Thoughts on the ending

[Chad32]

Well, I would have liked more elaboration to help wrap things up. That's part of what an ending is supposed to be. It's the resolution. Resolutions aren't supposed to be exciting, as they come after the climax. Resolutions are supposed to tie up the loose ends like a pretty little bow.

Yes Tom's yeerk played a big part, but he's a villian. Yes Rachel played a big part, but I've already expressed my distaste of her dying.

The ending sucked balls. I was just wondering why they put Loren back into the series for no apparent reason. I also think it's pathetic of Tobias to abandon his best friend and mother just because he lost someone. It's not like he lost everything.

[morfowt]

it was after the climax. the climax was in the first few chapters, the battle on the blade ship. then an ending. then another climax...

[Chad32]

it was after the climax. the climax was in the first few chapters, the battle on the blade ship. then an ending. then another climax...

Yeah. After Earth is saved, it would be ok to explain stuff like what the families did because it's the resolution. Climax is over.

Of course, then they have the Kelbrid and One, which is confusing to say the least.

[morfowt]

they explained what the animorphs did.

[Chad32]

they explained what the animorphs did.

Yeah, we all know that. I'd also like to know what Jake's parents thought of it all, and what happened to Loren, and if Peter got back with Eva, ect.

[CounterInstinct]

No... K.A. didn't need to explain it all in words. I mean, most literature are praised for saying things without really saying it. In our literature class, we read very (and i mean very) vague stories and poetry... and that is most likely what K.A did too. Maybe it was hidden in context, OR, the more likely possibilty, that she left it out for us to think ourselves.

What did you think Jake's parents thought about it all? Personally, I think they felt sorry for Jake... what happened to Loren and Eva? I KNOW that you have an idea down there....

Plus, K.A might have thought that the lives of those major minor characters were for another story, another book, but discontinued it for some reason.

[EscafilDevice]

No... K.A. didn't need to explain it all in words. I mean, most literature are praised for saying things without really saying it. In our literature class, we read very (and i mean very) vague stories and poetry... and that is most likely what K.A did too. Maybe it was hidden in context, OR, the more likely possibilty, that she left it out for us to think ourselves.

You can't end a series with a cliffhanger that introduces a brand new character in the process. If it was supposed to be that voice from #41 it was very badly implemented.

I hated the ending. When I finish a series, I want some form of conclusion. Animorphs didn't give me that, which is why I still think about it.

[morfowt]

look on the bright side, it leaves room for fanfic.

and what's with wrong with ending in a cliffhanger?

[EscafilDevice]

look on the bright side, it leaves room for fanfic.

and what's with wrong with ending in a cliffhanger?

Have you seen most fanfic?

Most fanfiction is terrible. It is either badly-written with obvious Mary Sues/canon Sues or serves as an outlet for the sexual fantasies of the author. Often it's both.

With the exception of Augustine Quill's fic, I don't think I've ever seen a well-written attempt at explaining the ending of Animorphs. (I haven't read any of the fics on this forum, however.)

I think a cliffhanger is the worst way to end a series. I like endings that give you conclusion, not ones that make you wonder even more. The story doesn't have to end with everyone living happily ever after with their lives spelled out for them, but drastically changing the story in the last book and having an ending that made no sense within the context of the story is awful.

The ending was badly-implemented. Instead of finding a way for Rachel to solve her problem with violence she's just killed off - what's the point of exploring both sides of Rachel if the author is going to treat her one-dimensionally anyway? It sent the message across that people with any degree of mental illness can't recover.

I hate when people say that the Animorphs ending was "realistic". It's a science fiction kid series, and besides, you can write a "realistic" ending without cheating all of your characters out of a good futures. It was a miserable failure in terms of evoking sympathy for the characters - if I want to watch something sad I'll watch The English Patient. The ending just angered me because it was badly-written and rushed.

Was anyone else angered by the "message from the author" at the end when she asked us to check out Remnants? I felt like she was sick of writing Animorphs so she rushed through the ending and went off to write another series. Regardless of whether or not that was her intent, it certainly came off that way.

