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"A sequel is an admission that you've been reduced to imitating yourself."
~Don Marquis
I thought this an appropriate quote for Series in September. Truthfully, I think the very best sequels are those which extend and expand their companion works rather than imitating them, but I also find Marquis's sentiment quite amusing. Are there sequels you've read where you felt that the author was pretty much just imitating him/herself?
September 7, 2010 at 9:48 PM
Well, Michael Crichton's sequel to Jurassic Park comes to mind. While I still enjoyed the 2nd book, it was mainly just because I was trying to relive the first.
And yeah, while I find the quote humorous, I think it's an oversimplification. In my view, some sequels aren't so much an imitation as they are a natural progression of a great story.
September 8, 2010 at 2:02 PM
I think a sequel is an admission that your creation was successful the first time around. Who cares if the very nature of sequel involves imitation. Being able to repeat a good experiment is no small task either. That is, unless you have been reduced to imitating yourself!
September 8, 2010 at 2:03 PM
I'm not a fan of sequels, because they only succeed by imitating what was popular about the original property. I am a fan of episodic or planned-out series, however, since they tend to have stories that exist within a larger arc.