December 19, 2006

Bah, humbug!

Here's a discussion all readers could add to: "Which novels had the least sensible ending?"

Michael Crichton gets several mentions. I'd forgotten that he basically stole H.G. Wells' idea of a virus killing the Martians (in War of the Worlds) when he ended The Andromeda Strain.

I've read many many books which left me dissatisfied and wondering "why did the author end it that way?" Trouble is, it would take some thought to list them all. They're not the ones I re-read, so they don't readily come to mind. How about you?

Posted by Linkmeister at December 19, 2006 08:08 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I don't know if I would call it a lack of sensability, but I hated the ending of Bright Messengers by Gentry Lee - the continuation of the Rama series begun by Arthur C Clarke.

I can totaly agree with the attitudes about Crichton.

Posted by: DuWayne at December 19, 2006 08:26 AM

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. Helprin explained nothing, left a zillion threads hanging loose, and then had the nerve to tell his readers to pretty much make up their own ending. I would've chucked the book across the room, except that I finished it while sitting in my pickup truck during my lunch break.

I have no love of Sphere, but I love Andromeda Strain, perhaps because I was a young scientist wannabe in high school when I first read it.

Posted by: DXMachina at December 20, 2006 03:43 PM

"Our Lady Of the Forest" had a bummer ending...

Posted by: toxiclabrat at December 24, 2006 04:18 PM