A continuation novel is a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

with continuity in the style of an established series, produced by a new author after the original author's death. Continuation novels may be official, produced with the permission of the late author's

literary executor The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film rights, film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially ...

s, or unofficial where the original author's works are now out of

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

Official continuations

Where official continuations are produced, the novel will normally try to keep closely to the style of the original author in order to preserve the integrity and value of the literary franchise and the author may be legally required to do so. Examples of official continuations include ''Porto Bello Gold'' by Arthur D. Howden Smith, the multiple authors that have continued Ian Fleming's

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

series, including John Gardner,

Raymond Benson Raymond Benson (born 1955) is an American writer known for his James Bond novels published between 1997 and 2003. Early life and education Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973. In primary sc ...

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include the '' Alex Rider'' series featuring a 14-year-old British boy who spi ...

and others; ''

Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of ''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear'') is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...

'' by Andy Lane, '' The House of Silk'' by

and the 2014 Hercule Poirot continuation novel '' The Monogram Murders'' by Sophie Hannah, produced with the permission of the

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

estate. The estate also authorized ''Marple: Twelve New Stories'', continuing Miss Marple in 2022. In 1998, Jill Paton Walsh completed the 1936 work '' Thrones, Dominations'' authorised by the estate of Dorothy L. Sayers to continue the

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...

series. '' And Another Thing...'' by Eoin Colfer continues '' The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series''. Andrew Neiderman continued the novels of V. C. Andrews. Nick Harkaway completed the 2021 novel, Silverview on the death of his father, John le Carré, then wrote the first full continuation novel Karla's Choice in 2024. Some versatile authors have contributed to more than one continuation series, for instance Sebastian Faulks who in addition to James Bond has written the first ever authorized new P.G. Wodehouse

Jeeves Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...

continuation story, ''Jeeves and the Wedding Bells'', published in 2013.Bertie Wooster forced me to cheer up.
Sarah Rainey, ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'', 3 November 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2014. Several authors have published continuation novels of

August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...

's character

Solar Pons Solar Pons is a fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portr ...

. If not done well, the continuation novel poses risks to the reputation of the dead author but writing one is also a risk for the new author as they are obliged to suppress their own style in favour of the style of an often better-known author and one whose fans may take convincing to accept the legitimacy of the new work. Faulks said of his Wodehouse continuation: "People said it was brave – or stupid. Either way, it was a ridiculous undertaking. PG Wodehouse is, by common consent, one of the great prose stylists of the 20th century. I didn't want to make a mess of it". If the continuation is a success however, it may lead to substantial sales and, just as importantly, revive interest in and sales of the works of the dead author. For this reason publishers will sometimes commission a continuation novel if they feel that interest in the original author is beginning to wane.

Unofficial continuations

Where the original works are out of copyright, however, the new author(s) are free to interpret the franchise in any way they wish subject to

copyright protection for fictional characters Copyright protection is available to fixed expressions of fictional characters in literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works. Recognition of fictional characters as works eligible for copyright protection has come about in some countries wi ...

. There are a large number of

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

continuations for instance which vary in quality and authenticity. Such unofficial continuations, which may overlap with

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...

and

pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...

, may introduce completely new characters, change time periods, add or remove plot elements and make as many changes to the original formula as the author feels are useful. To mark the 110th anniversary of the publication of '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', Frederick Warne & Co. commissioned British actress Emma Thompson to write ''The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit'', in which Peter ends up in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

after accidentally hitching a ride on Mr. and Mrs. McGregor's wagon. The book was released on September 18, 2012. Thompson later wrote more Peter Rabbit books. Her next tale, ''The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit'', was released in 2013, followed by ''The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit'' in 2014.

References

{{Reflist Publishing Literary terminology Continuity (fiction) *

Official continuations

Unofficial continuations

See also

References