Buzz
Today marks the arrival of Doctor Sleep, a fresh Stephen King novel that revisits Danny Torrance from The Shining years after his horrifying experience at the Overlook Hotel. 36 years have passed since the first book was published in 1977, yet such long gaps between sequels are not as rare as they seem. Below are nine other books that made readers wait decades to discover what happened next.
1. Psycho and Psycho II
Time between books: 23 years. Why the delay? Robert Bloch was a highly productive writer, constantly working on other projects. He produced a vast range of works, including fiction, non-fiction, short stories, magazine articles, movies, TV shows, and anthologies. Psycho II didn’t exactly receive the same Hollywood acclaim as its predecessor. The sequel parodied splatter films, and according to Bloch, 'The mere idea of criticizing their bloodbath tactics was abhorrent to them, and I was told they had no intention of doing a sequel to Psycho, let alone my story. But when advance notices of my novel generated publicity here and abroad, some resident genius suddenly had a great idea. 'Let's make Psycho II!' he cried, thus demonstrating both his creativity and his ability to count. Needless to say, I wasn't part of the time—nor was I invited to a screening.'
2. Heidi and Heidi Grows Up
Time between books: 58 years. Why such a long gap? Well, for starters, the original author, Johanna Spyri, passed away in 1901, 37 years before her translator, Charles Tritten, wrote the sequel. (Spyri was Swiss.) Tritten revealed that due to the numerous letters from fans worldwide asking about the fates of Heidi, Peter, and Grandfather, he felt a strong urge to continue their journey. He also penned a third story, Heidi’s Children, in 1939.
3. Dracula and Dracula the Un-dead
Time between books: 112 years. Why such a delay? Stoker knew when to let a masterpiece stand on its own. It wasn’t until almost a century after Stoker’s death that his estate allowed his great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker to collaborate with horror writer Ian Holt on Dracula the Un-dead. While reviews are mixed, they all agree that if you expect the same brilliance from Stoker’s great-grandnephew as his famous ancestor, you might be disappointed. But if you're just after a fun, eerie read, feel free to dive in.
4. Peter and Wendy and Peter Pan in Scarlet
Time between books: 95 years. Why so long? In 1929, J.M. Barrie famously bequeathed the rights to his beloved Neverland saga to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. To mark the original story’s centenary in 2004, the hospital organized a contest for authors to submit sample chapters for a new Peter Pan book. The winning entry would be granted the official, estate-approved sequel. Geraldine McCaughrean emerged victorious, and her Peter Pan in Scarlet was published in 2006.
5. Rosemary’s Baby and Son of Rosemary
Time between books: 30 years. Why the long gap? Ira Levin never really explained the delay in writing a sequel, at least not in interviews I could find. But much like Robert Bloch, it’s likely that Levin had other creative projects on his plate—from novels like The Stepford Wives to plays and musicals, he was never short on work. My guess is that he simply didn’t feel ready to revisit those characters until later in life. Fun fact: He dedicated Son of Rosemary to Mia Farrow.
6. The Witches of Eastwick and The Widows of Eastwick
Time between books: 24 years. Why such a delay? John Updike had a clear reason for writing the sequel: “Taking those women into old age would be a way of writing about old age, my old age,” he explained to New York Magazine in 2008. He gave them “the physical oddities I notice in myself, the arthritic pains, the perennially imperfect teeth. I’ve been spared baldness, but in a strong hotel light, you suddenly see your awful head that you never had to look at before.”
7. Catch-22 and Closing Time
Time between books: 33 years. Why such a long gap? Heller viewed Closing Time as a kind of 'summing up.' Although he clarified that his intention wasn’t to write a swan song, it ended up being his final novel.
8. Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer
Time between books: 49 years. Why the delay? Farewell Summer was the last novel Ray Bradbury released during his lifetime. Both this book and its predecessor were inspired by Bradbury’s childhood memories in Waukegan, Illinois, making it likely that he was doing some of his own 'summing up' in these pages.
9. King Coal and The Coal War
Time between books: 59 years. Why such a delay? The lengthy gap wasn’t due to Upton Sinclair’s lack of effort. He submitted the sequel for publication in 1917, just three years after King Coal was released. However, publishers rejected it, deeming the sequel 'insufficiently interesting.' This rejection shows that even well-known authors face the harsh reality of publishing. Finally, in 1976—nearly six decades later—the Colorado Associated University Press published a limited run of the sequel.
