Reading the last book in a series

I've just read the last Merrilly Watkins novel by Phil Rickman, there won't be any more as he died last year, I'm sad as I feel Merrilly had more stories to tell.

Is it good for a last book to have an ambiguous ending that leaves you thinking, or do you prefer everything to be neatly tidied away?

I felt really upset when Elly Griffiths wrote her last Dr Ruth Galloway novel, it was like losing a friend.

Does any one else really miss fictional characters when they can no longer share thier lives with us?

Parents
  • Does any one else really miss fictional characters when they can no longer share thier lives with us?

    I was a lifelong fan of Terry Pratchett and followed his Discworld series from the start to the 41st and last one.

    He was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and knew he was dying towards the end so ended up getting Stephen Baxter to help him write the last of his books through the difficulties of memory loss and motor control.

    He finished the series nicely and when he actually died they sent a final tweet from his account using the captial letters he used when it was character of Death (the personification of death) talking - it read "AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER". 

    I don't think I have cried so much as I did then.

    If you have read the books then you will know how meaningful this is.

  • I've read most of the Disc World series, and I was sad when Terry Pratchet died and what an amazing epitaph that is.

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    Marriane have you tried Paul Doherty? Particularly his Brother Athelstan series? I think if you like Ellis Peters then you will like these, the Hugh Corbett series is quite good too.

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  • I've read most of the Disc World series, and I was sad when Terry Pratchet died and what an amazing epitaph that is.

    *****************************

    Marriane have you tried Paul Doherty? Particularly his Brother Athelstan series? I think if you like Ellis Peters then you will like these, the Hugh Corbett series is quite good too.

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