Twice as nice: The 5 best literary sequels you need to read
Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman is the sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird. Its release has prompted a look at the most successful literary sequels. It is easy to be cynical about sequels. People assume they will never match the original or that the writer has run out of ideas. It is difficult to deny the thrill of seeing familiar characters in a new story. These are some of the best examples.
Evelyn Waugh, Vile Bodies (1930)
Waugh is known for the melancholy and Catholic guilt of Brideshead Revisited. His first published book was Decline and Fall (1928). It was a social satire of British high society in the 1920s. The sequel, Vile Bodies (1930), mocks romantic comedies and the ways of the youth. It features characters from the first book but works as a stand-alone text. Stephen Fry adapted it in 2003 as Bright Young Things. The book remains sharper than the film.
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, And What Alice Found There (1871)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland receives most of the attention. The sequel is funnier and creepier. Many incidents associated with the first book actually appear here. This includes Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the Jabberwocky poem. Alice plays a literal game of chess and meets Humpty Dumpty. She worries she is a figment of the Red King’s imagination. It is a brilliant work.
Joseph Heller, Closing Time (1994)
This is the sequel to Heller’s WWII satire, Catch 22 (1961). Closing Time follows Yossarian several decades later at the end of his life. It interweaves his story with two other veterans. It is more somber than the first book but remains bizarre and obsessed with death. The plot involves underground government tunnels in Manhattan and a reconstructed Coney Island that links to Hell.
Justin Cronin, The Twelve (2012)
This is the second book in a trilogy. It proves that the middle volume does not have to be the weak link. It is an enthralling vampire and apocalypse story. It combines action sequences with high-quality prose. This is the correct way to write about vampires and sequels. The final volume is expected later in 2015.
Vile bodies, vile people, vile attitudes, only they could have named themselves ‘bright young things’. Good book, Evelyn Waugh knows his own kind but also knows how to send them up. Definitely worthy of this selection.
Through the looking glass really is so fun and trippy. What a wild imagination Lewis Carroll had! There is no actual historical evidence that he used drugs but…seriously what was he on??!! Many of everyone’s favorite bits from the various film versions (Jabberwocky, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee) are from this book, not Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so I highly recommend reading this one.
I thought Cronin’s storytelling was tighter in The Twelve. Everything that he delivers in story brings you deeper into this fantastic story. I love it.
When told that he he’d never written another book as good as Catch-22, Heller reportedly replied, “Who has?” Yet with Closing Time, he seems weighed down by the legacy of his masterpiece. Considering what a surreal and inventive ride Catch 22 was, I’m sorry to say I thought his long-delayed sequel was a bit of a joyless slog.
Yeah, I must admit I found it something of a disappointment. But in fairness to Heller, Catch 22 was an insanely tough act to follow and I thought he brought the characters back to life beautifully.