Prequels

[WyrdMystic]

Love them or hate them? No fence sitting.

 

[Zero Angel]

Love them if they're good. More of characters I care about in interesting stories and possibly showing facets of their backgrounds that I was unaware of = awesome.

 

[Steerpike]

I like any book that is good. Goes for prequels as well.

 

[Ankari]

I like any book that is good. Goes for prequels as well.

This is where we differ. I hate good books.

 

[Chilari]

I don't think they're actually all that bad. I mean, yeah they're full of plot holes but really I think it's people obsessing over the originals and forgetting that those had plot holes of their own, not to mention cliches. Sure they could have done a better job of showing Anakin's descent into evil, but they certainly had an element of badass the originals lacked. Though personally, overall I think the whole franchise is overrated. Except for the Lego Star Wars games.

Oh you mean prequels to books?

They're acceptable if they stand alone and you don't need to have read other books to understand what's going on. I like reading about characters "before they were famous" as it were. As long as there's the scope for character development there, in any case. If the original book started with a character fairly young an inexperienced in the ways of the world to become more experienced and gaining skills and insights along the way, I'm not sure where the scope of a prequel can be, unless you use the main character's parents or mentor. But if the main character of the original book is an adult and has undergone those routes of gaining experience and maturity already then going back to explore that aspect of their lives in a prequel is fine.

 

[Feo Takahari]

I have no opinions here, but there are some I could borrow. (#4 is particularly relevant to the typical arc of a fantasy novel.)

 

[Weaver]

I like prequels, provided that they are written by the author of the original novel OR by someone who has that author's permission to write a prequel. Prequles written against the original author's wishes = not cool.

You know, like when an author dies with a series of novels unfinished, and they'd stated very clearly that they didn't want anyone messing with their stories after they were gone, but some fool come along afterward and writes (very badly written) prequel novels... (Yes, real example. Happened years ago. Fans are still angry.)

 

[WyrdMystic]

I like prequels, provided that they are written by the author of the original novel OR by someone who has that author's permission to write a prequel. Prequles written against the original author's wishes = not cool.

You know, like when an author dies with a series of novels unfinished, and they'd stated very clearly that they didn't want anyone messing with their stories after they were gone, but some fool come along afterward and writes (very badly written) prequel novels... (Yes, real example. Happened years ago. Fans are still angry.)

I have to say - I get really annoyed with off shoots when the writing style changes so significantly it may as well not have the original authors name on it at all. Things like that should say ‘Based on the characters by xxxx’ but a lot of the time you get the original authors name in BIG BOLD letters and the ghost writer in tiny text at the bottom.

 

[Gurkhal]

I've only read a few but I kind of liked them mostly. One problem I had with the prequal to the Wheel of Time was that it felt like the mood and world was different compared to what it was in the main series. That put a strain on my nerves but otherwise it was fine..

 

[Zero Angel]

I've only read a few but I kind of liked them mostly. One problem I had with the prequal to the Wheel of Time was that it felt like the mood and world was different compared to what it was in the main series. That put a strain on my nerves but otherwise it was fine..

I did not care for the Wheel of Time prequel whatsoever. I took it as an insight into the characters (that wasn't really needed) and will probably never read it again. Now if they were to go back and retell the last age's stories, that I might read.

 

[Mindfire]

I haven't come across a truly bad prequel yet, so in general I like them. They give the writer a chance to explore things that couldn't be fully explained before.

 

[shangrila]

It depends. If I've read the other books in the series I'd probably avoid them, just because I don't like reading a book where I know the ending. But, like Mindfire, I haven't found a bad prequel yet either, so if I read them before the main story I tend to enjoy them.

So if there's no fence sitting, I guess I'd say I enjoy them.