if you didn't like it, or parts of it, how would you have altered it? How would you get the characters from where they were at the end of TSK, to the point we leave TS at, assuming that Elspeth + co must be at where they arrived at the end of The Sending?
Min
Firstly, thank you for your respectful response. Half way through this sentence I was wondering if it was going to be the 'if you don't like it, don't read it' comment. So thank you for not dismissing or challenging my emotional investment in the series.
Secondly, to be fair, I actually enjoyed the first half of the book, and much more than I enjoyed TKP on the first reading. It
was like catching up with old friends - seeing who is up to what and how they have changed. Of course, the way Elspeth treats Ceirwan is terrible - like an executive assistant/butler, but he seems to have this doormat-while-smiling thing going on so it didn't chafe too badly for me.
How would I have altered it? That's a big question. I'm personally very big on the idea of canon - as in, whatever the author says/writes is gospel as far as that author's world goes. That's probably why when an author jumps the shark, or maybe in some cases sinks to the bottom of the ocean and starts crawling around, I feel a little let down. I think this raises an interesting question about the relationship between an author and her audience.
One might easily argue that the author is creating art, so the reader's job is to stand back and appreciate it. Art is a subjective thing, and I certainly don't know enough about it to comment on whether something qualifies as a masterpiece or not. But if you were to ask me if, in my opinion, The Sending is a classic, my answer would be a rather bland 'no'.
Carmody herself explores art from a different perspective in Darksong - the scene where Ember is performing at the inn on Vespi. Ember realises that the response from her audience becomes a part of her performance. Now I'm not suggesting that writing a novel should be a collaborative process with the readers. But this series has spanned almost twenty five years. The people that are still here are quite likely to feel strongly about it one way or another. Some people might be happy to wallow in this world (ok, wallow is an unfairly emotion-laden word) and I can respect that. On the other hand, some people could just as easily feel like they've outgrown it but want closure.
Now I'm sure I've read some interview transcript where the author has said something to the effect of not wanting to end the series because it would be like ending a chapter in her life. This might be where I have come slightly unstuck. To make a loose analogy, it would be like Dark Ember not caring about what happens to her music after she has created it. If I had placed some deeply personal work into the public domain and it universally resonated with all audiences, I would be horrified. I would wonder if I was really that superficial, or I would have to reflect that the work was not honestly a deeply personal work. I think unveiling something so personal for public consumption says something about the creator. Are they looking for validation? Gratification? Are they so self assured that they assume it was will universally lauded? Or are they so aloof that they have no interest in how the audience responds because they stand before art created? My feeling is that when someone entertains these beliefs, the connection with the audience is just gone - because it's not even relevant. And I think when you lose regard for your audience, there is the risk that they will lose the reciprocal regard. Have the Obernewtyn Chronicles become a work of this nature? I don't know. But from a personal perspective, I feel like I am losing that connection - either it is slipping away from me, or I'm slipping away from it.
I do want to make clear that I don't think or feel that anything is owed to me as a long time reader here. I gave my regard freely. But I don't think anyone here would censure another for feeling... as if they had lost something precious, when they find themselves parting ways with an
old friend. How would I have altered this book? I read in an interview that the author was writing the final book, and realised at one point that she had written enough for a book unto itself. The Sending feels like half a book that has been padded with too many breadcrumbs and not enough herbs. Please just finish the story.
