Monsters of Men discussion

I think the ambiguosity of the ending was really good. Because, if you think about it, Todd could ever have lived or died and it's left up to the reader to decide. If Patrick Ness had finished with Todd dying then it would have been depressing and horrible but on the other hand, if he wrote Todd waking up and everything going back to normal, it would have ruined the uniqueness of this book. So I think the open ending is a nice balance :)
It's kind of like Inception, the film, if you've seen it? Leaves a question at the end that makes you think.

I have no idea! It boggled my mind, that film! Oh, cool, can u link me? xD

i wanted to shoot the book, the edning bugged me so much

i was disappointed with the ending, but i also thought that it left the story open enough that in the future Ness could return to the world with a new series and take it where he wanted to. Even with the ambiguous ending it was a great series.

i almost cried

Everley Carstairs, the forgotten Shadowhunter wrote: "Ella wrote: "I have no idea! It boggled my mind, that film! Oh, cool, can u link me? xD"

Sure. http://laura-mellark.deviantart.com/g..."

That was really really good :)

IMHO, I feel that, knowing Todd, he woke up. I don't think the ending was left too open that we couldn't at least be 90% sure that he did. It's his character and a recurring theme in the books - Todd and Viola always return to each other no matter what. I know I might be a little sappy, but he would never leave her, not without a fight. And we saw that fight going on in his coma Noise. If he was able to connect to The Land and able to broadcast Noise like that (even the slightest bit), then he was alive and soon to be walking among The Land with Ben and Viola. Like the mayor/president said - he was going to be very powerful. I think he was meant to wake up and be connected to everything and lead everyone into the new New World peacefully. RIP Manchee!

I had some problems with the ending, because it walks that very thin line between profound writing and lazy writing. There was also the fact that my brain kept screaming "WEST SIDE STORY!" when Viola almost shot 1017.

I personally enjoyed the ending, the book ended on a optomistic note without implying all.problems were solved. Had it ended that way and everything became perfect it would have subtracted from the serious mood of the book and complex character relationships shown throughout the novel. I perfer this to a cliche ad predictable comclusiin

I think the ending was only an O.k. ending to a perfect book. I loved all of it other than the Comma in which Todd lives in an inception. I would really like a new book to continue the story since they ruined everything by killing manchee and putting todd in a coma.

I thought the ending was fantastic although I wasn't fond of the mayor's demise. I really wanted to understand the mayor but Ness just took him away from me too soon.

It could have been better. Much better.

Hey, guys! I can TOTALLY see where your coming from, but I think that the ending allows us to become part of the story even more, as I'm pretty sure most of the people who read it have their own fantasy about the ending. It gave me something to think about: probably for the next year!! So, yeah personally I like the freedom of it: I vote blessing!!

I also vote for a fourth book, although I'm not sure how it would work.

Molli wrote: "IMHO, I feel that, knowing Todd, he woke up. I don't think the ending was left too open that we couldn't at least be 90% sure that he did. It's his character and a recurring theme in the books - ..."

Great ending!

No.
I don't think I liked the ending at all.
I can understand why he did it this way. Ending it in this manner ensured that I would spend a lot of time after finishing the book contemplating what was going to happen. I'm still thinking about it weeks after finishing the book.
..... However I still prefer an author to provide a complete / resolved ending.

Bluebell wrote: "No.
I don't think I liked the ending at all.
I can understand why he did it this way. Ending it in this manner ensured that I would spend a lot of time after finishing the book contemplating what w..."

I can understand your need for the sense of fulfillment (and/or satisfaction) at the end of the book - fair enough. :) But personally, I love reflecting after a book: it means that the story doesnt just stop at the end of the book - it goes on (which satisfys readers who are hungry for more all of the time - like me :D).

the last words were something like "i'm coming"


Theres no avoiding that that means Todd is waking up from his coma, i dont see how that isn't obvious enough. I thought it was a very uplifting ending, yeah it left alot open, but it was a good open. Cause we knew Todd was on his way to health again.

Loved the book, and I think that besides Todd's coma, the ending was fairly answered - however, I still had a bit of a . . . dislike for whether or not I didn't get my answers.

Kyle wrote: "... I still had a bit of a . . . dislike for whether or not I didn't get my answers."

As I said above - I'm a bit ambivalent about the ending too. I loved the series but the ending, to me, felt like something was missing.

BritishWotsit wrote: "the last words were something like "i'm coming"

Theres no avoiding that that means Todd is waking up from his coma,..."

Yeah – I agree. I just like to have an author lay it out for me – the happy ending / reunion and all.

when 1017 saw viola and thought she was like, huggin the 'mayor', did anyone else think that it was Todd who had walked into the ocean and the mayor had tricked Viola into thinking it was him? :/

BritishWotsit wrote: "when 1017 saw viola and thought she was like, huggin the 'mayor', did anyone else think that it was Todd who had walked into the ocean and the mayor had tricked Viola into thinking it was him? :/"

hmmm..how would he do that?

well i thought the mayor had somehow over-powered todd, tricked viola (and the reader) into thinking that the mayor had walked into the ocean, but then it was like a shock-horror twist where it was really todd who killed himself, controlled by the mayor, and the mayor was for some reason impersonating todd by tricking viola, and only 1017 could see it.

but yeah, that obviously wasnt the case, but i was convinced it was for a minute when 1017 said he saw viola hugging the mayor, i was like WHUT!? but then WHERES TODD!?

