02.15
I thought this comment on Goodreads.com from Vuk was really good and decided to reproduce it here with my response:
Dear Mr.Gordon,
First, I’m terribly sorry because my English, but I hope you will not mind… So, I’ve read all 6 books, first four in Serbian (yes, I am from Serbia:) ), and the last two in English, cause there are no translated version. And reading these books made me filled with joy and satisfaction like no many others before. Until the end of the last book. Now all the joy is suddenly disappeared and I feel so empty… It really upset me in a way I could not imagine. I feel somehow cheated, can’t explain… I don’t need perfect “happy end”, with all ours favorite characters alive (that will be to much unrealistic considering what they went through) and I don’t mind if the end is kind of unfinished as long as there is enough space for my imagination to make one. But I find end of this book (not story, just book) very sudden, sad and dark, with Will and Elliott separated and without any right emotions in them… And I desperately needed something, at least some love, care, need in them to reach each other or some grief because they can’t with determination they will. And many characters died so fast like it’s nothing, with no room for me to feel that and no emotions in other characters to express that in right way. I really sailed in to the story and connected with characters and I think they deserved better… We deserved better. And don’t get me wrong, I think you are truly great writer, just… this is so wrong. And there is no way that you don’t know that. There is a reason why you wrote this, at least for me, upsetting the end. Whatever it was – some publisher-business reason or some strong emotions that you felt back then- I can only hope that you will write next book and free me from this sad, empty filling which I carry inside me, which binds me now to whole series. And I apologise if I said anything to insult you, I didn’t have intention.
My answer:
Hi Vuk, I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment before and thank you for what you’ve written. It was very heartfelt and I really appreciate that. The truth is that I really didn’t want to end the series on Terminal because I felt there was so much more I could do with the world(s) and the characters, but if I had to finish with that book, then I certainly wasn’t going to dish out one of those Hollywood endings where everything comes together with a happy-ever-after finale and absolutely everything is explained. Now and then I’m asked if I have other material I can release such as any short stores but I don’t. I’m not one of those writers who is continually writing – I have to concentrate on one thing at a time and throw myself completely into it, and I also work incredibly slowly as I live the story over and over again. Probably means I’m a terrible writer! So it’s been extremely hard to detach myself from the Tunnels series and I went through twelve months of feeling very down and aimless until I began in earnest on a new book called Summerhouse Land which will be released in a small edition in a few months. It could be the start of another series but I don’t know yet. And I suppose if my publisher got in touch and asked for another Tunnels book, then I’d have to give it serious consideration, although I feel very detached from Will and the other characters right now. It’s almost reached the stage that I’ve blanked out sections of the plot line over the six books and have a real struggle to recall them – it’s probably some sort of psychological mechanism to allow me to cope with the loss of my friends in the books – either that or my memory’s impaired! There is something going on which might in the longer term mean there’ll be more interest in publishing another Tunnels book, but it’s so early in the process that I don’t want to think about it. We came so close with the movie and it didn’t happen so I don’t allow myself to hope any more. But having said all that, I do have some new scenes if there ever was to be a T7, and the first one’s a real shocker!! Who knows what might happen in the future … maybe there will be another book. Just don’t hold your breath. Thanks again for your comment. Roderick