Bookaholic Anonymous discussion

What do you think which is better:
the first book of a series or the second?
I think it is usually the first, but I cannot remember a contrary...
For example: Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" is better than "World Without End", as good as it is.

Well, that really depends. There are series that get better with each book (Mercy Thompson series, Alpha and Omega, Timber Wolves, etc).
But I think between the first and the second, usually the first is better... unless the first focuses mostly on world building, in which case the second is usually better as it has much more space to deal with the plot and characters ;)

I usually prefer the first book to the next one, but it was the opposite in "The Hunger Games" trilogy. I LOVED the second book, and just liked the first.