To Be Continued: An Annotated Guide to Sequels

A list of adult level fictional sequels and books in series, encompassing novels, short stories, literary works, and popular fiction. Entries offer series titles and individual titles, publisher and publication dates, genre, subject listings, and annotations describing time, place, and characters in the books. Excludes mysteries, and sequels that are the product of more than one author, unless they are genuine collaborations. Includes numerous indices. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Originally an annotated list for patrons of the Skokie, Ill. Public Library, this work has blossomed into a comprehensive guide now available to all readers. Its focus is "on novels in English, for an adult audience, which are available in American libraries." Mysteries are omitted, as are "sequels that are the product of more than one author, such as the Star Trek or Dr. Who books . . . and . . . sequels that have been published in one-volume editions in America." Even with these omissions, there are more than twice as many authors represented here as in Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series (ALA, 1990).

Arranged by author, entries consist of series title, title, publisher, publication date, a two-to five-sentence annotation, genre, and subjects. There are several useful features in this handbook, but the most valuable is the way it is indexed: by title, genre, subject, and time and place. Indexes account for almost half as many pages as the main body. In the explanation of entries in the preface, 19 types of fiction genres are briefly defined; in the genre index itself, one more is added ("technothriller" ). The subject index allows the reader to locate works about subjects as various as anthropologists, boarding houses, and class distinction. Particular literary forms that could not be classified into a genre such as allegories or diaries, are also represented here. There are many novels, of course, that defy assignment to a genre, but most entries include subject headings and so are still accessible from one or two points beyond the author's name and book title. Many of these are indexed by time and place as well. The prefatory matter includes a list of useful sources, for example, guides to particular types of fiction as well as some of the standard indexes used to locate titles.

This capably organized handbook is a useful tool, given the recent resurgence of readers' advisory services. For libraries where a print source has to serve as the readers' advisor, this book will be a lifesaver.

Public librarians Jacob and Apple list 1,257 series of English-language adult fiction, excluding mysteries, "that tell a continuing story or are united by a regional, social, or philosophical theme." For each novel in a series, they provide author, series title (if any), title, bibliographical information, brief plot summary, genre, and subject headings. This guide is comparable in content, scope, and price to Sequels (ALA, 1990. 2d ed.), which includes mysteries. Despite the overlap, the two works complement each other; for example, Sequels gives fuller listings for Balzac and Zola but omits R.S. Surtees and was published before Marion Z. Bradley's "Black Trillium" trilogy appeared. Errors creep into the current work: Arnold Bennett's The Roll Call is omitted from his "Clayhanger" series; first American edition dates for Surtees's Handley Cross (1930) and Jorrock's Jaunts and Jollities (1928) and for William Beckford's Vathek (1786) are off by decades. Still, this work provides a wealth of information that is not easily found elsewhere. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. [Jacob is the author of "Get It in Writing" (LJ 9/1/90), a guide to collection development.?Ed.]?Joseph Rosenblum, Greensboro, N.C.
-?Joseph Rosenblum, Greensboro, N.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.