# Has there ever been a sequel by a different author that was worthy of the original? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264 "2008-12-22T02:59:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/21 "2008-12-22T17:00:51Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > [Possibly unwise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Bride#Context) … 😉 Good call. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/22 "2008-12-22T17:06:25Z")
Asimov wrote the original _Foundation Trilogy_ in the 40s and 50s. When the publisher threw enough money at him, in the early '80s, he returned to the Foundation universe and published some of the most unreadable dreck to ever be vomited from the typewriter of an author who should know better. Each sequel to the original trilogy was progressively worse, undermining more and more of the original series as “modern” Asimov tried to refute “young” Asimov’s beliefs, ideas, concepts and technology. When Asimov died, three new writers (Bear, Benford and Brin) made things even worse: rather than accept the original series, they proposes that robots had been beaming “stupid-rays” all over the galaxy to keep humans dumb (and to explain the relatively low tech). Donald Kingsbury wrote an unauthorized “sequel” called _Psychohistorical Crisis_. It ignored all stories written after the last of Asimov’s original series and picked up as though none of the other stuff had been written. And it FAR outshines all the other sequels. It accepts and deals with the '50s techology, the '40s Kay Tarrant approved gender roles, etc. It’s not an authorized sequel but the serial numbers have been filed off just barely enough to quiet the lawyers. The Mule becomes “The Cloun”, the Second Foundationers became “The Fellowship of Pscholars” and Terminus became “Faraway” but it’s the only sequel that keeps the culture and the ‘feel’ of the original series. Also, I realize I’m in a minority of one, but I really liked Jack Snow’s two sequels to Baum’s Oz books. He’s the only one of the “official chronicler of Oz” who realized that there’s more to Oz than twee-cutesy places and (gasp) allowed conflict and challenges to occur (the two chroniclers post-Baum and pre-Snow were of the “Let’s have the characters wander around and see twee-cutesy places” variety). If the last 1/3d of Maguire’s _Wicked_ was as good as the first 1/3d (or even the middle third), I’d include it as well. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/23 "2008-12-22T17:21:02Z")
\*\*Aliens \*\*as the sequel to \*\*Alien \*\*- again, not books, but as far as movies go, a great example of a different director doing great things with a sequel… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/24 "2008-12-22T17:22:27Z")
[QUOTE=Kat] I’ve always liked William Tuning’s Fuzzy Bones (sequel to H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy and Fuzzy Sapiens). > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Me too. I actually found it superior to Piper’s _Fuzzies and other People_, the long-lost then found manuscript published long after Piper’s death. [/QUOTE] I have to third that. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/25 "2008-12-22T17:24:27Z")
It’s more of a prequel, and has a completely different tone, but Susan Kay’s **Phantom** has the best Erik outside of the original **Phantom of the Opera**. (I have a few quibbles, but…) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/26 "2008-12-22T17:37:19Z")
> [@Kat](#): > > I’ve always liked William Tuning’s _Fuzzy Bones_ (sequel to H. Beam Piper’s _Little Fuzzy_ and _Fuzzy Sapiens_). Another H. Beam Piper sequel was Roland Green’s Great Kings War, a sequel to Piper’s Lord Kalvan story. It was the first book I thought of when I saw the OP. I keep forgetting it’s not by the original author. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/27 "2008-12-22T17:42:12Z")
Victor Appleton, Jr’s **Tom Swift, Jr.** books were generally better than Victor Appleton’s **Tom Swift** books. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/28 "2008-12-22T18:11:46Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > William Goldman abridged _The Princess Bride_ so savagely one could argue it is now entirely different than the original. As noted in the prologue the original was meant to be more of a heavy handed satire on royal excess instead of adventure and in the end it just dragged the book to snoozeville (granted, I’m taking Bill’s word for it). Is this a joke or a woosh? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/29 "2008-12-22T18:18:04Z")
[QUOTE=Chimera] Is this a joke or a woosh? [/QUOTE] Color me confused as well. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/30 "2008-12-22T18:24:41Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Psst.. I’ve already secretly sprinkled vinegar in your roux! > > Okay, so tastes vary. I thought Goldsborough was a BETTER plotter than Rex Stout (the central mystery was almost always the weakest element of any Stout story), and did a creditable job capturing Archie Goodwin’s voice (which was the BEST part of most Stout stories). The best of Goldsborough was about = to the worst of Stout, which made some of them readable. But not the later ones. **RealityChuck** \*How about Gregory Maguire’s Wizard of Oz sequels/prequels? \* Not in the same world at all, just a few names are coincidental. Horrible as canon. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/31 "2008-12-22T18:44:11Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > THE GODFATHER- has two authorized sequels as well- GODFATHER RETURNS AND GODFATHER’S REVENGE. I’ve only read the first, but while it had its moments you never really felt you were reading about Michael or the other characters from the original but rather like you were reading an inferior knockoff. I read 1 and 1/2 of those. They stink like a day-old ass sandwich. **Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?** wasn’t a favorite of mine; I basically just don’t like Dick. The sequels penned by KW Jeter, somehow, manage to be even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/32 "2008-12-22T18:48:30Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > There were three sequels to E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series. While they were not as good, they were worthy of Doc’s efforts. > The best was The Dragon Lensman. It was quite a good read. Hm. I’ve got “The Dragon Lensman”. Now I gotta go hunt up the others… ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/33 "2008-12-22T18:59:08Z")
One of the profoundly great works of Western Literature, _Orlando Furioso_ by Ludovico Ariosto, is a direct sequel to one of the profoundly mediocre works of Western Literature, _Orlando Inamorata_ by Matteo Boiardo. Neither of them are novels, of course. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/34 "2008-12-22T19:55:20Z")
The bad press scared me off of John Betancourt’s sequels to Roger Zelanzy’s Amber series(es), so that likely belongs in the negative column. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/35 "2008-12-22T20:00:51Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Hm. I’ve got “The Dragon Lensman”. Now I gotta go hunt up the others… If you want, I’ll send them to you. I have them on a shelf getting dusty. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/36 "2008-12-22T20:38:36Z")
I thought that _Wide Sargasso Sea_ was a great complement to _Jane Eyre._ You may love or hate it, but Bertha’s story definitely needed telling and Rhys is a great writer. ---
**Author:** ![dubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dubs)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/37 "2008-12-23T02:03:32Z")
Tom Holt wrote two sequels–Lucia in Wartime and Lucia Triumphant --after E.F. Benson died in 1941 shortly after writing his sixth Mapp and Lucia novel. For those who don’t think that 6 books about Mapp and Lucia are enough (and they aren’t!), the two by Tom Holt are a satisfying addition. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/38 "2008-12-23T02:19:13Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Me too. I actually found it superior to Piper’s _Fuzzies and other People_, the long-lost then found manuscript published long after Piper’s death. Piper was a bit schmaltzy, IMHO, in that one. Same here. The only thing that I like about _Fuzzies and Other People_ (apart from the title) was that Gus got hisself some Fuzzies in that one. I hated the whole “teaching Fuzzies to lie” thing. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/39 "2008-12-23T04:25:12Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > If you want, I’ll send them to you. I have them on a shelf getting dusty. I’d be crazy to say no. You wouldn’t by chance need any old Andre Norton books to round out your collection, would you? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264/40 "2008-12-23T04:26:56Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > The bad press scared me off of John Betancourt’s sequels to Roger Zelanzy’s Amber series(es), so that likely belongs in the negative column. Oh, the first one was a **horror**! :eek: It _reeked_! Made Frank Herbert’s son look like a literary genius. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-sequel-by-a-different-author-that-was-worthy-of-the-original/478264.md?page=3)