Endings

As I approach concluding my series of posts for Stormfyre and likewise draw near the ending of my fifth book in the Canticles of Andurun series I contemplate the topic of endings. If you are a fantasy or adventure fan like I am, you likely have seen or read your share of stories and either been enchanted or disillusioned by the ending the writer decided to complete their tale with.Permit me to share my own reflections about the topic.
When I was younger I greatly enjoyed action packed stories. Books had to be quick paced and movies had to have elaborate and wild actions scenes to hold my interest. But what I found more interesting than this probably all too common notion for young men was that, for me, I enjoyed a prolonged ending. I liked happily ever after to stretch out so I could watch the characters retire into whatever situation they were going to be in after the proverbial dust settled.

A case in point is the recent film release of an adaptation to Edgar Rice Burrough's "John Carter of Mars." While I actually enjoyed the movie and thought the plot was interesting and the action scenes well conceived, the ending was abrupt and too abridged for my liking. I invested two plus hours into this movie; I wanted to see the happy ending of the roster of characters I had seen parade across the screen go their own ways to do what they were going to do. Perhaps Disney was setting up a sequel (I have no clue) but I can never shake the dissatisfaction as a writer of being left in the dark.

An opposite side of this coin is the Lord of the Rings. Anyone familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien's work knows that the man took his time drawing Middle Earth's tale to a winding close; and for that I was grateful. Authors and screen writers that enjoy smelling the roses, even after the climax recedes and the audience just wants the final page or the credits to role, is a person who truly enjoys the world they have erected and is loathe to step out of it. To such folk I tip my hat.

That is why the Canticles of Andurun is a slower paced book. I want to stop and smell the roses, and I hope my readers will feel likewise. I like closure, so one can rest assured there will be closure aplenty as the series rolls on. I fear that my youth betrayed me for my earlier works, such as Stormfyre; I don't believe the final chapter (due soon) has very strong closure. So to those of you who share my bent toward the long road of endings, I apologize.

I'd like to hear what your two cents on the matter is. Do you like slow, drawn out conclusions, or quick endings? If so, why is that? I like to hear other points of view, mostly because it can help me grow as a writer and better understand the minds of my audience. Let me know if you have a preference.