Ooh, I didn't realise there was more than one series. I like those little cameos of characters from one book in another, it's great fun and gives a sense of the books as a connected world.

In any case, open endings are interesting... a bit frustrating perhaps, but definitely a good starting point for coming up with all sorts of "what if" scenarios!

Yes, absolutely! And it's good to leave plenty of room for fic, of course...