Fantasy Sequels That Are Late

Don’t you just hate it when you get hooked on a book and have to wait several years before the next sequel? Sometimes, it is the writer’s lack of inspiration, other times their perfectionism. Heaven help us, there are even situations where their health is to blame. Still, readers around the world prowl the bookstores, hounding the clerks and sellers with questions like: “Do you have the latest so-and-so?”, and “Did Title come out yet?”

I am going to share with you a few books in the fantasy genres that are taking forever to appear. These books are well-written, well-structured, and seriously late.

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss

Ever since I’ve picked up The Name of the Wind, I became entranced. We follow a young man with a talent for magic (well, what we call magic, anyway) named Kvothe. Kvothe does not have an easy life and is able to fight, survive, and pick up many scars in his journeys. His Academy is no Hogwarts – people don’t get awarded for being lucky or destined. Kvothe is also listless and his friends are trying to pick him up. There is also a love interest. The book was exciting, relatable, magical, and full of adventure.

Naturally, when The Wise Man’s Fear came out, I finished it in a matter of days. Now, the third book in the series The Doors of Stone still has no release date. In February 2015, Patrick Rothfuss, the author of the series, mentioned in an interview that the book was almost complete, but that he wanted it to be perfect before releasing it. We are still waiting. I guess I will have to settle for the novella The Slow Regard of Silent Things for now.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

There, I’ve said it. The final season of Game of Thrones is finished, but the books in the series are still not completed. The book series is supposed to have seven titles, and the fans of the written word are still anxiously anticipating The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. Considering that the last book came out in 2011 and the first book was published in the mid-90s, this series has proven to be a challenge of loyalty.

We are still getting teased with derived work, like Tales of Dunk and Egg and Fire and Blood. While these stories give more flavor to Westeros and Essos, they are just that – flavor. We’ve been waiting for the next course for some time now.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

I am convinced that at least my grandchildren will get to enjoy the complete story of The Stormlight Archive. So far, we’ve got three books out of ten announced, so be prepared to wait it out. Mind you, this isn’t the first time Sanderson took on an ambitious task. He is already known for his work in other book series, so he could pull it off.

The Stormlight Archive deals with the supercontinent Roshar and its inhabitants. There are no ‘main characters’ per se, but we do follow the stories of students, slaves that rebel, and assassins without their own will in a world with 28 countries and 8 races. When Brandon Sanderson decides to make a world, he makes a world.

In fact, The Stromlight Archive is actually a part of a much bigger universe, The Cosmere, with ten different series, some already underway, while others are barely announced. The speed with which Sanderson is writing and the ambition he has make us doubt whether he is human.

Author: Davey