There is a lot I'm willing to forgive in a book or a TV series if the ending pays it all off. Something might be internally inconsistent, but I might read on through to the end because of the possibility that it will be explained. When it is, in fact, NOT explained (or done so horribly), my reaction is often extremely negative. I put in all this extra time, hoping for that earlier flaw to be explained, and I was ultimately disappointed. No matter how engaged I was during the "journey," if the ending is a dud, that marks my opinion of the whole thing.
I think that, when it comes to books, I expect a certain amount of self-standing within the covers. The ending of a book is a significant break-point, and a point of reflection for me to decide whether I'll pay for the next book. It's all right if a few loose ends and mysteries are left -- aren't there always some? -- but if there's a severe flaw in the story (This thing does not make sense!) my experience is that if it's not brought to satisfactory conclusion by the end of the book, and there's no tease directly pointing to "look to the next book for an explanation!" then odds are pretty good that it WILL NOT be resolved later on. If the trail gets too cold, it's quite possible that the author has forgotten about it, or assumes the readers have forgotten about it, and unless a great big deal is made about it, it won't get a suitable conclusion. (I'm sure there are exceptions, but acknowledging a few possible EXCEPTIONS is really no different than saying "most of the time it isn't paid off.")
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-12-13 03:09 pm (UTC)I think that, when it comes to books, I expect a certain amount of self-standing within the covers. The ending of a book is a significant break-point, and a point of reflection for me to decide whether I'll pay for the next book. It's all right if a few loose ends and mysteries are left -- aren't there always some? -- but if there's a severe flaw in the story (This thing does not make sense!) my experience is that if it's not brought to satisfactory conclusion by the end of the book, and there's no tease directly pointing to "look to the next book for an explanation!" then odds are pretty good that it WILL NOT be resolved later on. If the trail gets too cold, it's quite possible that the author has forgotten about it, or assumes the readers have forgotten about it, and unless a great big deal is made about it, it won't get a suitable conclusion. (I'm sure there are exceptions, but acknowledging a few possible EXCEPTIONS is really no different than saying "most of the time it isn't paid off.")