Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Top Ten Tuesdays: Best/Worst Series Endings

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html
Hello, everyone! Yes, I know, I've been rather lax in my Top Ten Tuesday posts lately. Sorry about that. I don't remember what my excuse was two weeks ago, but my excuse last week was probably that I just never got around to it. But I am doing it this week, so let's get started on my top ten best/worst series endings! I'll do my best to keep these spoiler-free, but even so, do read with caution.

We'll start with the best:
  1. The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia). One of the best parts of this book is the sudden turn from sorrow to hope. You think it's all over- but then you realize that it isn't, and the truth is much better than you expected. Also, it's a happily-ever-after with the promise of more, which is the best kind of happily-ever-after there is.
  2. The Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings). This is one of the few books that can make me teary-eyed, and when I first read it, I couldn't help thinking "But why'd you have to make it end that way?" Now, however, I feel that without that bittersweet ending, the whole story wouldn't be as amazing.
  3. The Ale Boy's Feast (Jeffery Overstreet, The Auralia Thread). This one was a tough decision for me. In some ways, this book made me want to scream "Noooo! That can't be!" However, it was an excellent conclusion to the series. It says just enough to wrap up all the loose ends, but still leaves a few things for you to imagine yourself.
  4. From Darkness Won (Jill Williamson, Blood of Kings trilogy). Sometimes, however, I like to hear all the details of What Happened After, and that's why I love the ending of From Darkness Won. It was so beautiful and sweet. 
  5. Forest Born (Shannon Hale, The Books of Bayern). It made me lay back, sigh happily, and hug the book. I'd say that's a pretty good way to end a series.
And now for the worst:
  1. Green (Ted Dekker, The Circle Series). I dislike this book on many, many different levels. It was strange, even for Dekker. Several parts were pretty creepy, and not in the good-creepy way. To top it all off, I felt like the ending completely ruined the series. In a way, it made me feel like all the characters had worked for, fought for, and even died for didn't really matter anymore. 
  2. Elyon (Ted Dekker, The Lost Books). Really, the whole series went downhill after book four. But, like Green, this book was just weird, and it really wasn't very enjoyable to read. I had pretty much gotten to the point where I didn't much care about the characters anymore, and I was just reading it to see if they improved before the series ended.
  3. Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). I did like this book in some ways. But, it was also very depressing, and I lost nearly all my favorite characters. Plus, I got really, really mad at Katniss towards the end. To top it all off, the ending felt a bit rushed.
  4. Inheritance (Christopher Paolini, The Inheritance Cycle). Again, I actually liked Inheritance in general. However, the ending made me mad for a variety of reasons, none of which I can say without giving away spoilers. We'll leave it that I expected a number of things to happen or not happen, and several of the ones I was most adamant about turned out the wrong way.
  5. The Chamber of Lies (Bill Meyers, The Elijah Project). Fairly good book, but it didn't feel like an ending. In fact, I'd say it was just the opposite. And I have yet to find a sequel series. 
I hope you enjoyed my list! What are some of your favorite and least favorite series endings? Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)
Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

10 comments:

  1. Great choices! The Last Battle and The Return of the King are such excellent endings. And Forest Born was quite satisfactory as well, though I wouldn't mind if the series continued.

    From what I've heard you had some good choices for the worst endings as well. :)

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    1. Thank you very much! I'm glad you agree! And yes, I would've liked more, but if it had to end there, at least it ended well.

      Thank you again!

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  2. I'm not familiar with some of the books on your list. TRK was awesome (the movie :D) & Mockingjay made my best.

    New follower

    My Best & Worst

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    1. Which ones aren't you familiar with? I agree; RotK is amazing, both book and movie. Mockingjay, from what I've heard, has made a lot of lists.

      Thanks!

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  3. Hmmm...I disagree with your thoughts on Mockingjay and Inheritance, but other than that, okay. I wouldn't say Mockingjay's ending was the best ever, but it wasn't bad, and I think that the ending of Inheritance was absolutely perfect. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

    -JW

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    1. What makes you say that Inheritance had a perfect ending, exactly?

      Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
    2. ****INHERITANCE SPOILERS****

      Well, first of all, the author was foreshadowing the ending ever since the first book. He is constantly saying that Eragon must leave Alagaesia after his task is done, and that he may never return, etc.

      Secondly, the ending made sense because the whole series is about the restoration of the dragons and the Riders, which is arguably one of the most important plots. In book 1 the riders and dragons are nearly wiped out; now they are to be restored by Eragon.

      Thirdly, it shows that Eragon has attained a greater and more powerful relationship with Arya than he could ever achieve romantically. He and Arya depart as friends. While there is sadness in the ending, it achieves what all great endings must: it moves on from the story that has been finished.

      Fourthly, it portrays the characters as still being flawed and human. For instance, Murtagh is still largely a broken character, even though in many ways he has been restored. He is penitent but still flawed. Even Eragon, who has been completely changed by his journey, is not perfect.

      ****END SPOILER****

      Anyway, that's a long list of things I really liked about it. I haven't read it since it came out, though, so there's probably a few things I missed. It was a big book after all.

      -JW

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    3. ***INHERITANCE SPOILERS***
      I can't argue with the first and second; those are good things about the ending. For the third, though, I disagree, though I do understand your points. I feel like the author had been making us expect something more than simply friendship all through the series, and when he didn't deliver, I wasn't happy. As for the fourth, I can't argue, but I don't entirely agree either.

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  4. I agree with your first two! The Last Battle goes beyond a book series ender to something so much deeper. And even though The Return of the King has some sad parts, it just felt right. I also can't agree more with your opinion of Mockingjay as a conclusion. So rushed and I felt it was needlessly violent. Great list!

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    1. Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it and that you agree with my choices!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts! But remember: it pays to be polite to dragons.