'Prequals' and 'Sequals' by new authors.

[HEPZIBAH]

[face=Comic Sans MS]What do people feel about books they have known and loved by a certain author suddenly having a sequal or prequal (is that a word?) written by another author.

I'm currently reading The Independance of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough. For me it's not the best book written by this author but it makes an adequate coffee break read. I'm not sure Jane Austin would recognise her own Mary Bennet - who plays the piano adequately but sings appallingly - or fiesty, free thinking Lizzie, and particularly not Mr. Darcy.

Another example would be Mrs De Winter by Susan Hill. Based upon Daphne Du Maurier's Rebbecca, it picks up the story from ten years later on. I found it readable, but again have to wonder if Max and 'the second Mrs. De Winter' would have been recognisable to Daphne Du Maurier.


I've tried to read As Time Goes By by Michael Walsh which continues the story of Rick, Ilsa, Victor, Louis, and Sam, from more or less where it ends in the film Casablanca, but I've never got very far with it. Maybe it just wasn't the right time to read the book, or maybe I didn't want familiar and loved characters ruined by someone elses imagination.

These are just three examples that come to my mind at the moment from my own reading experience, but there must be countless others.

What are other readers views and experiences? Should we be concerned about what the creator author thinks? Should we worry about the changes in well known/loved characters?[/face]

[Yildez]

I recently read "Death Comes to Pemberley" by PD James. An OK quick read but not a patch on Jane Austin!