# Trilogies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545 "2002-09-25T01:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/1 "2002-09-25T01:13:34Z")
Trilogies. My daughter , the **Fem=Bot** is reading “The Two Towers”. She’s struggling with it, she’s 10 and it’s a bit meaty for her. She proclaimed that, > [@](#): > > Nothing happens but everone’s looking for Merry and Pippin, and they just walk around and talk and sing a lot so far. It’s boring This got me thinking about other trilogies. Granted I’ve not read many others. But, in this case as well as a few cinematic trilogies I can think of, the middle child is one hurtin’ slow-pokey drag. 1. The Two Towers. I trust the **Fem-Bot** ’s assessment. 2. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. Can you say dark, depressing, slow, achingly boring? 3. The Empire Strikes Back. It serves a useful purpose, it moves us from Star Wars to Return Of The Jedi. There must be others. Anyway, can anyone thing of a trilogy where the # 2 story was the strongest? The only one that comes to mind right off the bat is Godfather II]. Are there others, or are most middle children of the creative world doomed to be a link in a three-part-chain? Cartooniverse ---
**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:** [September 25, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/2 "2002-09-25T01:24:52Z")
**The Road Warrior** is marginally better than “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” and definitely superior to “Mad Max.” David Brin’s **Startide Rising** is the best of his first Uplift Trilogy novels. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/3 "2002-09-25T01:50:14Z")
_Bride of Frankenstein_ is definitely the superior one in the Karloff trilogy (I know they made more movies, but AFAIAC, there is only one Universal-made Frankenstein monster, Karloff) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/4 "2002-09-25T01:53:34Z")
For planned trilogies (unlike Star Wars or The Godfather) the second part does tend to be weaker. The reason for that, I think, is that in the first you introduce the conflict and main characters are greatly overmatched making for an interesting story while in the last portion you have the climax of the story. That makes the middle portion do little more than set things up for the end. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/5 "2002-09-25T02:06:07Z")
I think that **1919** is stronger than either **The 49th Parallel** or **Big Money** , but that could be because I prefer war stories to socialism. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/6 "2002-09-25T03:01:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* > There must be others. Anyway, can anyone thing of a trilogy where the # 2 story was the strongest? The only one that comes to mind right off the bat is Godfather II]. \*\* Empire Strikes Back Raider’s of the Lost Arc (Temple of Doom was actually a prequil) I liked James Camerons Aliens(2) better than Ridley Scotts Alien (1). That’s about all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/7 "2002-09-25T14:25:28Z")
I look at it two ways. _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_ was great - better than the first, not as good as the second. However, _Life, the Universe, and Everything_ is really the middle of the incredibly poorly named trilogy, and is by far the best of the bunch. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/8 "2002-09-25T16:03:56Z")
There are hundreds of trilogies in the fantasy/sci fi market. It is a total marketing ploy that I have seen to fall into repeatedly. Currently I am reading the Runelords by Farland. I haven’t gotten too far into it but there are three books there. Other trilogies off the top of my head that I have read recently: The Dragonlance Chronicles, the Dragonlance Legends (the one with the time of the twins in it), Lilith’s Brood, The Chronicles of Jhereg, which are simply a few out of the ones out there. Again, they are a total marketing ploy but still good to read. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/9 "2002-09-25T16:33:59Z")
Law of diminishing returns There should have only been one) Highlander Alien Planet of the Apes French Connection Chinatown Halloween Friday the 13th Nightmare on Elmstreet Rocky Its Alive Return of the living Dead Second verse better than the first Road Warrior Empire Strikes Back Star Trek II Magnum Force GodFather II Dawn of the Dead Third Time’s a charm Army of Darkness Gold Finger ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/10 "2002-09-25T17:57:36Z")
While fully admitting that the intellectual ferocity of **Army of Darkness** left me speechless, I must claim **Evil Dead 2** as my favorite of the trilogy. As far as literature goes, the original Shannara series (Sword, Elfstones, and Wishsong) was quite good. Trilogy may be too strong a word as they function well independently of each other. However, the middle one (Elfstones) was by far, IMHO, the best. Stee Jans and the Free Corps were some of the most memorable fantasy characters I have come across. ---
**Author:** ![Mercutio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Mercutio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mercutio)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/11 "2002-09-25T18:10:26Z")
**Silence of the Lambs**. I didn’t see the original Manhunter, but I doubt it’s as good as Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal blew monkey anus. I’m having doubts abou the remake of Manhunter, Red Dragon. Hopefully it’s not a Red Anus sucker. [sub]yyyeeesssss, that WAS a stretch. Sue me.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/12 "2002-09-26T05:48:15Z")
Maybe it’s because I read it before the others, but I liked The Vampire Lestat much more than Interview with the Vampire or Queen of the Damned. (of course, there were further vampire books, but these stand as a trilogy) ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trilogies/129545/13 "2002-10-02T14:00:12Z")
Hmmm. I have to admit, that I am being swayed here. There have indeed been some fine Middle offerings. **Tangent** , if nobody has done so yet, welcome to the Straight Dope !! I agree, I loved The Vampire Lestat perhaps a wee bit more than I loved Queen of the Damned. Tough call. I loved them all. Her way with words is a heady brew that leaves one intoxicated on pure images, and longing for the coppery tang of blood on the tongue. Gosh, she’s good. 🙂