There’s been too many times I’ve finished a book and wished the author would revisit and write another with either the same characters or setting. “Weaveworld” by Clive Barker comes to mind. It ended _______ and I wanted more. But that probably would have ruined the original impact. If there is a sequel I don’t know about, well, I don’t want to know. The risk isn’t worth losing the love of the first.
And that’s the very reason we shouldn’t have sequels…sometimes. No matter how much we’ve been captured by a story, that story should be enough…unless planned as a series. To write a sequel because your readers…me…crave one may not be what’s best for the original.
“Gone with the wind.” There was a sequel and a movie sequel. I haven’t heard anyone praise the second one, most I know were disappointed…it just didn’t live up to the glory of the first. The second was lacking…maybe lacking originality?
The combination of characters, setting, voice, blended word phrasing hit a sweet spot the first time around. A sequel just wasn’t ever going to match. Go with the old saying – leave them wanting more.
We hear this all the time with movies. How the second, third, tenth is never as good as the first. Except maybe in “Alien” and “Aliens” both stood on their own for their separate audiences. Then there’s the Star Trek movies, the odd numbered releases didn’t hit as strong as the even releases.
And there’s the proof…you just never know about sequels. Maybe we should be happy with what we have and move on to the next new story-world.