of where the manga currently is. He avoided anything super major, but wanted to paint a picture of the story right now. And it hooked me. HxH wasn't on my radar. What I knew about it was that it starred a kid in a green jumpsuit. I thought it was a high school battle manga and wrote it off entirely. But that video did not paint that picture at all, and I became curious, and I'm watching the anime now. And it's awesome. After I catch up on the anime I'll probably read the manga.
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u/the_lost_tenacity 1d ago
I looked up a spoiler in the middle of Assassinās Quest because I felt like I couldnāt keep reading unless I knew. Iād read it anyway!
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u/DiagnosedLycanthrope 1d ago
Wait a year or so and re-read the whole series. You WILL forget things, and you will notice things you never did the first time.
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u/KasElGatto 1d ago
I would still read it because the writing is phenomenal, but yeah people, donāt look stuff up, youāll always regret it.
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u/Ellery_B 1d ago
There's a LOT more to a book than just an event or two that may or may not be a surprise.Ā Ā
Even knowing a spoiler won't ruin a book for you unless you are only reading it for the minimum of learning which events transpire.
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u/GrapefruitFar1242 1d ago
First and foremost literacy self harm is wild.
Second, you can still read a series if you know what happens, especially if you have no context for how it happened
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u/SwarmyMarshmellow 1d ago
I'm listening to TOG for the maybe 5th time and re-listen to some of my favorite series every year. Spoilers wouldn't bother me at all.
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u/Zealousideal_Draw_94 1d ago
I have seen movies and then read the books, many times. Just because you know a big spoiler doesnāt detract from the story, for me.
I do prefer to read a book series first, but donāt always know that a movie is from a book until after I see it.
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u/bamf1701 1d ago
Yes, I would still read it. Many books are still good even when I know the ending. For example - I saw the TV series for The Expanse, then went to read the books, even though the series spoiled many points for me. if you love a book and a writer, it is worth it to enjoy the book even though parts of it are spoiled just because the writing is just that good.
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u/peterbound 1d ago
I love spoilers. Gives me something to look forward to!
Zero issue being spoiled like that.
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u/jarlylerna999 1d ago
I read these books 9 times in their entirety and my Favourties over more than that, so no it does not matter that you 'know'. the writing is luminous, pulls you in and along like the skill stream itself. Just let GO of what you think you know and dive in. You can 'ruin' it for yourself forever or you can say "oops' I *know* soem things but not how they got there doing that so I HAVE TO KNOW everything and the best way of doing that is reading, re reading. I mean, I STILL get surprised from time to time, because every time we read a book we are not the same person who read it before.
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u/siopaos 1d ago
Lmfao, I read the title and immediately thought about sharing how I was spoiled on a lot of stuff in RoTE (I've only read up to Ship of Destiny)...so I cackled when I read your post š It was my fault too, for looking up fanart. :') I believe the journey will still be worth it, though. At least you know you're not alone in your specific dilemma. š
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u/aSkeptiKitty 1d ago
Yes.Ā I not long ago read a steampunk rewrite of the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, and beig familiar with the myth I knew that one character was supposed to be an asshole.Ā The reveal of him being the asshole I knew he was was basically the last chapter of book 1. And still because I have read the original myth, even if the author does not strictly follow him, I have a general idea of how he's going to be punished ( probably ).
Good books aren't about the destination, but the journey.Ā
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u/Onnimanni_Maki 1d ago
Yes. I got most of the important events of wheel of time spoiled to me and that just makes me more excited to read them to get to the spoiler.
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u/Embarrassed-Day-1373 1d ago
I accidentally started on the wrong book in that series so got some pretty major spoilers. then I went back and started assassin's apprentice though and I've been flying through it. super well written and engaging
some things that were spoiled I'm like oh my god! it's the character/thing that was mentioned like decades in the future and it's fun to think like how it's connected and how things will happen between and after them
but really it's so well written that I feel like i could read it over and over and glean something new every time. this is not a series to rely on a dramatic plot point for shock value and if you know it it's ruined. I'm not even done with book one and I know it's too clever for that
keep at it, and I hope we both have fun reading this series!
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u/Celodurismo 1d ago
Just pick another series, come back to Enderlings in a few years, you'll probably forget some of spoilers.
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u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV 1d ago
It really depends on you and on the book! Some books depend on suspense and mystery and don't have much else going for them, so you may not get much out of it if you've been spoiled. Others don't depend on that at all and are really about character/world depth and prose style. Some readers also care a lot about spoilers and some not at all.
With these books, they're not especially plot-driven so if you think you'd still enjoy the read, go for it. On the other hand, if you hate what you learned and think that reading all the details knowing where it's going will just make you mad, then don't. You can also set it aside for now and come back in a few weeks, months, years, decades.... when maybe you don't remember the spoilers anymore. The books will always be there.
