The Jordan Effect and Why it is Becoming Harder to be a Fantasy Reader

I’ve noticed a somewhat disturbing trend in the fantasy genre recently and I am attributing it to what I’m referring to as the Jordan Effect.  When many people hear this term, they automatically think of the great Michael Jordan.  Alas, the Jordan Effect that I am referring to does not concern Mike, but rather legendary fantasy author Robert Jordan.  Before I go into what the Jordan Effect is and why it has made it much more difficult to be a reader of the fantasy genre, let me explain that when I first started reading fantasy, it was all about trilogies.  This was due in large part to the influence of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and also because publishers felt like they could make a little more coin by dragging a story across a three-book arc.  Trilogies were fine and yes, it was frustrating as a reader having to wait three or four years to get some closure to a series but whatever, I learned to live with it.  When Robert Jordan came along, the fantasy genre got a much-needed shot in the arm and it became almost cool to read fantasy books.  No longer did fantasy readers have to hide the embarrassing covers of their books and cower in the shadows.  People who never read a fantasy book in their lives were reading Robert Jordan.  But that is not the Jordan Effect.  The Jordan Effect is the trend of authors no longer sticking to the traditional trilogy story arc, but publishing huge 5-10 book series - sometimes even 10-plus books.  Look at authors like Steven Erikson, George RR Martin, Brandon Sanderson, Daniel Abraham (who I actually really enjoy reading) and you will see the Jordan Effect’s influence taking root.  My concern is that more and more authors will begin to follow the lead of Mr. Jordan, and who will suffer in the end?  The readers like me who don’t want to have to wait 15 years to see how a series eventually ends will suffer.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still authors out there who are writing nice tidy series that actually get resolved in less than a decade like: Mark Lawrence, John Marco, and Tad Williams just to name a few off the top of my head.  Hell, Joe Abercrombie even has the incredible audacity and gall to write excellent (and this is blasphemy in the fantasy genre) – STAND-ALONE fantasy novels!  Yes they are set in the same world as his famous First Law trilogy, but they have a beginning and an end and this is all wrapped up in one, yes ONE book!  Now the Jordan Effect hasn’t become a full-blown epidemic yet and I hope that it never gets to that point.  However, it is still a little disconcerting to the faithful fantasy reader like me.  Hopefully we can one day find a cure for the Jordan Effect but until then, I will stick to my small group of “go to” authors and hope that they never fall prey to the dark side.