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In many of my reviews of great books for Plumfield, I have said that one of the strongest thoughts in readers’ minds, after finishing a wonderful story, is “and then what happened,” giving rise to the desire for a sequel. Another thought that is almost as strong in readers’ minds, after finishing a good book, is “what is the backstory of that great novel,” giving rise to the desire for a prequel. In this review, we will focus on a prequel and a sequel (both suitable for middle school and high school readers) for Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. There is no doubt that Treasure Island is a great book, and if you have never read it, you should read it before reading the two books reviewed below.
PREQUEL: A.D. (Arthur Douglas) Howden Smith (1887–1945) was an author of historical adventure novels, where the story was set in some far away and long-ago times. He loved Treasure Island and got permission from Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary executor, Lloyd Osbourne, Stevenson’s stepson, to write a prequel that would show how the treasure got to the island and the origin of the various pirates of Captain Flint’s band. The novel Porto Bello Gold was the result. It uses Smith’s imagination and historical knowledge, combined with the many hints of the past that Long John Silver gave in the original novel, to weave together an exciting and plausible story. It is interesting that in some of Smith’s other books, he had a main character, Harry Ormerod, whose son is the hero, like Jim Hawkins was in Treasure Island, in Porto Bello Gold.
SEQUEL: Harold Augustin Calahan (1889 - 1965), known professionally as H. A. Calahan, was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy and a sailing expert who wrote many guides to sailing. He published one novel, Return to Treasure Island, which is a sequel to the more famous Treasure Island. In his preface, Calahan rather eloquently makes the case that Stevenson intended a sequel, leaving many plot elements unresolved of which a sequel easily could be made. For example, we know that there is more treasure buried on the island, along with a cache of weapons. We know that Long John Silver got away at the end of Treasure Island, and the reader never got a peek at his wife. And there are always more pirates out there… In any event, Calahan’s book is an exciting sequel and lots of fun to read. A school exercise could entail imagining how a student would themselves structure a sequel.