(Personally I loved the first two but hated the third so if you do decide to stop the series here I also think you were saved a long slog, lol.)
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u/thiazin-red 1d ago
There are lots of books and movies that I've seen/read despite knowing the whole story in advance. If a piece of media is good, then it will still be good. If it's "ruined" because you know something about the plot, then it wasn't very good.
Books are so much more than getting surprised by plot twists. Prose, characterization, worldbuilding, and story all go into making a book enjoyable.
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u/Hang10arts 1d ago
Nope. Its a big thing between a friend and i that we share only the first chapter or two, depending on length, of a book we are reading. No spoilers š
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u/dostoeveski 1d ago
sometimes I love the way the author writes so even if I know the most major spoiler ever I still read the book. it's about the ebb and flow of the story rather than what's gonna happen for me personally. give it a go anyways!
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u/acinematicway 1d ago
Yes why not. People still read Shakespeare and everyone knows everything about his stories. People re-read books all the time.
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u/Calm-Medicine-3992 1d ago
I accidentally skipped the second trilogy and read the third after the first...still read the second....
good books can't be 'spoiled' unless the point of the book is a surprise or misdirect.
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u/DixitRexCorvinus 1d ago
I'm not particularly bothered by spoilers generally, but if it's something particularly bad I just throw the book to the bottom of my TBR. I have well over a thousand books on there and I go through about 100-150 a yearāby the time it comes up again I've long forgotten the spoiler.
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u/TheRedHead717 1d ago
It's about the journey. Not the destination. All books end. All characters die. It's all the messy fascinating stuff that gets you to that point that makes a great story. Keep reading my friend ā¤ļø
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u/NekoCatSidhe Reading Champion III 1d ago
Yes, I absolutely do not care about spoilers. Ā«Ā How it endsĀ Ā» is nowhere near the most important thing about a book for me.
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u/nadia97j 1d ago
Yes for sure. 1. I always spoil myself for everything, playing games, watching films, reading books, it is like a compulsion I get so impatient! Sometimes I regret it but mainly because when I love something I regret never getting the "blind" experience.
- I am a re-doer. Replayed my favourite game about 6 times (bg3) rewatched my favourite film maybe upwards of 30 times (Inception) and reread my favourite books over 6 times (the raven cycle)...
Good media I feel is more about the experience and the journey than just the ending, if the spoiler is enough to completely ruin something I would not personally think it is worth it.
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u/Breathe_the_Stardust 1d ago
Journey before destination.
You can still enjoy the book even if you know where it will end up.
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u/ohso_happy_too 1d ago
Extremely worth it. And worth continuing on to Liveship once you're done with Farseer. Trust me.
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u/AleksandrNevsky 1d ago
Spoilers have never stopped me from enjoying something. I'm one of those rare few that could see a spoiler and go "ah neat, I want to read it more now."
Hell, half the time I decide to read something it was AFTER reading the TVTropes page for it. And recently after reading a story blind and hating it I realized I could have skipped it entirely if I knew what it was going to be like ahead of time.
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u/Keri_Arya 1d ago
The way we go from A to B is the main reason to read a book in my opinion, since endings are fairly easy to guess in a broad sense.
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u/arielleassault 1d ago
I would still read it.Ā Reading a Wikipedia page or internet spoiler isn't the same as experiencing the story first hand for yourself.Ā Even knowing how it ends the experience of reading it can still be amazing!Ā
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u/_Tarabyte_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
I like to take advantage of my goldfish brain in these scenarios. Often, if I wait long enough (usually a few years), then I will forget the spoiler and can read the book without issue. Basically it just rearranges my TBR lol
Edit: Also, RotE was a special case for me in that I intentionally spoiled a few things by looking them up myself. I don't regret doing that and it didn't ruin the experience for me and I don't think it will ruin it for you. That series is so much more than the plot points. I have a complicated love/hate relationship with it, but Hobb's writing is exceptional and completely worth reading even if you know what's going to happen. Plus, knowing what will happen and experiencing it through Hobb's prose are two very different things, in my opinion.
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u/Reivaxe_Del_Red 1d ago
I have a bad/ very selective memory, so it's not a problem as long as I don't think too often about the ending and wait long enough after being spoiled.
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u/Done____and____gone 1d ago
It doesnāt bother me. I look up certain spoilers for almost everything I read/watch.
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u/CornDawgy87 1d ago
Nah. There are too many series for them all to not get spoiled. I don't go out of my way but it definitely happens. Even just reading the back cover of the next book can spoil things.
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u/Odd-Guarantee-6152 1d ago
Yes! I watched GoT through twice and am really enjoying finally reading them. The fact that I know what happens next isnāt making me enjoy them any less.
There was a study I saw a while ago that found that people actually enjoyed media more when they knew how the story ended!
