Ever since Go Set a Watchman stunned the literary community when it was released in 2015, readers all over the world have wondered how many other secret sequels are hiding out there. We here at Bookstr were recently made aware of six sequel novels set to release this year. These stories spent years hiding in their authors’ portfolios, but now is their time to shine! Read on for an exclusive sneak peek at these astonishing books.
Celsius 233 by Ray Bradbury
Assembled from a series of unpublished short stories in Ray Bradbury’s journals, this novella picks up at the end of Fahrenheit 451. Montag and the other intellectual exiles return to the ruins of the city to rebuild society. However, their attempt at creating a new utopia quickly devolves into petty fighting when none of them can decide which book they’ve memorized should be copied for posterity first.
Peppered full of biting sarcasm, this book feels decidedly different from its predecessor. The literary arguments that ensue among the characters almost feel like Bradbury is launching personal attacks against specific authors.
Offering Eternity by Natalie Babbitt
The Babbitt estate has elected to publish a previously unknown sequel to Tuck Everlasting. Set in 2012, Jesse Tuck returns to Treegap upon hearing that a development company has taken over the property that hid the immortal spring for over 60 years. Jesse initially only goes to ensure the spring truly was destroyed by the previous construction. But then he meets the developer’s beautiful and adventurous 18-year-old daughter, Mia. And suddenly, Jesse hopes that there might still be some immortal water hiding underground…
Many are doubting the legitimacy of this sequel. Part of this opinion is due to certain confusing modern-day references. For example, Mia spends several chapters convinced that Jesse might be a vampire. We’ll give you two guesses for what Mia’s favorite book is.
Danger and Intrigue by Jane Austen
In a departure from Jane Austen’s usual soft romantic plot, this sequel to Persuasion is a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas! True to her word, Anne Wentworth, née Elliot, never leaves her beloved husband’s side, even when the captain is sent on a mysterious mission to the Baltic Sea. When a band of pirates attacks the ship, Anne discovers just how brave she truly is.
Hidden away for years, the manuscript for this book was accidentally discovered in the walls of Austen’s home-turned-museum. The startling contrast from her usual plots divided many readers. Some found the change jarring while others praised it, calling her a proto-Robert Louis Stevenson.
Finding Dakota by John Green
This sequel to Looking for Alaska picks up on the previous book’s main character Miles “Pudge” Halter. Now a sophomore at Furman University in South Carolina, Pudge has given up his obsession with famous last words in place of a new fixation: first words. Precisely, his first published words. Pudge is studying English and writing a novel in his spare time. His only problem? He knows how the story ends but not how it begins! This is when he meets Dakota Frenchly, a history major who hangs out in cemeteries and laments that nothing interesting will ever happen in her lifetime. Pudge and Dakota can’t seem to stop running into each other. Could the answers to their problems lie in one another’s company?
Nearly 20 years have passed since the first novel’s publication, so many readers were understandably surprised by this announcement. Early reviews haven’t been released yet, but that didn’t stop some critics from offering sarcastic barbs. One quipped, “How long will it take before Cemetery Girl dies, too?”
Karenin’s Trial by Leo Tolstoy
Shockingly brief in comparison to the lengthy Anna Karenina, this book is a haunting ghost story. Six months have passed since disgraced socialite Anna Karenina’s death, and for the most part, life has returned to normal in St. Petersburg. That is — until Count Alexei Karenin begins to be plagued by terrible visions of his dead ex-wife. Anna has returned from beyond the grave, and Karenin soon finds that he, too, can be driven to madness.
Reviewers of this newly discovered book remark on the author’s uncharacteristic brevity. One critic wryly posited, “It appears that cutting all Russian political commentary makes Tolstoy’s plots refreshingly short.”
The Cambridge Calamity by Roald Dahl
This unexpected sequel to Matilda finds the titular character now 13 years old and a top student at Cambridge University. Though her beloved friends Miss Honey and Lavender constantly send her encouraging letters, Matilda worries that college might not be all it’s cracked up to be. It turns out prodigies aren’t very popular people. When an especially mean student named Greta seems hellbent on humiliating Matilda at every step, things take a turn for the worse. Suddenly, Matilda’s telekinesis is back! And no one will be safe from her revenge — especially Greta.
This previously unpublished book is much darker than its original novel. Many early reviewers compare it to Stephen King’s Carrie, though Dahl’s whimsical wit does provide some reprieve from the intense violence.
What an odd coincidence that so many prolific authors had unpublished sequels hidden away! It doesn’t bode well that many critics seem either divided or completely negative in their reviews. Of course, taste is subjective, so we suggest you check out these novels yourself before jumping to any conclusions.
And if you have trouble finding preorder links or the early reviews we quoted, it may be because these books (and their critics) don’t exist!
April Fools!
For a list of real new-release novels, click here.
Check out our Bookstr Recommendations bookshelf on Bookshop.org for great reads to fill your TBR.
