I love reading a great story with characters I care about. I want to know how they're doing, and how they overcame the obstacles in their way. Reaching the end of such a story is as satisfying an experience as almost anything I can encounter.
That said, the story should eventually end...
Some folks like sequels simply for the sake of sequels. I'm not one of them. Stories that go on forever wear on me, for there never feels like there's true closure. Hey, I get it - many people like to continue to see their favorite characters and their travails, and writers are always up for a sure thing. And if there is actually more story to tell, that's a good thing too. However, I read and watch so many stories that just go on and on and on that I find myself wondering if the characters are still on some kind of journey, or if they're just lost.
My review of Thrawn is a good example. I enjoyed Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy. And although I thought it was a stretch, the Hand of Thrawn books were fine too, but by the time Thrawn rolled around, pretty much everything had been said. In fact, Thrawn turns the entire Star Wars universe upside down. In using the convenience of the Yuzaan Vong invasion in that universe, and pretending that both Thrawn and the Emperor had foreseen the crisis, they end up making the Empire the good guys throughout the storyline, no matter how ruthless they may have had to be in order to "save" the galaxy from an extra-galactic threat.
This is one of the biggest problems with writing stories just to keep your characters around - you stray from what made them great and heroic in the first place. Thrawn for example, was a great villain and worthy opponent for the heroes of the Star Wars universe. Harry Potter's universe ended well at the end of book seven, so bringing back another book, even if not written by JK Rowling, was atrocious and upended convention again. In short, it throws the established universe into chaos for a quick buck, thus ruining the reason we loved it in the first place.
Authors should move on to new ideas rather than being stuck groping around in old ones. Always leave the audience wanting just a bit more. If a story truly fits, fine. However, staying in the same place out of comfort rather than new original ideas is laziness.
That said, the story should eventually end...
Some folks like sequels simply for the sake of sequels. I'm not one of them. Stories that go on forever wear on me, for there never feels like there's true closure. Hey, I get it - many people like to continue to see their favorite characters and their travails, and writers are always up for a sure thing. And if there is actually more story to tell, that's a good thing too. However, I read and watch so many stories that just go on and on and on that I find myself wondering if the characters are still on some kind of journey, or if they're just lost.
My review of Thrawn is a good example. I enjoyed Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy. And although I thought it was a stretch, the Hand of Thrawn books were fine too, but by the time Thrawn rolled around, pretty much everything had been said. In fact, Thrawn turns the entire Star Wars universe upside down. In using the convenience of the Yuzaan Vong invasion in that universe, and pretending that both Thrawn and the Emperor had foreseen the crisis, they end up making the Empire the good guys throughout the storyline, no matter how ruthless they may have had to be in order to "save" the galaxy from an extra-galactic threat.
This is one of the biggest problems with writing stories just to keep your characters around - you stray from what made them great and heroic in the first place. Thrawn for example, was a great villain and worthy opponent for the heroes of the Star Wars universe. Harry Potter's universe ended well at the end of book seven, so bringing back another book, even if not written by JK Rowling, was atrocious and upended convention again. In short, it throws the established universe into chaos for a quick buck, thus ruining the reason we loved it in the first place.
Authors should move on to new ideas rather than being stuck groping around in old ones. Always leave the audience wanting just a bit more. If a story truly fits, fine. However, staying in the same place out of comfort rather than new original ideas is laziness.
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