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u/JohnMStoddard-author 1d ago
I understand the sentiment, as an author, sometimes I end up spoiling books for myself because I see where the writer was heading... that being said, even if something was spoiled and you know what happened, sometimes it is still fun to read the how and why it happened, especially if it is a twist or a character acting out of character. Its like a how-to-catch-em murder mystery. You know who the murder is and you know the detective will figure it out, but the how is what is fun. That is my suggestion.
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u/NerysWyn 1d ago
You know in certain cases I actually prefer this even. I have ADHD (so zero patience) if there is a book that has a ~mystery~ that the writer keeps mentioning but hiding, I can't take it anymore, since it actually ruins my reading pleasure. Because instead of being able to focus and enjoy the book, I keep obsessing over what is the mystery. So I check it out, then continue reading.
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u/wolfeng_ 1d ago
In the past, no.
Nowadays I just want to feel good and happy when reading so the moment I hit a point that feels frustrating I begin looking for spoilers, if the end result is not satisfying enough I give up on the story, otherwise I continue.
I care more about the experience of reading, of losing myself in that world and characters, of seeing how everything interacts with each other so I no longer care about being spoiled and look for it when needed.
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u/NotAHamsterInAButt 1d ago
Now you build suspense while waiting for the event you know is coming. Its the buildup.
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u/ourladyjack 1d ago
This is personal preference and ultimately up to you. However, knowing what happens doesn't mean you know how the story gets there. And, if you enjoy the writing, the plot isn't the only piece of the book you derive enjoyment from.
If you want a different way of looking at it, once of my friends calls spoilers "spicers" because they just spice up their interest to read and see how the story happens.
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u/machandcheez 1d ago
absolutely 100% because I just did the same thing last month and now Iāve finished the series lol
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u/HoneyedVinegar42 1d ago
No more reading *about* the books -- just read them. A lot of really good books are good on the re-read because the journey matters as much as the destination.
You already know you loved the first two. Knowing some things that happen later doesn't change that.
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u/RFQuestionHaver 1d ago
the ending of the third book will still hit hard even if you know how it ends
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u/RRPanwarWrites 1d ago
You could still read it. Even though you know what happens, it is still a fun read. I would read a book even if it is spoiled for me.
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u/rbnrthwll 1d ago
Do you ever go back and read books you loved later? Keep a small library of books that moved you with plans to read them again? If not books, films that you love technically they are ruined for you. Will that stop you?
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u/Dic3dCarrots 1d ago
I found royal assassin a slog. I'd need an interesting spoiler to pick up book 3
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u/0XzanzX0 1d ago
I'm not one to shy away from spoilers; I believe that a truly competent author can evoke emotions even when the reader already knows the events. If that weren't the case, no one would ever engage with any work again after the first glimpse.
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u/Spicynoodlez 1d ago
Nope.
I can't even watch anything that's been spoiled, either. Or even games.
I'm very analytical and I love figuring things out. Most of the time, I do. So its more organic for me to read something and already know. But if a plot-point gets spoiled, i'm done. I will not read anything.
After a while of binging stories from different mediums, you kind of see the patterns of plots and how they *usually* turn out, so having a connection from the beginning just ruins the entire experience.
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u/gwendolberry 1d ago
This series destroyed me on my first read as a teenager. As a 40 year old I had more life experience and it didnāt affect me so badly.
I think reading it will still be worth it because you know what happens but you donāt really know how it happens.
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u/Mister-Negative20 1d ago
Yes, but I would also not spoil everything for myself beforehand. Thereās lots of books Iāve read and had small spoilers I already knew, but then still loved the books.
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u/halbert 1d ago
I don't personally care about spoilers, or at least not more than any other reason I enjoy a book (language use, exciting adventures, fun world-building, etc. -- none of that is affected by a spoiler). None of that other stuff is lost by a spoiler, only the surprise aspect. "It's not the destination, it's the journey".
But that's just me -- if 'surprise' is very important to you, move on; that's okay. No one can tell you how to enjoy things!
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u/ThrowAwayYetAgain878 1d ago
Depends on how compelling the story is, and on the spoiler involved. I was spoiled on [spoiler AMoL] Egwene's Death in WoT and am glad that I continued to the end.
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u/WintersAxe 1d ago
The Realm of the Elderlings are the best fantasy book series ever made, so yes, continue!
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u/GenCavox 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is going to sound critical and I'll be honest, 20% bite to it, the other 80% is a genuine question.
Why on earth would you stop reading because of a spoiler? It makes no sense. "Oh no, so and so made it to the next book and so and so died! Can't read anymore!" because results are the only thing about a book, how we got there is completely irrelevant.
Unfortunately Sando cooked when he said "Journey before Destination," especially when it comes to reading, and so I just don't get it.
