Sign in with Facebook
The Long-Awaited Sequels to 10 Beloved Books
Say what you will about George R.R. Martin's long-awaited fantasy installment, Winds of Winter. Some of the sequels in our roundup below have taken more than a generation to publish—truly, an exercise in patience.
To be fair, many of their readers weren't expecting a follow-up. Go Set on a Watchman, Closing Time are all sequels to beloved classics adored as standalones. Still, when an author chooses to expand on their material, how can fans resist? Case in point: Margaret Atwood's upcoming novel, The Testaments, which fans all over the world are eagerly preparing for.
From Doctor Sleep to Olive, Again and Find Me, here are ten book follow-ups that took their authors more than a decade to release. Which ones will you be checking out?
To be fair, many of their readers weren't expecting a follow-up. Go Set on a Watchman, Closing Time are all sequels to beloved classics adored as standalones. Still, when an author chooses to expand on their material, how can fans resist? Case in point: Margaret Atwood's upcoming novel, The Testaments, which fans all over the world are eagerly preparing for.
From Doctor Sleep to Olive, Again and Find Me, here are ten book follow-ups that took their authors more than a decade to release. Which ones will you be checking out?
Published: 2015
Sequel to: To Kill a Mockingbird (published 1960)
Total wait time: 55 years Despite the controversy surrounding its publication, readers still picked up Go Set on a Watchman to follow a 26-year-old Jean Louise "Scout" Finch on a visit to her aging father.
Sequel to: To Kill a Mockingbird (published 1960)
Total wait time: 55 years Despite the controversy surrounding its publication, readers still picked up Go Set on a Watchman to follow a 26-year-old Jean Louise "Scout" Finch on a visit to her aging father.
Published: 2013
Sequel to: The Shining (published 1977)
Total wait time: 36 years Haunted in more ways than one, Dan Torrance is eager to shed his father's legacy in this follow-up to King's dark classic. The film adaptation is expected to release in the U.S. this November.
Sequel to: The Shining (published 1977)
Total wait time: 36 years Haunted in more ways than one, Dan Torrance is eager to shed his father's legacy in this follow-up to King's dark classic. The film adaptation is expected to release in the U.S. this November.
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Sequel to: The Handmaid's Tale (published 1985)
Total wait time: 34 years Atwood returns to Gilead to continue the story of Offred. This sequel is narrated by three female characters and will not be connected to the Hulu adaptation.
Sequel to: The Handmaid's Tale (published 1985)
Total wait time: 34 years Atwood returns to Gilead to continue the story of Offred. This sequel is narrated by three female characters and will not be connected to the Hulu adaptation.
Published: 1994
Sequel to: Catch-22 (published 1961)
Total wait time: 33 years Coming to the end of their lives and the end of the century, Yossarian and Milo Minderbinder face a much different foe than they did in the war: their old age.
Sequel to: Catch-22 (published 1961)
Total wait time: 33 years Coming to the end of their lives and the end of the century, Yossarian and Milo Minderbinder face a much different foe than they did in the war: their old age.
Published: 2015
Sequel to: Less Than Zero (published 1985)
Total wait time: 25 years Now a successful screenwriter, Clay moves back to Los Angeles where he runs into his old circle of seedy friends. Although many things have changed, their vices have not.
Sequel to: Less Than Zero (published 1985)
Total wait time: 25 years Now a successful screenwriter, Clay moves back to Los Angeles where he runs into his old circle of seedy friends. Although many things have changed, their vices have not.
Published: 1996
Sequel to: Watership Down (published 1972)
Total wait time:24 years General Woundwort has been defeated, but what became of the warren afterward? Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, and Dandelion return to tell their heroic tales.
Sequel to: Watership Down (published 1972)
Total wait time:24 years General Woundwort has been defeated, but what became of the warren afterward? Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, and Dandelion return to tell their heroic tales.
Published: 2015
Sequel to: Fight Club (published 1996)
Total wait time: 19 years Told in a graphic novel format, this sequel takes place ten years after Project Mayhem. Here Tyler Durden still lingers in the mind of the disillusioned narrator from Fight Club.
Sequel to: Fight Club (published 1996)
Total wait time: 19 years Told in a graphic novel format, this sequel takes place ten years after Project Mayhem. Here Tyler Durden still lingers in the mind of the disillusioned narrator from Fight Club.
Release Date: 1954
Sequel to: The Hobbit or There and Back Again (published 1937)
Total wait time: 17 years After World War II, Tolkien expanded the mythology of Middle Earth to create a sweeping trilogy that continues to inspire the high fantasy genre.
Sequel to: The Hobbit or There and Back Again (published 1937)
Total wait time: 17 years After World War II, Tolkien expanded the mythology of Middle Earth to create a sweeping trilogy that continues to inspire the high fantasy genre.
