A 'Happily ever after' ending Versus 'To be continued'

[Ferdinand_otieno]

If the author chose to complete the the book in another way, then I would not have loved reading the book. I don't think there's anything wrong in his approach.

[aussiebooklover]

If the author chose to complete the the book in another way, then I would not have loved reading the book. I don't think there's anything wrong in his approach.

I agree Fernando! And I hope there is a sequel soon! Loved this one ...

[Vickie Noel]

Even if a story has a sequel, I'd much rather be prepped up for it with a question or another kind of activity which would form the base rather than having a 'to be continued' end. I rarely forget stories that appeal to me so I don't generally need a cliff hanger to do the job. As for HEAs, well, yes please. My heroes must win even if there are a few losses/collateral damages along the way.

[RegularGuy3]

Whenever I see "happily ever after" or the like I think "EVER? Really?" Leaves me less satisfied than an inconclusive ending.

[Juliet Esther]

At least I would love to read one happy ending after struggling to read a book, sometimes its disappointing to read a whole book anticipating for a good ending but then suspense comes. Suspense is also good as long as it leaves me anticipating for more but I believe every book should have at least one good thing at the end..

[Bettychi55]

Suspense doesn't really do it for me. I would rather have some closure. If anything I would prefer to want more than have nothing. I prefer happily ever after endings.

[Ljessup]

I prefer ' to be continued' only if the endings has that spark . I feel ' to be continued' leaves a long lasting impact that somehow plays with reader's mind and makes him wonder what will happen next . And don't leave out the point , that it will increase selling of next part. Moreover , happy endings aren't that much alluring these days because maybe now, some part of reader knows that ' happy endings' don't exist.

I completely agree with this. I enjoy the different scenarios I can come up with, with a "to be continued" ending. I enjoy a strong ending as well, but again only if it is believable and doesn't just follow the "happily ever after" stigma because that just ins't the case much of the time.

[Vivian Paschal]

I like both, but I think I prefer 'to be continued', especially when there is no continuation forthcoming. John Grisham uses this method a lot. I think writing is a lot about leading your reader through the lessons of imagination. Usually, when you finish a course in school, you write an exam. 'To be continued' endings give you the opportunity to imagine the rest by yourself. It's very much like writing an exam; to see how much you've learnt and how well you can imagine too.

[csimmons032]

It depends on if it is a stand alone novel or if it is a series. If there is a follow up book or a few of them, then I don't mind a "to be continued" ending. If not though, then I would prefer there to be some sort of closure to the story line and the characters.

[Kalin Adi]

Tough question! There are books that I just prefer to know they have their end, but there are others that I want more and more because I cannot get enough. Regarding The Expansion I don't feel there is a cliffhanger per se. I did not like the ending because it was abrupt and I consider the way the character solved his problem was too easy, but I do not feel there were many things unwrapped.

[Shrebarsa]

Happily every after endings are good for fairy tales. But when it comes to actual fiction, no person can be happy forever. So I find to be continued to be more real.

[Gikonyo Caroline]

'To be continued!' for sure
Happily ever after is cliche, expected , routine , norm but 'To be continued' leaves something to the imagination, so to speak, arouse curiosity , leaves some suspense

...To be continued..........


Don't you agree?

[Fictions Mistress]

Even with "to be continued" endings, the book has to give some kind of closure. Even if it isn't complete. In a series, you can get away with to be continued, but if it's one book, or the last book of a series, to be continued just isn't satisfying.

[Genaaa]

I have completely mixed feelings about this question. In some circmstances, a happy ending is a good way to close out a book. Other times, it's nice to leave some of the ending to the readers imagination. It really just all depends on the book. Howver, sometimes an author leaves a super large gap of information at the end of the book because they plan on finishing it off by writing a second book as a sequel for the first. The problem is sometimes plans fall through and the second book ends up not getting written or maybe written but not released. This then leaves a gigantic gap in the book leaving it to never be finished, which is generally not enjoyable for the author nor the reader.

[klbradley]

I like the satisfaction of a "happily ever after" ending, but I think it's more interesting to have a "to be continued," so that the story will carry on.