Monday, April 25, 2011

Reader's Disappointment

Has there ever been a time when you've felt utterly let-down by an author?

This has happened to me. I won't say that I felt betrayed, only because that is simply too dramatic for something as silly as a fantasy book. This happened a few years ago when I found out that, after five amazing books and a slow build-up towards a sixth and final novel centered around the past of my Favorite Character Ever (who had been an peripheral character- an important one, but peripheral nonetheless), this sixth book would never be written and published. Ever. 


Honestly, I understood her reasons- she just couldn't write it to her satisfaction and it was set in a MMORPG fantasy world wherein she wasn't the only writer and there are higher-ups that can do things like a massive time-skip, etc etc. I understood- but I had so so so been looking forward to this book and the shock of never being able to read it (and that the time-skip would probably kill off said favorite character) had pretty much turned me off from books and series set in this particular fantasy world. I haven't touched one in years.

Something like this had never happened to me before. I've never been wound up to anticipate a finale so much and had it...just not happen. Imagine the worst cliff-hanger end-of-a-book you've ever read. Now imagine the author just said, "...yeah, no, it's not going to work, so we'll leave it off here, sorry!" Imagine if the Hunger Games had ended with "Katniss, there is no District Twelve", forever.  Yeah, that's basically how I felt. Maybe not that bad because all five books of the series were complete stories by themselves, but this sixth one would have done so much for Favorite Character Ever.

But I just now stumbled across news dated last June that this author is set to have a new book come out next year. This new book would be set in this same fantasy world (post-time-skip, I assume) and be about Favorite Character Ever's daughter.

I am so conflicted.

On one hand, I want to grab it and devour it eagerly for what closure I can scrounge up on this character and this world. On the other, a part of me is bitter and just wants to be done with it all. I'll probably end up buying the book to support the author (feelings of betrayal aside, she was still one of my favorite for a reason!) and decide whether/when/how to read it.

The point of this entry is, all endeavoring authors, please try not to do this to your future readers. We can get book PTSD from this, just saying.

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