[Chad32]

look on the bright side, it leaves room for fanfic.

and what's with wrong with ending in a cliffhanger?

Have you seen most fanfic?

Most fanfiction is terrible. It is either badly-written with obvious Mary Sues/canon Sues or serves as an outlet for the sexual fantasies of the author. Often it's both.

With the exception of Augustine Quill's fic, I don't think I've ever seen a well-written attempt at explaining the ending of Animorphs. (I haven't read any of the fics on this forum, however.)

I think a cliffhanger is the worst way to end a series. I like endings that give you conclusion, not ones that make you wonder even more. The story doesn't have to end with everyone living happily ever after with their lives spelled out for them, but drastically changing the story in the last book and having an ending that made no sense within the context of the story is awful.

The ending was badly-implemented. Instead of finding a way for Rachel to solve her problem with violence she's just killed off - what's the point of exploring both sides of Rachel if the author is going to treat her one-dimensionally anyway? It sent the message across that people with any degree of mental illness can't recover.

I hate when people say that the Animorphs ending was "realistic". It's a science fiction kid series, and besides, you can write a "realistic" ending without cheating all of your characters out of a good futures. It was a miserable failure in terms of evoking sympathy for the characters - if I want to watch something sad I'll watch The English Patient. The ending just angered me because it was badly-written and rushed.

Was anyone else angered by the "message from the author" at the end when she asked us to check out Remnants? I felt like she was sick of writing Animorphs so she rushed through the ending and went off to write another series. Regardless of whether or not that was her intent, it certainly came off that way.

I agree with a lot of what you say. As for the message, reading the ending of Animorphs made me afraid to get into any other series written by her. I read some of Everworld, but that one only lasted two books.

An ending should be just that: an ending. Not a new beginning that will likely never be explained.

[morfowt]

I never said read someone else's fanfic, although that's not a bad idea. I meant come up with your own ending.

[CounterInstinct]

The ending made you uneasy.... that doesn't mean it was bad.
Anyway, it was a science fiction book, but look at how detailed it was! I mean, there was Pepsi, Cinnabon, The Gap! The reason why we love the Animorphs because it was set in our world. OUR world. Unlike other science fictions where it takes place on some phony fairy land. That's why it HAS to be realistic. We love Animorphs because it's realistic.

And the ending, That is why the Ending is called "The Beginning". It is the beginning of something new, something unknown. If the book was named "The End" and ended as open, I would complain. But it was named the Beginning. You don't name something "the Beginning" for nothing.

Personally, I like the ending, unlike what most people say about it. I don't exactly enjoy Cinderella endings.... it's just to perfect, not how reality is supposed to be.

Dear Animorphs Readers:

Quite a number of people seem to be annoyed by the final chapter in the Animorphs story. There are a lot of complaints that I let Rachel die. That I let Visser Three/One live. That Cassie and Jake broke up. That Tobias seems to have been reduced to unexpressed grief. That there was no grand, final fight-to-end-all-fights. That there was no happy celebration. And everyone is mad about the cliffhanger ending.

So I thought I'd respond.

Animorphs was always a war story. Wars don't end happily. Not ever. Often relationships that were central during war, dissolve during peace. Some people who were brave and fearless in war are unable to handle peace, feel disconnected and confused. Other times people in war make the move to peace very easily. Always people die in wars. And always people are left shattered by the loss of loved ones.

That's what happens, so that's what I wrote. Jake and Cassie were in love during the war, and end up going their seperate ways afterward. Jake, who was so brave and capable during the war is adrift during the peace. Marco and Ax, on the other hand, move easily past the war and even manage to use their experience to good effect. Rachel dies, and Tobias will never get over it. That doesn't by any means cover everything that happens in a war, but it's a start.