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Sequel to: Call Me By Your Name (published 2008)
Total wait time: 11 years In this follow-up to the novel that inspired the Academy Award-winning film, Elio and Oliver lead separate lives on two different continents. Can their hearts bridge the distance between them?
Sequel to: Call Me By Your Name (published 2008)
Total wait time: 11 years In this follow-up to the novel that inspired the Academy Award-winning film, Elio and Oliver lead separate lives on two different continents. Can their hearts bridge the distance between them?
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Sequel to: Olive Kitteridge (published 2008)
Total wait time: 11 years The sequel to the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel brings readers back to the town of Crosby, Maine to revisit the life of Strout's wry and prickly eponymous character.
Sequel to: Olive Kitteridge (published 2008)
Total wait time: 11 years The sequel to the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel brings readers back to the town of Crosby, Maine to revisit the life of Strout's wry and prickly eponymous character.
Do you have a favorite long-awaited sequel? Share it with us in the comments!
Check out more recent articles:
The Biggest Books of Fall
Trend Spotting: Big, Bad Tech
New Historical Fiction Not Set During World War II
Check out more recent articles:
The Biggest Books of Fall
Trend Spotting: Big, Bad Tech
New Historical Fiction Not Set During World War II
Comments Showing 1-25 of 25 (25 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Katya
(new)
Sep 09, 2019 01:52AM
Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry problem.
reply
|
flag
Katya wrote: "Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry problem."Totally agree. I loved the Handmaid's Tale for one but not going to read the sequel because I do not need a perfect ending.
Jezzy wrote: "very relieved that Son of Rosemary isnt included in this Long-Awaited Sequels list."LOL!!!!
Javelyn wrote: "Excited for doctor sleep!"it's been out for quite a few years already, and it's pretty darn good !
To Kill A Mockingbird is my all-time favorite book. Hands down. No competition. Go Set A Watchman? Even though I tried to keep my expectations in check, it was a disappointment.I did add Stephen King's Doctor Sleep to my To Read list.
We definitely need to add the sequel to Elantris to this list when it comes out. We can add Doors of Stone or The Winds of Winter to this list if they ever finished.
I wished for the new game of thrones book
Most of these sequels are on my to-read list, and some of them I've never heard of.
I've been waiting on pins and needles for a sequel to Elantris since I first read it. I hope we get one.
Katya wrote: "Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry problem."You said it sis!
One of my all time favorite books is The Shining but I'm not sure if I want to read Doctor's Sleep...
Cande � wrote: One of my all time favorite books is The Shining but I'm not sure if I want to read Doctor's Sleep...Considering how awful the sequel to The Talisman was, I am avoiding this one until I see some reviews.
Cande � wrote: "Katya wrote: "Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry ..."You won't miss much! I thought the book was poor. And yes, the older King was truly frightening - he seems relatively mellow in old age.
Javelyn wrote: "Excited for doctor sleep!"I liked it, but it's one of those rare instances in which I'm actually looking more forward to the movie.
Katya wrote: "Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry problem."I thought that Doctor Sleep and Fight Club 2 were really good sequels and was exceedingly happy to read both of them.
Charlie wrote: "Javelyn wrote: "Excited for doctor sleep!"it's been out for quite a few years already, and it's pretty darn good !"
Thanks!
Cande � wrote: "Katya wrote: "Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry ..."I mean doctor sleep is kinda like a sequel, especially for the movie considering it’s kinda like a spinoff from The Shining and the movie is based off Johnny’s son? Yeah?
Kate wrote: "Javelyn wrote: "Excited for doctor sleep!"I liked it, but it's one of those rare instances in which I'm actually looking more forward to the movie."
Yeah I suppose so.
Katya wrote: "Would you look at that... 90% of these are unneeded, unplanned cash-grab sequels, and they also happen to be the ones that suck the most. Good to see this isn't just a movie industry problem."Having read Dr. Sleep, I think it was a good installment. I for one, always wondered what happened to Danny Torrance after the Shining.
Jennifer wrote: "Cande � wrote: One of my all time favorite books is The Shining but I'm not sure if I want to read Doctor's Sleep...Considering how awful the sequel to The Talisman was, I am avoidin..."
Dr. Sleep is an excellent read and a great coda to the Shining.
First: it’s
Go Set a Watchman
, not �Go Set on a Watchman�.And second: “Still, when an author chooses to expand on their material...� � it isn’t even clear that she did choose to publish it.
Ben wrote: "First: it’s Go Set a Watchman, not “Go Set on a Watchman�.And second: “Still, when an author chooses to expand on their material...� � it isn’t even clear that she did choose to p..."
After reading Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep, I'm inclined to agree with you. Harper Lee was suffering from dementia during the end of her life. I think that decision was made for her, not by her.
There was a lot of controversy on that and her being taken advantage of by someone greedy. Hard to know the full story but googling articles will help fill more in on Go Set a Watchman.
