To Kill A Mockingbird (1960)  Sequel: Go Set a Watchman (2015) 

Author: Harper Lee | Time gap: 55 years 

Harper Lee’s classic was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the book was adapted into an Oscar-winning film as well. While Lee hasn’t written any novel since, now, a manuscript written by her before  she wrote To Kill A Mockingbird,but is set some 20 years later, has been discovered, and is going to be published with the author’s consent. 

King Coal (1917)  Sequel: The Coal War (1976) 

Author: Upton Sinclair | Time gap: 59 years 

Based on the 1914-1915 Colorado coal strikes, this book is high on socialist themes and revolves around a rich young man, Hal Warner, who empathises with the plight of coal miners and starts fighting for their rights. The sequel was initially deemed less interesting and the publisher rejected it, but was published in 1976 after Sinclair’s death.

The Shining (1977)  Sequel: Doctor Sleep (2013) 

Author: Stephen King | Time gap: 36 years 

One of the greatest horror novels, it has been turned into a great horror film by Stanley Kubrick, though King had often remarked that the film totally failed to capture the spirit of the novel. The sequel, released in 2013, revolves around Danny, now in his 40s, who works as a caregiver in a hospital.

Catch-22 (1961) Sequel: Closing Time (1994) 

Author: Joseph Heller | Time gap: 33 years 

Considered one of the greatest anti-war novels, Heller’s novel is centred on a US air force captain, John Yossarian, and his squadron based in an island near Italy, and their dilemma when on duty. Heller wrote ‘Closing Time’ as a meditation on death, with Yosarrian in the last stages of his life. However, the novel was dubbed by critics as too sentimental.

Rosemary’s Baby (1967)  Sequel: Son Of Rosemary (1997) 

Author: Ira Levin | Time gap: 30 years 

Named as one of the seminal works in horror literature, this book was also turned into a horror film. Plot? A young woman thinks her neighbours belong to a Satanic cult and are planning to sacrifice her baby. The book is now going to be turned into a TV series as well. In Levin’s sequel, Rosemary’s child, who is the Antichrist, brings Satan to Earth to wipe out mankind.

Second Foundation (1953)  Sequel: Foundation’s Edge (1982) 

Author: Isaac Asimov | Time gap: 29 years 

The third book in Asimov’s popular Foundation series, was a solid sci-fi thriller. Almost 30 years later, the author capitulated to fan pressure — and an extravagant paycheck — and brought out the sequel, Foundation’s Edge, which became his first novel (he had written 262 books till then) to find a place in The New York Times best-seller list. 

The Witches Of Eastwick (1984) Sequel: Widows Of Eastwick (2008) 

Author: John Updike | Time gap: 24 years 

Multiple Pulitzer Prize-winner John Updike’s ‘Eastwick’ was made into a film starring Hollywood heavyweights Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon, Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer. It has also been adapted into a TV series and musical. The sequel to the book, set 30 years after the events in the original, also received acclaims for Updike’s writing.

Pyscho (1959)  Sequel: Pyscho II (1982) 

Author: Robert Bloch | Time gap: 23 years 

Alfred Hitchcock adapted the novel into a blockbuster horror film that only made the book even more popular. In the sequel, Bates escapes from a mental asylum. A number of murders take place and the mystery deepens. Interestingly, the sequel of the film had an entirely different plot as the producers were not satisfied with Bloch’s novel.

The Hobbit (1937)  Sequel: The Fellowship Of The Ring (1954) 

Author: JRR Tolkien | Time gap: 17 years 

Tolkien hit upon the idea for ‘The Hobbit’ when he was correcting students’ answer sheets. The book was an instant hit which prompted the publisher to request Tolkien for a sequel. And, so, the author began expanding his Middle Earth and came up with the even more epic and influential ‘Lord Of The Rings’ trilogy.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (1999)  Sequel: Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2013) 

Author: Helen Fielding | Time gap: 14 years 

The success of the first book spurred Helen Fielding to write its sequel ‘The Edge Of Reason’, which continued chronicling the romantic misadventures of its 30-something heroine. While the reception to it was not unanimously positive, after a gap, Fielding returned to her heroine, who in the third book is a 50-plus widowed woman who, along with the diary, is now using social media to record her life.