Bookish Rants or Raves: My Issue With Prequels!

Filed in Bookish Rant or Raves , The Crazy Lover Posted on October 21, 2010 @ 6:00 am 11 comments
Ok, so here’s the thing, I love a good book series and if the series has captured my heart I will be a fan for life and buy each and every book out.

The thing is that some authors like to put out a prequel to the series sometimes, midway through it, or even earlier and I for one don’t really care for it. If I love the books, I’ll probably read it when or if I feel like it, but I’ll probably not wait for it in pins and needles.  
Finding out about a character’s or a set of character’s beginning can be interesting at times, but if I have already seen said characters find their happily ever after, what do I care about reading a book with them alone again?
I won’t generalize and say I don’t like any prequels, but in general they don’t really appeal to me much.

What about you guys?? Do you love/hate/don’t care for/like prequels??
Any series/characters you love to read a prequel of?
I’d love to know your opinions on the matter!

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11 Comments

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  • Marie October 21, 2010 at 6:05 am

    I don't read a lot of series but I sort of don't see the point of prequels. If there is enough in the first book to establish the characters and situations, why is a prequel necessary?

  • Jessica October 21, 2010 at 7:23 am

    There haven't been a lot of prequels for me. I like them sometimes, but other times if I don't know there is one or it's in an anthology that I don't really want to buy then I feel lost after reading book 1. My example is when I read Patricia Briggs Alpha and Omega series, book 1 was really good, but the constantly referred to events that happened in a prequel that was in an anthology that I didn't want to buy because not too many of my authors were in that one. So that part made me a little mad and not liking prequels especially when I didn't read it.

    One I did enjoy was Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Lose, the free prequel download to her YA series it was good and entertaining. And by book 1 they mention the event that took place, but that was it, just one little mention and she moved on. Totally fine. You didn't have to have read that prequel to understand what was going on in the book.

    So I have mixed feelings about prequels. I don't mind them, but if the series has been going on for awhile a prequel seems awkward…my only exception is Kelley Armstrong's series. I LOVED her short story anthologies that had prequels and side stories. Her series is so vast that is doesn't matter and having prequels about how Clay and Elena met or how Hope and Carl met were totally awesome!

  • Scorpio M. October 21, 2010 at 7:25 am

    I can't recall ever reading a prequel but I don't think I would mind it. Prequels offer a chance to see the hero/heroine evolve and that may not be a bad thing.

  • Tara Lain October 21, 2010 at 7:58 am

    Ah, challenging post since i just wrote a prequel to my first novel, Genetic Attraction. In my defense, i have to say there was a whole other love story to tell, it just happened to occur BEFORE the first book. Readers can really approach the books in either order, so they're stand-alone. But those guys yelled and screamed at me until i told their story, so what's a writer to do? It's called The Scientist and the Supermodel. Hope you like it when it's finally done. : )

  • Lia Bal October 21, 2010 at 8:15 am

    I’m not a fan of prequels either. I feel like throughout the series you learn enough about the characters past, why read a separate book devoted to it? However, some series call for a prequel. I read a series once where the main character didn’t remember her mother much (as her mother died when she was a child) and throughout the entire series her father mourned her mother but didn’t really reveal anything about their relationship other than that he missed her. The prequel showed how her parents met and their relationship. After reading the prequel it was easy to understand why the dad never got over her death. She was the love of his life, after all.

  • Larissa {Larissa's Bookish Life} October 21, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    @Marie

    agreed =D

    @Jessica

    Great points!

    I also like when we get free prequels like that that aren't connected to an anthology. Dont even get me started on anthologies, I am not a fan LOL

    I actually read that prequel by Patty Briggs and really liked it. but I see your point… the prequel was very important for the series and unfair that u had to get the anthology just for it =/

    I really liked the Rachel Vincent one too, specially because it came before the series, so it made sense and it was very well done =D

    I also enjoy the Kelley Armstrong ones =D

    @Scorpio

    That's true =D I think I end up not enjoying prequels when it comes to Romance =P

    @Tara

    in that case it doesnt bother me, because its an actual; extra story, and not the heroine's past for example =D

    @Lia

    awww thats very sweet! I'd prob have enjoyed that as well =D

  • Tara Lain October 21, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    I generally don't love anthologies either. Maybe one or two good stories and you still have to pay for the rest. Recently, however, i read an anthology called Shifting Sands where all the writers had coordinated stories. So you got six stories all progressing the same basic plot, each tied together and each starring a different hero (it's m/m). It was very enjoyable and included some of the best writers in the genre (like Jet Mykles and Willa Okati)It was really worth the price. : )

  • Georgia McBride October 21, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    I agree with that. I also agree that the timing of the release should NOT be before the end of the series. Sometimes the author can't do anything about that. I think all prequels of thist sort STILL need an exciting love story element to engage the reader. Thankfully the one I have planned does and I HOPE LIKE HECK you guys get to read it one day.

  • draconismoi October 21, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Generally I am anti-prequel. Especially when they come out after a series has ended. At that point they're just a pathetic attempt to milk more out of a completed story.

    However, I did totally and completely love Kelley Armstrong's prequels to the Women of the Otherworld series. Part of that love was the chapter a week to give me my fix between books. They weren't intended to be stand-alone stories either…..just fleshed out versions of backstory that we already knew.

  • Dwayne October 21, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    INteresting issue! Personally, I have never really minded, although I do get your point. I'm a sequel lover so I never pine for prequels but when they're there I suppose it's just a matter of deciding whether or not reading it would be beneficial to understanding characters more/answering the unanswered questions, etc. If I don't really see the point, probably not. But then again I have never really said no to one before, except perhaps Fire by Kristin Cashore (although I did love Graceling – I just thought I wasn't interested in Fire since it's not directly linked to Katsa and Po). Perhaps I'm really just indifferent? LOL

  • Larissa {Larissa's Bookish Life} October 21, 2010 at 6:21 pm

    @Tara

    ooooh that does sound cool! def something dif and I love M/M LOL =D

    @Georgia

    I agree with you!! oooh I'll keep an eye out for it =D

    @draco

    yep exactly!!

    oooh i loved those too =)

    @Dwayne

    lol good point and i agree, it just sucks when its a prequel u dont really wanna read but its essential to a series =/

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