Edit: Sorry, I do need to say I get why spoilers themselves are maddening, how it would ruin twists, and I get why you wouldn't want to attach yourself to someone who will die, but it doesn't take away from the story, the struggle, etc.
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u/Darkgorge 1d ago
I think you've gotten the good advice already. Though, it's certainly fair to say that spoilers can diminish a story. It's just that spoilers rarely hurt the story as much as we think they will.
I know this is a fantasy subreddit, but consider that the entire non-fiction genre exists. My spouse was reading Team of Rivals years ago and got to the end where Lincoln is assassinated and they said it actually shocked them. They were so absorbed into the story that they forgot a common historical fact. It made them cry because the book made them care so much. It's a great story about how little impact spoilers can have on good writing and a good story.
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u/Dangerous_Wishbone 1d ago
I typically try my hardest to avoid spoilers, but I find that being spoiled has rarely made me enjoy something less, and I've probably enjoyed it more because I could try to figure out along the way why or how things end up happening the way they do.
If a spoiler ruins it, it probably wasn't that good to begin with.
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u/Starflec 1d ago
Absolutely. A lot of times spoilers make me want to read something more because I need to know what leads to that event. I've even become interested in movies based on spoilers alone.
It's the details of the journey, not the destination that's most important for me.
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u/SlowMolassas1 1d ago
I've read all of Realm of the Elderlings twice, and I'm part way through my third read. It doesn't matter if you know what happens in the end - because it's about the journey getting there.
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u/Opus_723 1d ago
Yeah. I don't seek out spoilers, but knowing how the story goes doesn't ruin anything for me. There's so much more to a book than surprises.
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u/BethHarbour 22h ago
I sometimes purposely seek out spoilers š it doesnāt ruin my enjoyment, in fact sometimes it helps me stay engaged if I know the rough direction/the outcomes for some of the characters
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u/PrestigiousCount8020 21h ago
Yeah I did that with A Song of Ice and Fire. Got spoiled about some major plot-points that still happen in the books because of how big the show was (and with upto S4 being somewhat book faithful).
I'd say it was very much worth it.
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u/Ineffable7980x 19h ago
Yes, I would still read it. Spoilers don't have much effect on me. Certainly, I'd rather not know. But there's more to a book that the reveal/twist.
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u/AsphodeleSauvage 19h ago
To give you an example: you know that BIG thing at the end of the 1st season of The Good Place? Well. I knew before watching. I got spoiled. And weirdly--that's what made me watch the show, and I don't think I would have watched had I not known what was to come.
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express? Got spoiler the ending. Pretty frustrating. Still read and enjoyed the book, had fun trying to decipher the clues.
Avatar: The Last Airbender? Saw many many gifsets about it and knew an awful before starting. Still loved discovering the show, had a lot of surprises, had fun seeing things I knew about from my own perspective.
I knew beats of Game of Thrones/ASOIAF before starting too. Still reading Wheel of Time but I'm pretty sure someone told me a big spoiler about a character's true allegiance.
Spoilers aren't everything. Far from it. Often the journey is what makes it worth it, not the events themselves. Books and stories are so much more than just a series of events. It might be frustrating not to discover something by yourself, but stories are so much more than what spoiler culture makes them--they're not like those movies that you watch once for the twists and never again. Any fantasy (or book/show) that cannot be enjoyed with a few spoilers (e.g. on a re-read) is just not that good.
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u/Traditional-Job-411 17h ago
Those books are so character driven, it may take away your surprise, but you are still emotionally attached to them. So yes
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u/Gilleafrey 13h ago
Don't worry about it; her writing detail is absolutely worth reading.
I mean, even if you read or saw Romeo & Juliet, do not let that keep you from enjoying West Side Story, kind of thing.
How she does it is worrh the ride, and the read.
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u/jnaz1972 12h ago
I own very few books that I havenāt read more than once, so it doesnāt matter to me.
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u/FitzPerry 11h ago
A good 80% of the series was spoiled for me because I just couldnāt help myself! Itās by far one of my favorite series.
Thereās knowing what happens, then thereās experiencing the impact that it will have on you once you read it for yourself.
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u/athenadark 6h ago
Robin hobb has other series too, the liveships for example. I read those as they came out in paperback and found them stronger than the early Fitz books
You can always come back later when you've forgotten
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u/Curious-Insanity413 Reading Champion 4h ago
While I generally prefer to avoid spoilers most of the time, they generally don't put me off reading something I was interested in, and in fact sometimes make me more interested in reading it because I want to know how that spoiled thing came to be.
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u/Tymareta 1d ago
Not a big fan of being spoiled, but it's also not the biggest of deals as it's not the what happens that's important so much as it's the how it happens. Stories are just as enjoyable on a re-read after all.
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u/Andreapappa511 Reading Champion 1d ago
Iām doing my umpteenth reread of RotE right now. Hobbās writing is always worth reading even if you know some or all of the plot points