Orbis Tabula
Member
Has anyone read this book? It's the sequel to Catch-22, one of my favorite novels of all time. I just finished reading it today. I knew that it would never compare to Catch-22, or else I would have heard of the sequel long before, but that still didn't prepare me for it. I'm sitting here right now pretty damn disappointed.
It feels like Heller had two or three different novels that he smashed together and just filled with old versions of Catch-22 characters, when new characters would have sufficed. Very occasionally it would reach up to these heights that call back to the first novel, but these points were so seldom and so sporadic that it only emphasized for me how much was lacking. There were far fewer characters and they were all far less interesting. Yossarian's behavior is far less endearing now than it was before. The Chaplain as a character was completely wasted. Only Milo really felt like he was used well.
It's really frustration more than anything. It's that feeling of wasted potential. The characters could have been so much more. The story could have been so much more. But instead it just seemed meandering. As if not enough happened, and it took too long to not do it. Maybe this is just the immediate overreaction of a huge Catch-22 fan, but I felt pretty let down.
I don't regret having read it. I'm not one of those people who really believe that a bad sequel ruins a prequel. If you're interested in it, or if you read Catch-22, I definitely recommend picking it up, but really more just for the exposure, not for the experience. It doesn't really do a good job of actually being a sequel, but as a standalone novel, I suppose it's not bad. Maybe when I'm 70 I'll reread it and it will resonate better.
So who else has read this? I doubt there are many, as it wasn't very popular, but with how well read many Gaffers are, I can't be the only one. Anyone have any feelings on this?
It feels like Heller had two or three different novels that he smashed together and just filled with old versions of Catch-22 characters, when new characters would have sufficed. Very occasionally it would reach up to these heights that call back to the first novel, but these points were so seldom and so sporadic that it only emphasized for me how much was lacking. There were far fewer characters and they were all far less interesting. Yossarian's behavior is far less endearing now than it was before. The Chaplain as a character was completely wasted. Only Milo really felt like he was used well.
It's really frustration more than anything. It's that feeling of wasted potential. The characters could have been so much more. The story could have been so much more. But instead it just seemed meandering. As if not enough happened, and it took too long to not do it. Maybe this is just the immediate overreaction of a huge Catch-22 fan, but I felt pretty let down.
I don't regret having read it. I'm not one of those people who really believe that a bad sequel ruins a prequel. If you're interested in it, or if you read Catch-22, I definitely recommend picking it up, but really more just for the exposure, not for the experience. It doesn't really do a good job of actually being a sequel, but as a standalone novel, I suppose it's not bad. Maybe when I'm 70 I'll reread it and it will resonate better.
So who else has read this? I doubt there are many, as it wasn't very popular, but with how well read many Gaffers are, I can't be the only one. Anyone have any feelings on this?