How do y’all feel about continuing a series after an author dies? To me, I think one last book can be written to end it, but the series should rest with the author, just my thoughts though. I’m in the middle of a series right now and some random lady is “finishing” it, but she has written like 7 books that show no end. I’m not mad, but I just want to feel the satisfaction of completing a series and having the whole collection.
I think it’s something that has to be judged in each individual case.
Sanderson completing Jordon’s Wheel of Time series was planned by Jordon before his passing and appeared to be judged well by the fans.
Christopher Tolkien going through his father’s notes and publishing more Middle Earth writings were also well received.
The Salmon of Doubt was published unfinished by Douglas Adams estate after his passing along with some other writings and I liked that. However fans haven’t been as welcoming towards Eoin Colfer’s continuation of the Hitchhiker’s series with And Another Thing.
I personally hated Go Fetch a Watchmen, a book Harper Lee did not want published, but was released anyway after her death.
False, and false again.
You seem very certain there. You aren’t completely wrong but…
So you are right that Jordan didn’t plan for Sanderson to finish his work. He did however plan for someone to finish. He dedicated a lot of his remaining time to getting it fleshed out with written and audio notes so that someone could finish his work.
It was his wife (and editor) who chose Sanderson following Jordan’s passing.
The second point is certainly wrong (when applied to the wider fanbase) and I am unsure why you are so certain about it.
There have of course been complaints about Sanderson’s novels. His writing style differs and some of his characters feel different to their appearances in the previous works. However, even with those complaints people have been appreciative of the books overall and grateful to get an ending. The overall reaction has definitely been favourable despite any complaints.
Possibly you just find yourself within a small echo chamber of miserable fans?
To be fair, Go Set a Watchman was actually an early draft of what became To Kill a Mockingbird, and not a sequel. Watchman was definitely inferior, and truly benefited from Harper Lee’s editor’s advice.
Honestly people should have given …And Another Thing more of a chance. It was actually quite good and Douglas Adams would have loved it. It left the series in a place much more in line with where Adams would have liked, with a more upbeat ending.
Harper Lee was still alive (though maybe not aware) when GSaW came out.
Looking it up, it was published almost a year before her death and there had already been reporting that whomever it was that owned the publishing rights were taking advantage of her estate.
I read it. And I’m mad that they released it.