Book: Fortress of Dragons
May 30th 2004
Fortress of Dragons, by C.J. Cherryh
All that buildup and no payoff. I had written before about feeling a bit put off by the beginning of the series. I found it a bit dispassionate, a bit removed. Once I got into the story, though, I was won over completely.
So, being emotionally invested in the story, tantalised by the hints dropped and plot lines woven through the following three novels, what the heck was this? A rushed ending that leaves more things unaddressed than solved, all the interesting puzzling questions Tristen asked himself ignored, in short, a monumental frustration.
Not only that, but at the very end of the book, in something called EOS Spotlights, a bare two page epilogue of sorts that opens up more questions! Arg. I think I am going to pretend that this series is only the first book. Or maybe I will write my own continuation in my head.
Cherryh has no plans to write another Fortress novel that I can see, so I must say that is very disappointing. So much promise that was never allowed to fully unfold. I understand now why my high school English teacher got so pissed off with my short stories. I thought I was being all artsy with my lady-or-the-lion type endings, where I captured the pivotal moment, the choice upon which all other consequences, choices and actions follow. I see now that they just piss people off and leave them unfulfilled.