“If a book is well written, I always find it too short.” ~ Jane Austen
Well Austen certainly hit the nail on the head with that quote, don’t you just find that the best books leave you sad to reach the last page, so much so in fact that you almost find yourself wishing that there was a sequel. Either that or the ending was so unsatisfactory that you just wish there was more so you could confirm what actually happened next.
Whatever the reason, we asked you to suggest the books you most wish had a sequel and across our social media channels you answered in your droves, giving us a list of thirty books that you wish had a sequel.
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
This proved very popular with our fans last year, and got the most votes here too with many of you loving it so much, you wished there were more! While not a sequel, news is that Morgenstern is currently writing her next novel, so there’s hope!
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
This was my own choice, and those who have read it will know why! What happens next? It’s like torture, and left up to your own imagination, but just tell us, Atwood!
Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell
I have this on my bedside table, but can’t really get into it. I may give it another go now as it’s in third place for the books you wished had a sequel.
Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind does have at least one unofficial sequel, but that’s not appeasing the fans who wished there was a genuine follow on, written by Mitchell.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Davies
This is a perennial favourite with our readers, and here the all-American classic is put forward as the book you most wish had a sequel.
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Another raking in your votes is Fahrenheit 451. What did happen to all the remembered books? Let’s hope times changed!
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
The whole world seems to be flashing back to the 1980s so maybe a sequel of Ready Player One would be apt right now.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Ah, the book of a hundred spin offs, but not a single sequel. Did they end up happy? Lots of you wished you could find out.
The Neverending Story – Michael Ende
And completing our top ten is the story you wish hadn’t ended, and had at least continued with a sequel!
Good Omens – Pratchett/Gaiman
There’s little chance of a collaborative sequel here, but many of you loved Good Omens so much you wished there was a sequel. Thankfully there are plenty of Discworld novels to dive into.
11. Neverwhere – Neil Gaiman
12. East of Eden – John Steinbeck (review)
13. Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell
14. The Beach – Alex Garland
15. The Law of Nines – Terry Goodkind
16. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
17. The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick
18. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier (Review)
19. The Catcher in the Rye – J. D Salinger (review)
20. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
And with thirty books in all topping the poll, the final ten are as follows:
The Host – Stephenie Meyer
Forever – Judy Blume
Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson
The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Neffeneger
Longborn – Jo Baker
The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
Another Day – David Levithan
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Love that Frankenstein made the list. I taught this book to ten graders and had a student who imagined the next story… it involved the briefly mentioned, sole surviving Frankenstein brother, Earnest, the monster, and the body of his creator, Victor. It would take an imaginative young lady like that student to continue the work of Mary Shelley.
“Island of the Blue Dolphins” has a sequel called “Zia” written by Scott O’Dell. “Rebecca” has a sequel in the same way “Gone with the Wind” does. It’s called “Mrs. deWinter” and is written by Susan Hill.
Island of the Blue Dolphins does have a sequel, first of all. Second, literally all of the “cliffhangers” mentioned here are things that are meant to be up for interpretation. These books do not need sequels- they are well written and stand well on their own without every mystery being blatantly spelled out.