Today marks the release ofDoctor Sleep , a new Stephen King novel that checks in withThe Shining ’s Danny Torrance several decade after his stay at the Overlook Hotel . It ’s been 36 years since the original book was turn in 1977 , but such a clip oversight between sequels is n’t as unusual as you might suppose . Here are nine other books that made fans wait decennary to find out what happen next .
1.PsychoandPsycho II
Time between books:23 yr . Why so long?Presumably , Robert Bloch was just fussy compose other thing . Extremely fecund with a typewriter , Bloch save fabrication , non - fiction , short story , magazine articles , motion-picture show and TV display , and edited anthologies . Psycho IIcertainly was n’t a novel keep by Hollywood the way that the firstPsychowas . The continuation mocked splatter film , and according to Bloch , “ The mere melodic theme of pick apart their bloodbath tactics was abhorrent to them , and I was told they had no intent of doing a continuation toPsycho , permit alone my story . But when advance notices of my novel generated publicity here and abroad , some resident genius suddenly had a great approximation . ' get ’s makePsycho II ! ' he shout out , thus demonstrate both his creativity and his ability to reckon . Needless to say , I was n’t part of the prison term — nor was I ask for to a screening . ”
2.HeidiandHeidi Grows Up
Time between books:58 years . Why so long?Well , for one , original author Johanna Spyri die in 1901 , 37 yr before the subsequence was write by her translator , Charles Tritten . ( Spyri was Swiss . ) Tritten excuse that so many Heidi fans around the world wrote with query about the fates of Heidi , Peter , and Grandfather that he matte up obligate to extend their risky venture . He also wrote a third chronicle , Heidi ’s Children , in 1939 .
3.DraculaandDracula the Un-dead
metre between books:112 year . Why so long?Because Stoker recognise to leave well enough alone . It was n’t until long after Stoker ’s end — nearly a century after , in fact - that his estate allowed great - grandnephew Dacre Stoker to partner with direct - to - telecasting horror author Ian Holt to writeDracula the Un - deadened . The reviews are mixed , but all of them gibe that if you come in expecting Stoker ’s track - and - field coach corking - great-nephew to have the same talent that Bram did , you ’re going to be let down . If you ’re just calculate for a playfulness , spooky take , however , finger free to dig in .
4.Peter and WendyandPeter Pan in Scarlet
Time between books:95 days . Why so long?Well , in 1929 , J.M. Barrie famously left the right to his Neverland empire to Great Ormand Street Hospital , a children ’s infirmary in London . To immortalize the original story ’s centenary in 2004 , the infirmary held a contest invite author to send in sample chapters of a young Pan book . The winner would earn the rightfield to save the official , acres - sanction continuation . The succeeder , of form , was Geraldine McCaughrean ; herPeter Pan in Scarletwas released in 2006 .
5.Rosemary’s BabyandSon of Rosemary
sentence between books:30 years . Why so long?Ira Levin did n’t really say why it lease so long to write a subsequence , at least not in any interviews I can find . But like Robert Bloch , I suspect that Levin had plenty of other writing itches to scratch line — from novels likeThe Stepford Wivesto musicals and plays , his playpen was never idle . I ’m guessing he just did n’t find the urge to recall to those character until later in his life . Fun fact : He dedicatedSon of Rosemaryto Mia Farrow .
6.The Witches of EastwickandThe Widows of Eastwick
Time between books:24 years . Why so long?Make no clappers about it — John Updike jazz precisely why he wrote the subsequence : “ Taking those womanhood into old age would be a way of writing about previous historic period , my one-time age , ” he explicate toNew York Magazinein 2008 . He give the women “ the strong-arm oddities I detect in myself , the arthritic pain , the perennially imperfect teeth . I ’ve been spar baldness , but in a substantial hotel light , you suddenly see your dreadful pass that you never had to look at before . ”
7.Catch-22andClosing Time
metre between books:33 years . Why so long?Heller thought ofClosing Timeas “ summarise up . ” Though he specifically said the intent was to sum up , not sing a swan song , it did terminate up being his last novel .
8.Dandelion WineandFarewell Summer
Time between books:49 years . Why so long?Farewell Summerwas the last of Ray Bradbury ’s novels release in his lifetime . Because this book and its predecessor were both base at least part on Bradbury ’s recollections of his childhood in Waukegan , Illinois , it ’s easy to opine that he was doing a little “ add up ” of his own .
9.King CoalandThe Coal War
Time between books:59 year . Why so long?The almost six - ten sentence span between volume was n’t Upton Sinclair ’s fault . He submitted the sequel for publication in 1917 , just three years after the publication ofKing Coal . Publishers found the continuation “ insufficiently interesting ” and declined to buy it , proving that even keep authors are n’t resistant from the cruel rejection of publication houses . In 1976 , near 60 yr after the press release ofKing Coal , the Colorado Associated University Press in conclusion printed a few copy of the sequel .