Meh, heh, heh! Never stop reading when ya hit something like that!! ;)

BritishWotsit wrote: "well i thought the mayor had somehow over-powered todd, tricked viola (and the reader) into thinking that the mayor had walked into the ocean, but then it was like a shock-horror twist where it was..."

No, i honestly could never have thought something like that... they were dressed with matching uniforms, and Todd was taller now, so it was obvious when 1017 saw him from distance that he could look like the mayor. I don't understand how could you be confused about that.

I think it was a good ending, but when it was over i couldn't help thinking there needed to be more, like when the settlers arrived what did they say, how Viola reacted when Todd woke up, etc..

You know what happened after, but you just don't get to see it.

Yeah, that was my problem - while everything was basically wrapped up, I needed more closure with Todd waking up. I'm still not sure if he WILL wake up, was waking up, or is just assuming he'll wake up.

But the miracle was that he was GOING to wake up! What better closure would you need!
:D

He tells Viola to carry on talking. Cuz then he'll come. And Viola ain't never gonna stop calling him. Thru everything they've done together, no she's gonna stop now. So in my head, he woke up. He effing did. (Not that I say effing...)

I feel fine with the ending really. But I know it's better if Todd really wake up. You know? I wish we could have at least saw him in the Old Prentisstown with Viola or whatever.

I loved the ending, though I was expecting him to survive I didn't want to read an extra chapter about how Todd and Viola grew old together and were happy and all that jazz. Would have been too cliché.

Erika wrote: "I think it was a good ending, but when it was over i couldn't help thinking there needed to be more, like when the settlers arrived what did they say, how Viola reacted when Todd woke up, etc..

..."


Meh, sometimes if you decide not to have a cliffhanger, it kind of becomes overkill.

Molly wrote: "I loved the ending, though I was expecting him to survive I didn't want to read an extra chapter about how Todd and Viola grew old together and were happy and all that jazz. Would have been too cli..."

Absolutely!

Myisha wrote: "He tells Viola to carry on talking. Cuz then he'll come. And Viola ain't never gonna stop calling him. Thru everything they've done together, no she's gonna stop now. So in my head, he woke up. He ..."

Oh yeah!

Btw, I'm not puttin' all these random comments for no reason, I'm replyin' to people. (and missin' my G's ;D)

At first I wanted to throw it at the wall (but it was an e-book and I wouldn't do that to my precious iPod), but now I appreciate the ending. One of the major themes of that series is how no one comes out of war unscathed, and how unrealistic it is for the hero to grandly defeat the bad guy and live happily ever after without even a nightmare to plague him. So even though I really, really, really, really, really want a fourth book, I'm quite happy with how it ended.

That's a good point, Rachel.

Im pretty sure Todd woke up, and I loved the ending. Closure would have been fine, but I liked how Patrick Ness kept it unique and in the spirit of the whole trilogy.
Plus, it leave room for him if he wants to write another :D

Oh my gosh! i hated the ending but loved it at the same time. i seriously went up to my dad and started crying because i believed that Todd died and i'm so connected to him. why would Patrick Ness do this to me!! the whole series is a five star.

Steve wrote: "Kyle wrote: "... I still had a bit of a . . . dislike for whether or not I didn't get my answers."

As I said above - I'm a bit ambivalent about the ending too. I loved the series but the ending, t..."

exactly

I honestly believe he wrote this ending because he wasn't 100% sure that he was really done with the series and wanted an open ending to come back to in the future. I hope that is the case. I can see where he could write three more and the story still keep going strong.

Danielle wrote: "I honestly believe he wrote this ending because he wasn't 100% sure that he was really done with the series and wanted an open ending to come back to in the future. I hope that is the case. I can s..."

Well maybe. But how would it continue? Todd & Viola's children? A new threat?

I just can't see it. What do you think?

maybe the new settlers won't like the Spackle or something like that.

Silverwolf wrote: "Danielle wrote: "I honestly believe he wrote this ending because he wasn't 100% sure that he was really done with the series and wanted an open ending to come back to in the future. I hope that is ..."

It would be interesting to see the Spackle's side of the story after the new beginning. I'd also like to hear a story from Ben's pov in the new era. There is also an entire side of the new planet that no one knows much about. Perhaps those Spackle or even another species from there could arrive and cause havoc. Anything could happen in a world like this one!

I loved the ending... i think open ended endings give you the space to make it end however you see fit. And it wasnt even that open ended caus we all know that viola wont stop talkin to him until he wakes up, and he wont stop tryin to wake up until she stops talkin to him. I thought it was beautiful<3

i think the ending was good but i wish there would have been a more definat ending....i wish i knew what happend to Todd

Yah... but I think we all know that he'll be fine, and have a life (*and they all lived happily ever after*)

Todd is too strong to just die.

Silverwolf wrote: "Yah... but I think we all know that he'll be fine, and have a life (*and they all lived happily ever after*)

Todd is too strong to just die."

Yeah, and he's been through too much for it to end that way.

True.

Imagine it did.

(*shivers*)

I'd prefer a cliffhanger to that.

I like how they left the ending open, which is something that usually bugs me. but in this is think it helped the book nicely rather than having a happy ending where everything works out, it keeps the serious tone of the book and reflects the complexity of the characters relationships and how the new world is working. the ending was a bit more poetic than the rest of the book but it fit well. the only thing i can complain about is the POV from 1017/The Sky. it wasnt my favorite part in the book, and i often just skimmmed it over