I was watching Magnolia and I had to explain the Deus Ex Machina bit at the end. When she complained about that being the worst form of ending ever, I said I could name three that were worse.
Here are my two, but I need a third....
1) It was all a dream, i've hated this ending since I was 4 and saw the Wizard of Oz.
2) Deus Ex Coupland. A variation of Deus Ex Machina, Douglas Coupland uses it in Jpod, suddenly the author himself shows up, then everything is okey dokey. Bum owes me an ending, it's not as if the rest of his books had good endings anyways.
2007-04-23 22:57:14 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
The third worst ending is the climax. It's such a "Okay, you loved the book? Then go and by my new one in about four years"-thing I hate. Once I read a novel that really ended with the following scene:
The detective found out the murder's name, dind't tell it anyone and went to the murder's house, went into the house and then... NOTHING! The last sentence was "He went into the house." I'm sorry, nothing against an open ending, but to end it on the climax is a kind of crime. It's like Harry Potter ending with a final fight but not telling how the fight ends. I'm not interested in "The years after the fight" - but I want to know the ending of a scereny...
2007-04-24 00:18:00 · answer #1 · answered by Maresa 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Recently my school has decided that a classic must be horrible, I feel that way anyway
So since I do ext. english I definitely had more of my share of depressing crying endings. I have just finished reading the Hunchback of Notre Dame and it has a absolutely horrible ending... but its not a bad one.
Two books have are depressing but great books which the endings pissed me off big time, enough to turn me off the author
That is John Marsden- Checkers, was crying for a week or two afterwards
and
The First to Die- by James Patterson... you know I really should have seen it coming with the title, but it took me by surprise and yeah...
Anyway but both of those are still good books... *sigh*
So more then anything I think the worst ending is one which I could imagine making it better or worse still a ending which they don't tie up all the loose endings. Those books piss me off big time.
I'm a book junky but I do like the occasionaly romance and a lot of romance novels have some pretty shockingly at leaving all the issues hanging in the air which can be completely irritating, as a result I will only read books which have been recommended. Its safer that way.
But a book that doesn't tie up the loose ends will make me hate the entire book and have grudges against the author forever more
2007-04-23 23:35:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man, my head is hurting trying to come up with a third one.
For some reason I'm thinking Palahniuk, but can't grasp exactly what literary crime I want to charge him with (I'm specifically thinking of CHOKE)
of your two, I gotta say "its all a dream" is the biggest cop out and frustrating, really detracts any substance the story had away from it, in my opinion.
Also, I would love to discuss Coupland with you further, since I simply dont have many (any) friends that have read him.
And although i hate his inserting himself into the story as a character, I don't see that poor device as actually medling with the story all together. Surely he DOES owe you and me a real ending and some actual closure (don't even get me started on Hey! Nostradomus) but I think its the AUTHOR Coupland that robbed us of a great ending not the CHARACTER
2007-04-23 23:23:38 · answer #3 · answered by daughters_a_wookie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ending of the 'Rama' cycle of books (1 excellent novel followed by 3 very large follow-up novels) have to take the prize for 'most promising storyline ruined by a hurried, pointless ending'. The inital novel is a masterpiece - the subsequent novels seem to be building up to a terrific, universe-changing conclusion - but fails. I won't give any spoilers away - it's just very disappointing.
2007-04-23 23:12:19 · answer #4 · answered by Sculpher 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the Stephen King books that I've read. Great storyline, engaging characters, riveting scenes... lame endings with the awe and grip of a sonic pop.
My Sweet Audrina by V. C. Andrews was also an engaging story, but the heroine made me angry with the life choice she made at the end. People who have left abusive situations would understand me on that one.
2007-04-24 04:37:18 · answer #5 · answered by thezaylady 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If we're talking movies - there was this B movie called Dracula 3000. The title alone probably tells you how bad it is. But the ending is even worse. It was like they ran out of film and just decided to be done. Out of nowhere the ship blew up and then the end credits began. Horrible.
2007-04-24 00:42:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
George Orwell's Animal Farm...
the pigs became like the men they hated.
What's up with that?
By the way, in the Wizard of Oz book it wasn't a dream.
Why do the movies have to change everything?
Pete, I understand the symbolism and all that but I still think that Orwell
(Which is a pen name of Eric Blair, by the way)
really chose a strange way of making his point, as he did in his more famous work: 1984!
2007-04-23 23:10:49 · answer #7 · answered by David C 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
David, it's all about the Rise of Communism. My personal least favorite ending is Night by Elie Wiesel. Even though it's based on his story, it's as depressing as all hell.
2007-04-23 23:16:48 · answer #8 · answered by Pete 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ending of Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest....
2007-04-24 00:18:16 · answer #9 · answered by PAJA 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beckett's waiting for Godot. found myself waiting in vain too, nothing happened, the play ended but did not end, we were all waiting together with the two guys, waiting for the play to end. nothing happened and i just went to get buffalo wings instead.
2007-04-23 23:34:16 · answer #10 · answered by ari-pup 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