Return Of The King

[The Fisher King]

RotK is maybe the best example ever of the "extended wrap-up" to a fictional story. Other sagas, like George RR Martin's 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' favor a cliffhanger that leads directly into the next installment with each ending. Then, you may have a story like 'Doctor Who' where each series ends with MOST things resolved, yet still a few mysteries dangling for both viewer and The Doctor both.

 

All things must end. Soon, our beloved WOT will as well...the question is: Which type, in general, do YOU prefer?

 

 

Fish

[Owayn The Traveller]

I think the best endings would be where there's room and enough unanswered questions left over for a continuation down the line if the author decides. Something like The First Law trilogy. The idea of further expansion on the series was thought out in advance or at least it appears that way.

Heck even the The Eye of the World was done like that. The book does offer a satisfactory conclusion but left room for expansion.

 

I dislike series that end with a complete ending. The big bad was defeated and every thing is hunky dory and it's finished but the author decides to go back to the world and use the characters again in a new story, characters whose journeys were done. I'm thinking of what Terry Goodkind is going to be doing with his awesome characters Richard and Khalan.

 

However with WoT I want a much as possible to be answered as this is it. No lose ends please but it looks like it will leave a lot hanging as the original intention was to expand with outriggers and it doesn't look like we will ever see them.

 

So the best endings offer closure but leave avenues for later exploration. The worse are ones that reuse characters in the same world and just offer the same old stuff. Or the even worser ones are the Goodkind ones.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

i prefer everything wrapped up but no way that's happening here.

[The Fisher King]

OTT: I think you said it about as well as it can be said.

 

Cindy: I agree. Id like to see MOST things wrapped up, but I dont like my endings TOO neat and tidy. And I wouldn't miss RJs long-promised 'hook' for anything.

 

 

Fish

[Sleeper]

I've always liked how Brandon Sanderson wrote his endings (thinking Mistborn Trilogy here). They surprise you, some things come completely out of left field, but once you sit back and look at it, you realize that everything was wrapped up really well.

 

Hopefully he's had enough freedom in writing AMoL that he'll be able to put a little bit of that style into the book.

[Hallow]

I think the best endings would be where there's room and enough unanswered questions left over for a continuation down the line if the author decides. Something like The First Law trilogy. The idea of further expansion on the series was thought out in advance or at least it appears that way.

Heck even the The Eye of the World was done like that. The book does offer a satisfactory conclusion but left room for expansion.

 

I dislike series that end with a complete ending. The big bad was defeated and every thing is hunky dory and it's finished but the author decides to go back to the world and use the characters again in a new story, characters whose journeys were done. I'm thinking of what Terry Goodkind is going to be doing with his awesome characters Richard and Khalan.

 

However with WoT I want a much as possible to be answered as this is it. No lose ends please but it looks like it will leave a lot hanging as the original intention was to expand with outriggers and it doesn't look like we will ever see them.

 

So the best endings offer closure but leave avenues for later exploration. The worse are ones that reuse characters in the same world and just offer the same old stuff. Or the even worser ones are the Goodkind ones.

 

The less WoT's ending is like First Law's ending the better. I loved that series but honestly I thought the ending was absolute shite.

 

 

I don't want to read a story where every character ends up in exactly the same situation they were in at the beginning (Logen, Ferro), a much worse one (Luthar) or dead (Thunderhead, Grim, Threetrees, The only likeable Magi (name escapes me), West) and where only the bad guys come out on top (Glokta, Bayaz, Black Dow).

 

 

That's not to say I'm a fan of rainbows and ray of sunshine "Everything is FANTASTIC now!" endings either. If I had to pick an author who's endings I really like it would be either Brandon Sanderson or Steven Erikson.

[The Fisher King]

I've always liked how Brandon Sanderson wrote his endings (thinking Mistborn Trilogy here). They surprise you, some things come completely out of left field, but once you sit back and look at it, you realize that everything was wrapped up really well.

 

Hopefully he's had enough freedom in writing AMoL that he'll be able to put a little bit of that style into the book.

 

I'm sorry that I have to disagree with you, but I do. The VERY end of WOT is already written so there will be no tinkering with RJ's conclusion. As for the ending in broader terms, well, I hope Brandon was NOT allowed to tinker too much and I suspect her wasn't. While I have a deep appreciation for Brandon Sanderson doing his best to frame the last book in its final three parts, this is Jordan's story, and I hope it stays as true to RJ's exact intentions as possible.

 

 

Fish

[The Fisher King]

I think the best endings would be where there's room and enough unanswered questions left over for a continuation down the line if the author decides. Something like The First Law trilogy. The idea of further expansion on the series was thought out in advance or at least it appears that way.