Here's what doesn't happen in war: there are no wondrous, climactic battles that leave the good guys standing tall and the bad guys lying in the dirt. Life isn't a World Wrestling Federation Smackdown. Even the people who win a war, who survive and come out the other side with the conviction that they have done something brave and necessary, don't do a lot of celebrating. There's very little chanting of 'we're number one' among people who've personally experienced war.

I'm just a writer, and my main goal was always to entertain. But I've never let Animorphs turn into just another painless video game version of war, and I wasn't going to do it at the end. I've spent 60 books telling a strange, fanciful war story, sometimes very seriously, sometimes more tongue-in-cheek. I've written a lot of action and a lot of humor and a lot of sheer nonsense. But I have also, again and again, challenged readers to think about what they were reading. To think about the right and wrong, not just the who-beat-who. And to tell you the truth I'm a little shocked that so many readers seemed to believe I'd wrap it all up with a lot of high-fiving and backslapping. Wars very often end, sad to say, just as ours did: with a nearly seamless transition to another war.

So, you don't like the way our little fictional war came out? You don't like Rachel dead and Tobias shattered and Jake guilt-ridden? You don't like that one war simply led to another? Fine. Pretty soon you'll all be of voting age, and of draft age. So when someone proposes a war, remember that even the most necessary wars, even the rare wars where the lines of good and evil are clear and clean, end with a lot of people dead, a lot of people crippled, and a lot of orphans, widows and grieving parents.

If you're mad at me because that's what you have to take away from Animorphs, too bad. I couldn't have written it any other way and remained true to the respect I have always felt for Animorphs readers.

K.A. Applegate

[morfowt]

Personally, I like the ending, unlike what most people say about it. I don't exactly enjoy Cinderella endings.... it's just to perfect, not how reality is supposed to be.

I wouldn't say I completely agree. I really like the ending. but I don't mind cinderella endings that much, as long as they're used in the right place. you have a story like cinderella, use a cinderella ending. if you have a story like animorphs, use an animorphs ending. the only endings I don't like are horror endings. I don't care if they're used in horror stories, I don't like horror endings.

[Myitt]

Endings don't necessarily have to be endings, that's one of the reasons why I liked the ending.  Things don't always end happily or even end on a definite conclusion.  Sometimes a story ends by pressing the restart button.  Sure it's going to make some fans upset.  Whether that's laziness on the part of an author or just a creative decision depends on how well it's done.  I think the idea of the ending and the shattered relationships after the war was all perfect, but you know, the whole last book felt really rushed.  That's my only gripe about it. 

[esplin]

look on the bright side, it leaves room for fanfic.

and what's with wrong with ending in a cliffhanger?

Have you seen most fanfic?

Most fanfiction is terrible. It is either badly-written with obvious Mary Sues/canon Sues or serves as an outlet for the sexual fantasies of the author. Often it's both.

With the exception of Augustine Quill's fic, I don't think I've ever seen a well-written attempt at explaining the ending of Animorphs. (I haven't read any of the fics on this forum, however.)

I think a cliffhanger is the worst way to end a series. I like endings that give you conclusion, not ones that make you wonder even more. The story doesn't have to end with everyone living happily ever after with their lives spelled out for them, but drastically changing the story in the last book and having an ending that made no sense within the context of the story is awful.

The ending was badly-implemented. Instead of finding a way for Rachel to solve her problem with violence she's just killed off - what's the point of exploring both sides of Rachel if the author is going to treat her one-dimensionally anyway? It sent the message across that people with any degree of mental illness can't recover.

I hate when people say that the Animorphs ending was "realistic". It's a science fiction kid series, and besides, you can write a "realistic" ending without cheating all of your characters out of a good futures. It was a miserable failure in terms of evoking sympathy for the characters - if I want to watch something sad I'll watch The English Patient. The ending just angered me because it was badly-written and rushed.

Was anyone else angered by the "message from the author" at the end when she asked us to check out Remnants? I felt like she was sick of writing Animorphs so she rushed through the ending and went off to write another series. Regardless of whether or not that was her intent, it certainly came off that way.

I think I like you escafil.

*claps*