List of unfinished novels completed by others

This is a list of unfinished novels completed by others.

Title Original author Completing author(s) Notes
The Assassination Bureau, Ltd Jack London Robert L. Fish[1] London wrote 20,000 words, but could not come up with a logical ending.
L'Astrée Honoré d'Urfé Balthazar Baro (4th part), Pierre Boitel, sieur de Gaubertin (5th and 6th parts) D'Urfé completed three parts of this immense work (5399 pages).
Blind Love Wilkie Collins Walter Besant Collins "left detailed plans for the last third of this novel".[2]
The Buccaneers Edith Wharton Marion Mainwaring[3][4]
Eruption Michael Crichton James Patterson Crichton was writing this novel while fighting cancer and his widow Sherri gave Patterson permission to finish the story.[5]
The Ghost-Seer Friedrich Schiller Hanns Heinz Ewers
Hornblower and the Crisis C. S. Forester Several
The Knight of Sainte-Hermine Alexandre Dumas Claude Schopp The nearly complete lost novel was rediscovered in 1990 by Dumas expert Schopp, who wrote three more chapters.[6]
The Last Theorem Arthur C. Clarke Frederik Pohl Suffering from ill health and writer's block, Clarke asked Pohl to finish the novel. Clarke reviewed and approved the final manuscript just days before he died, but the critics' opinions were mixed.
Micro Michael Crichton Richard Preston[7] It was based on an untitled, unfinished manuscript found on his computer.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood Charles Dickens Numerous Six of 12 planned instalments (23 chapters) were published.
Poodle Springs Raymond Chandler Robert B. Parker Chandler wrote four chapters, consisting of 31 pages. Ed Victor, the agent for his estate, asked Parker to supply the rest.[8]
Sanditon Jane Austen Numerous, including Anna Austen Lefroy, Austen's niece[9] Austen finished 11 chapters.
St. Ives Robert Louis Stevenson Arthur Quiller-Couch Quiller-Couch wrote the final six chapters.[10]
Thrones, Dominations Dorothy L. Sayers Jill Paton Walsh[11]
Under the Hill Aubrey Beardsley John Glassco
The Watsons Jane Austen Numerous, including Joan Aiken

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Assassination Bureau, Ltd". Kirkus Reviews.
  2. ^ Blind Love. Simon & Schuster. 21 March 2014. ISBN 9781609774653.
  3. ^ Steiner, Wendy (17 October 1993). "Finishing Off Edith Wharton". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Siegelman, Lee (August 1995). "By Their (New) Words Shall Ye Know Them: Edith Wharton, Marion Mainwaring, and The Buccaneers". Computers and the Humanities. 29 (4): 271–283. doi:10.1007/BF01830396. JSTOR 30204504. S2CID 38423406.
  5. ^ Rancilio, Alicia (June 6, 2024). "How 'Eruption,' the new Michael Crichton novel completed with James Patterson's help, was created". The Associated Press. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Crace, John (6 May 2008). "Claude Schopp: The man who gave Dumas 40 mistresses". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Bacharach, Sondra; Tollefsen, Deborah (Summer 2015). "Co-Authorship, Multiple Authorship, and Posthumous Authorship: A Reply to Hick". The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 73 (3): 331–334. doi:10.1111/jaac.12187. JSTOR 43496587. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  8. ^ McBain, Ed (15 October 1989). "Philip Marlowe Is Back, and in Trouble". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "6 Books that Continue the Story of Sanditon". PBS.
  10. ^ "St Ives, 1897". robert-louis-stevenson.org/.
  11. ^ "Thrones, Dominations". Publishers Weekly.