Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: thoughtful
  • Music: Ludo, "Too Tired to Wink."

On books without endings.

I received an email this morning that said, very politely, that while the writer loved my books and had enjoyed them greatly, they were no longer a fan and would not be buying any of my work in the future. Okay, fair enough. Why?

Because Deadline doesn't have a proper ending, and they don't want to encourage this behavior from publishers.

Okay. Look: if your definition of "proper ending" is "the story is over, and I can walk away satisfied and never need to read another volume," then no, Deadline doesn't have a proper ending. I have often said that the only time it's appropriate to end on a cliffhanger is in the second book of a trilogy, and Deadline ends on a pretty major cliffhanger. I can't apologize for that. It's the nature of the trilogy structure that part two will often end on a cliffhanger, and is allowed to do so. I don't end series books on cliffhangers; the Toby books, and the InCryptid books, all have solid, closed endings. I try to make sure there's always more story, but you can still walk away if you need to. This book is not those books.

Let me be clear: Deadline has an ending. There is a point where it ceases to be Deadline, and becomes Blackout, and that point is where the book ends. The Newsflesh trilogy is three books long, and those books are intrinsically linked, but each of them begins, and ends, at a certain place. The thrust and mood and structure of each volume is different, and when you pick up Blackout, you'll be reading a very different book, even if Deadline ended with some pretty major questions unanswered. I didn't pick that end point arbitrarily. I picked it because that was where the story of Deadline ended, and the story of Blackout began.

I completely understand and appreciate frustration over unanswered questions, unfinished measures, and endings that don't appear to end. And I also understand why some people have chosen to buy Deadline and put it on the shelf to wait for Blackout. I wrote back to the person who emailed me and said that I was sorry, I hadn't done it to increase sales or because my publisher made me; I ended the story where I did because that was where the story ended. And I stand by that.

Deadline may not have a "proper" ending.

But it has the right one.
Tags: contemplation, deadline, mira grant, writing
  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    switch
    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    Help
  • 161 comments
Previous
← Ctrl ← Alt
Next
Ctrl → Alt →

pola_bear

June 14 2011, 18:22:41 UTC 6 years ago

I thought the ending of Deadline was really great and satisfying while still making me want more. I actually haven't read the teaser and am slightly annoyed to have been spoiled for some of it's content, though I understand people assuming that it's fair game f the rest of the book is, because I love speculating (ok, there is still lots of speculating to be done, but not on that).

I hope more young people will be pro-cliffhanger/loads of time to think about what's next from growing up with the Harry Potter series, which had that and while they were all contained and not necessarily proper cliffhangers some things came close. Hopefully that will have trained people. Probably not.

seanan_mcguire

June 14 2011, 19:14:08 UTC 6 years ago

That would be awesome, if it worked.

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

June 15 2011, 14:02:20 UTC 6 years ago

One hopes!

yellowblackhaze

June 15 2011, 01:58:04 UTC 6 years ago

It's their loss. I went into Newsflesh knowing it was a trilogy and therefore would not 'end' until the 3rd book was published. That's kind of what trilogy means, ya know.

seanan_mcguire

June 15 2011, 14:02:27 UTC 6 years ago

Yup!

xjenavivex

June 15 2011, 03:55:11 UTC 6 years ago

you made me want to read that series even more

seanan_mcguire

June 15 2011, 14:02:34 UTC 6 years ago

Well, yay.

baka_kit

June 15 2011, 06:46:18 UTC 6 years ago

Some people, I don't EVEN know.

seanan_mcguire

June 15 2011, 14:02:55 UTC 6 years ago

I respect the choice; I resent the implication that my publisher somehow made me do it out of a deep desire to make more money.

besanderson

June 16 2011, 12:17:13 UTC 6 years ago

When I got to the last page of Deadline, I'll admit I wanted to pinch you. Hard. But I got over it and tossed the book to my daughter, telling her she had to (HAD TO) read it. (I taunted her throughout my reading of it with 'you are so not going to expect that' and 'you're gonna love this'.) It's definitely going on the keeper shelf. That person who's not going to read the next book is cutting off his nose to spite his face. Derp.

seanan_mcguire

June 16 2011, 14:36:01 UTC 6 years ago

The desire to pinch is fair. I'm glad you got past it!

coffeecocktails

June 16 2011, 13:57:05 UTC 6 years ago

Ha, I thought the ending of Deadline was incredible - but then, my ideal ending is the kind that leaves me going OMGWTFGODDAMN. 25 years of bland, neatly packaged TV/movie/book endings have left me craving something more interesting, and I'm always thrilled when I get it.

Doesn't hurt that I know we get more Newsflesh in a year's time, of course!

seanan_mcguire

June 16 2011, 14:35:27 UTC 6 years ago

Yeah, I figure that's acting in my favor with a lot of people.
Previous
← Ctrl ← Alt
Next
Ctrl → Alt →