Well, it's taken me a while to get this going again, but here I am. In any event, I'm working on a sequel to the original trilogy that started my science fiction writing journey, The Casitian Universe Series. I wrote those novels starting more than 15 years ago, and I spent a lot of time imagining the world. It is, by far the most developed worldbuilding I've done to date, and that makes sense considering that not only do I have two sequel novels in progress, but I also have a prequel in progress! (It's not yet clear how many books that will be.)

In writing the sequels, I wanted to strike a balance between explaining what was already understood from the previous books, and moving forward without explanations. Some things about the world (spirituality of one branch of humanity in particular) had not been well worked out in the original series, so it was fun to dive in deeply into that aspect in the sequel. But most of what was there had already been explored and explained in the previous books.

I have seen three strategies spectulative fiction sequels. The first, and I think most common, is: assume the reader of the sequel has read the previous books. Don't explain anything except what's new and additional worldbuilding and plot for that sequel. The second, and I think least common, is: assume nothing of the reader. Summarize what has gone before, explain what's needed, etc. (I generally find this boring.) The third strategy is the one I am working toward. Assume most readers have read the original, but perhaps it's been a while, and perhaps some haven't. Provide some background so people aren't completely lost, but don't summarize too much, or explain too much.

It's a hard balance, and I hope I've been able to strike it.

I'm hoping to finish the first book of the sequel in time to use NanoWriMo to finish the second. We'll see if that works. The sequel is set about 80 years after the events of the third novel in the series, Humans Untied. Beatrice, who is a major character of the second and third novels of the original series, has died, and the family is gathering for her funeral. This, and a crisis on Hilcyon are the opening narratives of the new book, tentatively titled The Human Family.