A Good Story Comes To An End

Not all is bad in the world of paperback fiction though. However the death of Sidney Sheldon whom I curiously mentioned a few days ago, will leave a void in many ways. A work of fiction generally involves telling a story. The story need not be true in any way. And while there are several people who can perhaps describe scenes or events really well, the fact is - a work of fiction cannot wholly succeed without a good underlying story that connects all the peices (well described or not) really well. Sidney Sheldon, in that regard, was a master at telling a good story.

When I first picked up his books in my adolescent years, it was mainly to get to the lurid sex scenes several of his books seemed to be filled with. I know I wasn't alone in doing that. But like others, I also realized little by little that the stories he told were very captivating. It was the essence (believe it or not!) of the characters that came through those aforementioned scenes that made me track back to pages before these scenes and continue reading far after they were over. His classics like If Tomorrow Comes, The Other Side of Midnight, and The Doomsday Conspiracy are superb examples of stories with great appeal and solid content.

Youngsters these days may have internet pron to educate themselves. But I seriously doubt if it's ever going to lead them to great stories like those Sheldon once wrote. Whatever. It'll be their loss. Sidney's probably living it up wherever he is right now.