Heck even the The Eye of the World was done like that. The book does offer a satisfactory conclusion but left room for expansion.

 

I dislike series that end with a complete ending. The big bad was defeated and every thing is hunky dory and it's finished but the author decides to go back to the world and use the characters again in a new story, characters whose journeys were done. I'm thinking of what Terry Goodkind is going to be doing with his awesome characters Richard and Khalan.

 

However with WoT I want a much as possible to be answered as this is it. No lose ends please but it looks like it will leave a lot hanging as the original intention was to expand with outriggers and it doesn't look like we will ever see them.

 

So the best endings offer closure but leave avenues for later exploration. The worse are ones that reuse characters in the same world and just offer the same old stuff. Or the even worser ones are the Goodkind ones.

 

The less WoT's ending is like First Law's ending the better. I loved that series but honestly I thought the ending was absolute shite.

 

 

I don't want to read a story where every character ends up in exactly the same situation they were in at the beginning (Logen, Ferro), a much worse one (Luthar) or dead (Thunderhead, Grim, Threetrees, The only likeable Magi (name escapes me), West) and where only the bad guys come out on top (Glokta, Bayaz, Black Dow).

 

 

That's not to say I'm a fan of rainbows and ray of sunshine "Everything is FANTASTIC now!" endings either. If I had to pick an author who's endings I really like it would be either Brandon Sanderson or Steven Erikson.

 

Hallow - I wish I could add something, but I haven't read it, lol!!!

 

 

Fish

[Sleeper]

I've always liked how Brandon Sanderson wrote his endings (thinking Mistborn Trilogy here). They surprise you, some things come completely out of left field, but once you sit back and look at it, you realize that everything was wrapped up really well.

 

Hopefully he's had enough freedom in writing AMoL that he'll be able to put a little bit of that style into the book.

 

I'm sorry that I have to disagree with you, but I do. The VERY end of WOT is already written so there will be no tinkering with RJ's conclusion. As for the ending in broader terms, well, I hope Brandon was NOT allowed to tinker too much and I suspect her wasn't. While I have a deep appreciation for Brandon Sanderson doing his best to frame the last book in its final three parts, this is Jordan's story, and I hope it stays as true to RJ's exact intentions as possible.

 

 

Fish

No need to apologize. :) I agree that Jordan's vision for the very end should be unaltered, but I'd love to see the way Sanderson puts it all together. Think of Jordan's ending as a Christmas gift, and Sanderson as the gift wrapper. He does a damn good job at wrapping things up, and I really look forward to seeing how he does it, but in the end the gift itself is intact.

[The Fisher King]

I've always liked how Brandon Sanderson wrote his endings (thinking Mistborn Trilogy here). They surprise you, some things come completely out of left field, but once you sit back and look at it, you realize that everything was wrapped up really well.

 

Hopefully he's had enough freedom in writing AMoL that he'll be able to put a little bit of that style into the book.

 

I'm sorry that I have to disagree with you, but I do. The VERY end of WOT is already written so there will be no tinkering with RJ's conclusion. As for the ending in broader terms, well, I hope Brandon was NOT allowed to tinker too much and I suspect her wasn't. While I have a deep appreciation for Brandon Sanderson doing his best to frame the last book in its final three parts, this is Jordan's story, and I hope it stays as true to RJ's exact intentions as possible.

 

 

Fish

No need to apologize. :) I agree that Jordan's vision for the very end should be unaltered, but I'd love to see the way Sanderson puts it all together. Think of Jordan's ending as a Christmas gift, and Sanderson as the gift wrapper. He does a damn good job at wrapping things up, and I really look forward to seeing how he does it, but in the end the gift itself is intact.

 

Im with you 100% ... I thought TGS was MUCH better written. I thought TOM was silly, wandering and wildly ''off'' in many ways. I enjoyed many parts of it though and not just the parts RJ wrote, lol. I also know a part of TOM that many loved and think RJ wrote but I know BS wrote so thats kinda cool, lol. Regardless. Brandon did a great job ''plotting out/blocking the structure'' to get the end of the series published and I will be forever grateful.

 

 

Fish

[Owayn The Traveller]

Fish read the First Law Trilogy.

 

And Hallow I'm using the First Law endings in regards to the way the world can still be used and the characters can still be utilised without it feeling forced or just bring the same old characters doing the same stuff in the same setting, again further down the line. That story finished but the overall story is still there. That was a battle not the war.

 

Whereas Eddings books feel just like rehasing what worked before and just giving the fans more of the same. Die hard and die hard 2 as opposed to back to the future 1 and 2.