Recent Re-tellings or Sequels?

Orianna2000 · Feb 22, 2012

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm looking for any re-tellings, prequels, or sequels to famous books, which have been published anytime in the last ten years. I'm writing my query letter and I need something to compare my novel to. It's a re-telling and sequel to Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, so I'd like anything that's similar, so I can say, "Fans of this kind of novel might enjoy my book."

I don't think Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is quite what I'm looking for, since it's more farcical, but if there's any other sequels, prequels, or re-tellings of famous novels, please share them here. (Don't worry, I won't include the novel in my query letter until after I've read it and confirmed that it's the sort of novel I feel comfortable comparing my work to.)

I've already got Phantom by Susan Kay on my list. It's the life story of Erik from The Phantom of the Opera, told in a brilliant and masterful way. It was published more than ten years ago, but it's in print again, so I figured it would be okay to use.

amschilling · Feb 22, 2012

Gregory Maguire has written a number of them. His best known is probably "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." (yeah, the book the musical is based on). He also did "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" and "Mirror, Mirror," plus a few more Oz books

Theo81 · Feb 23, 2012

Very Recently published: P D James, Death comes to Pemberley - a crime sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

Sally Beauman wrote a companion novel to Rebecca entitled Rebecca's Tale. There is a "sequel" to Rebecca but the title and author escape me.

TudorRose · Feb 23, 2012

Theo81 said:
There is a "sequel" to Rebecca but the title and author escape me.

Are you thinking of Mrs de Winter by Susan Hill?

Most of the ones I can think of aren't particularly recent. Florence and Giles by John Harding (2010) is a retelling of Henry James' Turn of the Screw, I believe.

angeluscado · Feb 23, 2012

Isn't Beastly a retelling of Beauty and the Beast? I haven't read it (it might make it onto my list, though), but that's what I gathered from summaries and the ads from the movie it's based on.

BethS · Feb 23, 2012

Kristen Callihan's just-published, debut novel Firelight is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in Victorian London, with a paranormal twist.

Alison_Kale · Feb 23, 2012

Eyre Affair's a whole mismash of stories, if I remember right, and two Jane Eyre retellings are Jane by April Linder and Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn. And the whole Pink Carnation series (Lauren Willig) is something of a sequel to The Scarlett Pimpernel.

Orianna2000 · Feb 23, 2012

Thanks, I'll be sure and check some of these out.

ChaosTitan · Feb 23, 2012

Scarlet, by Alexandra Ripley, was the sequel to Gone With the Wind.

Buffysquirrel · Feb 23, 2012

There's a book about Huckleberry Finn's father, altho that may be older than ten years ago. Also, I can't remember title or author. Apart from that, I'm a big help.

Ah, there we are. Finn: A Novel by Jon Clinch, pub 2008. I remember he was on a board I was also on, and there was a lot of talk about this book, and how brave he was to use the N-word.

quicklime · Feb 23, 2012

Orianna2000 said:
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm looking for any re-tellings, prequels, or sequels to famous books, which have been published anytime in the last ten years. I'm writing my query letter and I need something to compare my novel to. It's a re-telling and sequel to Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, so I'd like anything that's similar, so I can say, "Fans of this kind of novel might enjoy my book."

.

FWIW, I never agree with this approach in queries, and outright loathe lines like your last one.

I know some agree and some disagree, but I remain convinced all that should be blatantly obvious in the query, so having to re-state it only weakens the query, and then how much depends on the query (if the agent is scratching their head, going "Holy shit, it is? How???" that's bad), how your sentence is worded (make it sound at all smug and you form a negative impression), the work itself (if they read the sample pages and then go "no, it isn't even remotely like 'Phantom'", etc....but I'm not convinced the line has ever earned a second glance for anyone that would have been passed on otherwise.

sorry i can't think of a modern retelling, Beastly comes to mind I suppose, but that's my 2 cents on trying to compare the work....

Orianna2000 · Feb 23, 2012

quicklime said:
FWIW, I never agree with this approach in queries, and outright loathe lines like your last one.

Thanks for weighing in. I've read several sources that say "Do this," and I've read one that said, "Do this if you have a good comparison, otherwise don't worry about it." I've never read anything that outright said, "Don't do this." But I do appreciate the advice. I'll give it some thought, and I'll definitely get feedback on my query letter before I send it out.

BethS · Feb 23, 2012

If we're talking sequels, Sara Donati's Into the Wilderness (which has its own sequels) was written as a sequel to the film version of The Last of the Mohicans. It's the story of Hawk Eye's and Cora's children.

Orianna2000 · Feb 23, 2012

Thanks. Just out of curiosity, are there any re-tellings and/or sequels that change the original story? Where the MC makes a different choice, or takes a different path, which leads to an entirely different ending? Like where Scarlett O'Hara ends up with Ashley instead of Rhett? That kind of thing.

Recent Re-tellings or Sequels?

Orianna2000

Freelance Writer

amschilling

Theo81

TudorRose

not napping... brainstorming!

angeluscado

BethS

Alison_Kale

Orianna2000

Freelance Writer

ChaosTitan

Around

Buffysquirrel

quicklime

all out of fucks to give

Orianna2000

Freelance Writer

BethS

Orianna2000

Freelance Writer