odds and ends...actually, just ends

So I've been doing a lot of reading lately. And for whatever reason, something really caught my attention. Everyone loves the end of a book. It's what makes or breaks the book for you. It's the old "it's not how you start, it's how you finish" cliché. But have you ever noticed how dull and anticlimactic the last sentence of a book can often be? Well I did. And hopefully with some examples I can help you to see the same.

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben - "Then he drove back to the office." Donnie Brasco by Joseph D. Pistone - "I was glad it wasn't me." Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien - "Well, I'm back,' he said." The Prestige by Christopher Priest - "Without looking at us, or anywhere in the direction of the house, he stepped out on to the flat ground, hunching his shoulders in the blizzard, then moved to the right, between the trees, down the hill, and out of our sight." There are plenty more examples that show this same truth. I guess the very ending of a book doesn't need to be all that captivating, but I just found this interesting. And for the record, to be fair, some authors do well with writing the last sentence. In fact, below is the most amazing, perfect final sentence ever: "Besides I like living...Against All Odds!" from Against All Odds by Chuck Norris.