# Biggest Book Sequel Disappointment **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246 "2003-03-30T18:34:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/21 "2003-03-30T22:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by raisinbread \* > \*\*Sundiver, the first book of Brin’s Uplift series, was an okay book. Nothing exceptional but I did like the whole idea about uplift. After reading it I went out to get Startide Rising, read the first hundred pages then gave up on the story. Terrible, just terrible. \*\* Just to show you how views vary…I ran across “Startide Rising” and “The Uplift War” _before_ I found “Sundiver.” I loved SR and especially TUW, which I’ve read several times, but I’ve started “Sundiver” perhaps four times, and couldn’t get past the first 50 pages. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/22 "2003-03-30T23:18:26Z")
The last few of the Wheel of Time books. What a smouldering pile of ass a promising series has become. ---
**Author:** ![Wordy\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d2c977/32.png) [@Wordy\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wordy_One)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/23 "2003-03-31T01:43:27Z")
I liked Armistead Maupin’s _Tales of the City_ books less and less as the series went on. By the end, Mary Ann and Mona had become completely insufferable, and a lot of the humor of the first two books was sorely lacking. And the third book, _Further Tales of the City_, with the whole Jonestown subplot? Yech. That said, those six books are still some of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/24 "2003-03-31T01:45:10Z")
For me, all three sequels to _Hyperion_ were disappointing, the last two especially. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/25 "2003-03-31T03:26:21Z")
William Goldman did a sequel to _Marathon Man_ called, if I recall, _Brothers_. Bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/26 "2003-03-31T04:21:46Z")
Yet another vote for _Rama II_ and _Riverworld Throne_, two unfortunate examples of the theory “write anything, we’ll sell the title”. But I did like _Startide Rising_. > [@](#): > > William Goldman did a sequel to Marathon Man called, if I recall, Brothers. Bad idea. William Goldman also wrote _The Princess Bride_ which has deservedly become a classic. He wrote a sort of sequel called _The Silent Gondoliers_ which has deservedly been forgotten. On an obscurer note, Jonathan Nasaw was a minor novelist of very limited success when he wrote _The World on Blood_. This book is, in my opinion, one of the best vampire novels written in the last twenty years. Others apparently agree and it became a best seller. Nasaw must have felt the pressure of producing a follow-up and his next book was a sequel, _Shadows_. Unfortunately, lightning did not strike twice. _Shadows_ went off in such a different direction from _The World on Blood_ that I almost suspect Nasaw had not written the book as a sequel but then decided to cram the previous book’s characters into roles in the new book. _Shadows_ did not sell well and none of Nasaw’s subsequent books has done well either. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/27 "2003-03-31T05:38:51Z")
**2010, 2061, 3001.** Made worse by Clarke’s liberal quoting of the previous books, sometimes as whole chapters. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/28 "2003-03-31T05:52:34Z")
**Oliver’s Story** , a sequel to the classic romantic tearjerker **Love Story**. Oliver became sympathetic as he found his own moral path (diverging from his family) and especially as his wife died in the first book. In his eponymous sequel, he is turned into a banal, pathetic widower who ends up in a relationship with a woman who is so much of an outrageously polar opposite to his dead, beloved, Jenny that you spend many pages of the book (really a novella more than a novel) rooting for his new love to fail. Ech. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/29 "2003-03-31T06:07:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shoshana \* > \*\ ***2010, 2061, 3001.** Made worse by Clarke’s liberal quoting of the previous books, sometimes as whole chapters. \*\* **3001** was particularly disappointing, especially the ending that echoed the movie “Independence Day.” To Clarke’s credit, he did try to justify such hokum, but I didn’t buy it nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![cankerist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@cankerist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cankerist)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/30 "2003-03-31T06:22:32Z")
Ummm… anyone remember “Closing Time”, a little dogs breakfast of a sequel (in the loose sense) to a little book called “Catch 22”. I think this “Closing Time” actually defines this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/31 "2003-03-31T07:05:55Z")
40 minutes. You beat me by 40 stinkin’ minutes, **cankerist**. 😉 Closing Time isn’t anywhere near as good as Catch-22, but then, what is? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/32 "2003-03-31T16:23:40Z")
Another disappointed sequel I just remembered: _Aztec Autumn_, the late Gary Jenning’s mediocre sequel to his bestelling _Aztec_. ---
**Author:** ![coyasicanbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bcef8e/32.png) [@coyasicanbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coyasicanbe)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/33 "2003-03-31T16:54:58Z")
Another vote for Hannibal. Loved Red Dragon, loved Silence of the Lambs, absolutely, positively despised Hannibal. Just a huge stinking pile of crap. And Mr. Harris, if you’re tired of the characters, then don’t write the friggin’ book. ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/34 "2003-03-31T16:59:33Z")
_The Bloody Red Baron_, the sequel to Kim Newman’s _Anno Dracula_. The latter was an interesting, fairly well written take on the Jack the Ripper story, involving characters from a myriad of Victorian stories and literature. It was a really fun read. The former attempted to duplicate the idea by continuing the story in to WWI, but the character cameos and such overwhelmed the book, and a lot of the “old” characters were completely different acting than they were in the first book. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/35 "2003-03-31T20:28:48Z")
I, too, hated Hannibal/loved Red Dragon. Also, add me to the list of grumbling villagers ready to storm Robert Jordan’s castle! ---
**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/36 "2003-03-31T21:53:46Z")
**The Black House**. I’ve never been into the whole _Dark Tower_ thing with King, but I was hugely disappointed with **Black House** as it had only the tiniest thread connecting it with **The Talisman** and most of the book consisited of description, rather then action. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, if the description had been of something that was even vaguely interesting/exciting. Not a chance. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/37 "2003-03-31T22:20:09Z")
I read the _Rama_ series in a row a number of years ago (pre-kids), and enjoyed them very much. So everyone’s wrong there. 😉 Larry Niven’s lost his touch, IMO, and the _Ringworld_ series dipped after **Engineers**. But the worst sequel and the **LONGEST FUCKING WAIT** definitely goes to _Hannibal_. **coyasicanbe** got that so right. Mr. Harris, please retire if your characters bore you. Bad baooks don’t so anyone any good. When I was a kid I started all the _Dune_ sequels. I read a couple, I forget which ones, never understood anything. Might go back now that I’m growed up and all. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/38 "2003-03-31T22:58:17Z")
Oh yeah, **Shelters of Stone** was really bad. There are two that top my list of bad sequels: Diane Gabaldon’s **Fiery Cross**. I waited a looooong time for this sequel to come out and it was so disappointing. Gabaldon’s sense of humor vanished! I had to read 200 pages before anything of note happened. I think it’s time to wrap up this story and these characters. **Lonesome Dove** ’s sequels, like **Streets of Laredo**. LD was an incredible book. McMurtry should have left it alone. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/39 "2003-03-31T23:14:31Z")
Mary Karr did a brillant job of treating a troubled girl’s early childhood in _The Liar’s Club_. With great anticipation, I ordered the sequel, _Cherry_, which dealt with the same character in her teenage years. I finished reading _Cherry_, but compaired to _Liar’s Club_ I found it to be weak and without meaning. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246/40 "2003-04-01T00:26:00Z")
Okay I have one more. It’s not so much a sequel but I read Small Gods by Terry Pratchett and I really liked it. Later I tried to read his other work and just put it aside because it was unreadable. Two other Pratchett novels later, borrowed, and I still can not read his work without putting it down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-book-sequel-disappointment/165246.md?page=3)