Books

[dsrtao]

_Pirate Sun_, Karl Schroeder

Schroeder demonstrates the right way to end a trilogy: by pulling together the thematic strings and the hidden plot coupons and tying it all off with a Crowning Moment of Awesome.

The only problem is that it's hard to do that and still have a viable stand-alone book; I think I would have been lost, and the ending would not have meant so much, had I not been along for the ride on the other two books.

Comments

[mangosteen]

Dan Simmons' "The Rise of Endymion" is still my gold standard for "how to end a series". I'm a pathetically slow reader, and I still managed to run through it on one sitting.

[dsrtao]

I have to disagree -- a spectacular ending doesn't count if you drown your readers in book three of four. (Such was my reaction, at least.)

[mangosteen]

Ah, yes. Book three is a different story altogether.