I just read OSC's online story Homeless in Hell because somebody mentioned it on the other side of Hatrack. I enjoyed it a great deal. I loved the idea that the afterlife is like this life- whatever you choose to make of it. Wonderful.
However, I thought the last page or two pages (hard to tell reading online) were unnecesary. I had nice warm squishy feelings during the scene when the main character says, "Nick, thanks for letting me be part of it. Maybe it's not good enough for them, but it's good enough for me." Then Nick responds, "Then it's good enough for me, too." And off he goes. I wish it had ended there. The last two pages didn't do much for me and in fact slightly lessened my squishy feelings. They took away the subtlety of the story and just told you things right out, I guess I felt a little cheated by that. And the idea that he's typing the story out on OSC's computer didn't do much for me either. In my mind, the story now ends after "And off he goes."
Does anybody else feel the same way? Or had any other thoughts about it?
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I haven't read it.....
Posted by Mindbowels (Member # 7407) on :
Almost as odd as a post just stating that one person hasn't read the subject of the topic is a post pointing out that oddity.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
If you liked the idea of that story, you might enjoy The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis.
Posted by Amanecer (Member # 4068) on :
mph, you're actually the second person that's told me I should read that. So now it's moving up on my reading list. I'll let you know when I get to it.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
I think it's obvious that >I< thought those last couple of pages were necessary ...
Usually I have people complain that they wish I had told MORE of a story.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)