Dan Simmons has a new book coming out The Abominable (October 22, 2013). I have to admit to being on the fence as to whether I want to read it (I loved, loved, loved The Terror, but Drood and the next left me meh). But this one sounds a little more in line with The Terror so I’ve been following along as it rolls out. Which is why I ran across this interview with Simmons by the folks at Publishers Weekly. It’s not long and worth a read, but the last answer struck a chord as Dan Simmons explains how he wants his readers to be with the flip of the last page:

“The real test for me is how the reader feels after he or she has finished one of my books. If readers have no questions to ask, no conversations they want to start, no strong feelings they wish to share, then I’ve failed. But overall, as at the end of a life well lived, there should be a sense of completeness—of having known triumph and sorrow—as well as having some questions still unanswered. That and some sense of sadness that the characters are no longer there to spend time with. Finishing a good book, I think, should feel a bit like saying goodbye to old friends.”

THAT’S exactly how I want to feel at the end of a book. I think The Abominable just secured a place on Mount TBR.