Thursday, May 01, 2008

Mind Meld

The good folks over at SF Signal have invited me to climb up on their weekly round-robin soapbox. The current topic posed to the group: Which SF/F Books Have The Best and Worst Endings?

So, what kind of harebrained answer did I come up with? Here's my opening lines:
How do you really define "Best ending"? Is the best ending one in which the narrative relentlessly builds toward, one that's inevitable and inescapable yet still provides a satisfying denouement? Or would "Best" be better defined by that unexpected twist, that out-of-left-field trump card that comes at the reader unawares, yet in hindsight seems a perfect--yet audacious--resolution to the story? Both are very different types of endings, appropriate to very different types of stories.

The rest, of course--along with some thought-provoking commentary from writers far more insightful and eloquent than myself--can be read at SF Signal.

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