Years ago, I read The Clan of the Cave Bear, and devoured the series, though it got harder to get through them the further the series went. I skimmed through most of the last book. I've often thought that the last few books were ghost-written based on her drafts, and she didn't have much content for the final one, since there was a lot of repetition and filler content.
Given how bad those last books were, I would rather the series had gone unfinished than have to read how it ended. It was just disappointing to have seen where the character ended up.
That brings me to George and Patrick. I'd rather have no books from them to finish off their series, rather than some half-hearted ending, especially something they're not happy with. However, what pisses me off is them continuously dangling a carrot in front of fans with a promise that they will never fulfil.
They're never going to finish their series; they crave the limelight. I just wish they respected their readers enough to be honest.
And before anyone says, "authors don’t owe anyone their work," I agree. They don’t. But they do owe honesty. Admit the truth. Stop stringing fans along.
(Reposting because I mistitled my previous post)
by IrrayaQ
4 Comments
They can’t say they’re not working on it or they’ll never come out because then a lot of people stop paying attention to them and that’s not what they want
YES! Wish I’d never read past book FOUR of Jean M Auel’s series
>authors don’t owe anyone their work
I disagree. If you explicitly start a trilogy or a series you are making a social contract with your audience that if they keep buying them, you will keep writing it until it’s done. Of course you can stop writing them at any point, but that does make you an asshole.
The only continuation by another authors I enjoyed where those where continuators took the premise and run with it like in Buratino or Russian Wizard of Oz, Lupin the Third or mess that is Star Wars Legends.
When somebody tries to step into someones shoes it just doesn’t fit- Saanderson with Wheel of Time, Scarlett etc. The essence is rarely caught