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December 15: Second Book Syndrome
Prompts: Second book syndrome is often seen in series where the sequel, or second book, isn’t as good as the first, making the sequel less interesting or engaging. Do you notice this frequently in books you read? What are some of the best sequels you’ve read that avoid this entirely?
Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is a good one, and something that I had thought about pretty recently so it actually works out well. One thing I do wonder is if books are actually less well-written the second time around, or whether it is merely our perspective that changes. Or maybe a combination of the two?
As a reviewer and blogger, as much as my perspective is subjectively my own, I do try and offer as much objectivity as I can as well, especially when it comes to critique about the writing itself. But that being said, I find it so difficult to disentangle what is objectively good, versus what was just my impression and expectations going into the second book, after the first one really blew me away. I do think that authors nowadays are more cognizant that readers have quite high expectations going into sequels though, and I think in general they do try their best to deliver a great second book, and not just ride the hype of their first book.
For me, it’s usually the world-building books that make me feel like I really want a sequel to see more of it. Six of Crows, Caraval, and Shadow of the Fox are just some of the titles that come to mind. And I think all of those series (and more) all had pretty good, albeit slightly less good, second and third books. I think for the most part I did get what I wanted out of the sequels, but perhaps I just wanted more out of it. This is not surprising though, as the first book is like opening the door to a wonderful world, where your imagination can take over and create endless possibilities; whereas, the second book is forced to tie things down and provide an ending that may not have been what you were expecting. So understandably, second books will often be more of a let down (or at least, generally less exciting), because it tends to be more limiting and finite on what can be expressed.
Fortunately, I feel like the books that I have read over the past year or two have generally had decent sequels. Enough that I’m at least excited for a third book, if there is one, and there haven’t been any that come to mind where the second book was just truly terrible and completely turned me away from the series altogether. However, particularly the fantasies, or the ones where the world-building is my favourite part, I recognize that it’s certainly hard to provide more of that magical feel of stepping into a world for the first time, while still providing interesting plot and character development around a central theme. I really have to give kudos for authors being able to write these sequels—it’s certainly not easy.
One second book that I really did enjoy was The Crimson Fortress, though (The Ivory Key duology). I really do feel like this book delivered basically as hard as the first book, and I do wonder a bit if I just perhaps related a lot to the themes, so that the second book still had major impact. I actually rated both books a full five points, and I doubt this will happen again in the near future. I think the combination of the themes, the world-building, the mechanics of magic, and the fast-paced plot that I enjoy really came together in a spectacular combination that I personally really loved. I think the second book was just different enough to provide a fun and new take on the story, while still maintaining all the same memorable characters and enchanting world from book one.
How do you all feel about second books? Do you mostly feel disappointed? Or do you mostly have a good impression of them? Let me know in the comments below!
Down the Rabbit Hole 