Finish the books we sooo desperately desire!!!!

[Lashana]

I'm sure that most everyone has run into the problem of reading a series only to find that the last book is either not coming for awhile or potentially not coming at all! It is terrible.
This thread is for everyone to get out their frustration and disappointment about whatever book or books it is they are waiting or wishing for!

To start things off: I myself was of course very sad to hear about Andre Norton passing away. However I feel her works unfinished should not be left so! Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton co-wrote The Elvenbane Series and sadly were not able to apparently to finish the last book (s) before Andre passed. I would like to shout out to Mercedes Lackey, if ever she were to read this, PLEASE FINISH IT!! It is one of my favorite series ever and is full of epic thrill and skill. Instead of not finishing a series because someone has passed you should finish it in honor of their legacy!

It is hard to recommend a series to fellow readers of SFF that is incomplete. However I'm going to! People you should pick up the Halfblood Chronicles! First book, The Elvenbane! If you have or will read this series join me here for shout outs and stories of woe for this last book to be released.

Tell us about your reading stopper! Who do you miss, Wish would finish, Or just plain can't get enough of!

[Hatgirl]

This reminds me of the note in Joan Aiken's "The Witch of Clatteringshaws". Joan Aiken wrote a series of proto-steampunk novels for children, that starting with "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" (ff you haven't read the series, I heartily recommend it).

In the final book of the series, "The Witch of Clatteringshaws", she added a note saying that she apologised for the poor quality of the story, but she had a feeling she was going to die soon (she was 79) and she hated it when other authors finished off a deceased author's half-finished manuscripts because you could never be quite sure what the original author had wanted. So she thought it best to publish the not-very-good book so that at least we would be certain about how she had intended the series to end.

It was creepy and sweet at the same time Very like her books, in fact.

[Elvenbanegirl]

I understand that Misty has a lot going on, but I too am longing for the conclusion of the Halfblood Chronicles. I have heard it sugested that if she can't finish it for time or emotional reasons, maybee she could just publish the notes, or something to at least tie up the storyline threads that were left hanging even if it doesn't contain all the meat, drama, suspence, and excietment of the rest of the seiries. Please Mercedes Lackey, something, just so we are no longer left in limbo.

[Lashana]

Thank you Ian P. Johnson for that bit of information. I am however aware of those issues you stated. This is just for people to talk about the series they love and are discontinued or series that have been left unfinished for whatever the reason may be. Just because you know an author has passed and work is unfinished doesn't mean you stop wanting to finish the series. Know what happens to the characters you have fallen in love with or learned to despise. This thread is not meant in anyway to hurt or insult the authors. It's just a venting, loving, sharing, whining, place for people to share stories. As is much of any forum.

[Lashana]

I think that is a very inspired idea. Who ever came up with that one I give them a pat on the shoulder in thanks. Hahaha. I have never heard of an author doing such a thing but its nice to think about all the same.

[SilverMorgan]

Personally, I'm disappointed that Charles L. Grant never finished his Black Oak series. I heard it was because of a bitter dispute with the publisher. If that's the case - LAME.

Also, there is a book called The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo. Probably would have turned into a series if the author hadn't been killed in the line of duty while volunteering with the NYPD. So sad. The guy was clearly talented. His characters were charming, if a little gritty and sad. Would loved to have seen where those books could have gone.

[screwtape]

I started reading Bill Baldwin's 'Helmsman' space opera when it first started being published in 1982 by Warner Questar. It was basically a WW1-WW2 type conflict set in a far future galaxy-wide civilization. The last book came out in 1996, leaving our hero just cashiered in a rigged court-martial, starting a new civilian production job or something in about the equivalent of 1943. And then Warner dropped the series or something ...

But I just found out that Mr. Baldwin is still working on the series, editing the next book as we speak and will be web publishing it or small-house publishing it or something by the end of the year ... So after only 15 years, series fans may finally discover what happens next. Probably won't actually END the series though.

[Lashana]

SilverMorgan
That is a very sad case of uncompleted story writing. A writer dying in the line of duty for the law. that is almost a story unto itself.

[Lashana]

Screwtape, Thank you very much for that update on Bill Baldwin's book series. I hope that helped alot of people with there feelings of unfinished story reading. Now anyone who read that series will have something to look forward to!

[screwtape]

Screwtape, Thank you very much for that update on Bill Baldwin's book series. I hope that helped alot of people with there feelings of unfinished story reading. Now anyone who read that series will have something to look forward to!

You're welcome, Lashana. Just to complete the update: Bill Baldwin did indeed publish The Turning Tide in December 2011. It is available online in paperback from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It is also available either in paperback or in electronic pdf format from the publisher, Bootlocker.com.

I bought it as an ebook when it came out in December and was quite pleased with it, although one episode in it did completely turn my preconceived notions of the time and place of Baldwin's galactic empires completely upside down. Anyway, the book moved events both in the galactic war and in the hero's personal life to natural plateaus. Baldwin can still write several more novels about the ongoing war if he wants to (and if he lives long enough - he's 77), but if not Wilf Brim is resting comfortably rather than hanging from a cliff by his fingertips like he was for the last 15 years.