The Possibility of a Black Chalk Sequel: Guest Post by Christopher J. Yates

Black Chalk, Christopher J. Yates, thriller, fiction, Oxford University

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of reviewing Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates (click here for my review), which is one of my favorite books of the year so far. This was one of those books that was so good that I didn’t want to finish it. Upon (sadly) finishing, I could see a path to a sequel and wondered if that was Mr. Yates’ intention. So, I decided to pester him about this on Twitter (what else was I to do?!) and he graciously agreed to write a guest post for my blog about his view of the pros and cons of a sequel…and where his head is right now.

Guest Post by Christopher J. Yates, Author of Black Chalk

It started out like this. I receive a tweet from Sarah of Sarah’s Book Shelves. This is what it said: “Just finished #BlackChalk – fantastic! This thing is screaming for a sequel. What you say, @CJ_Yates??”

To which I answered: “I have both yes and no answers. I’ll write a little post for you if you’d like.”

So here it is. I’ve decided to frame this as a courtroom dispute because, like one of my main characters in Black Chalk, I studied law at Oxford.

Spoiler alert: I don’t think this piece spoils the ending of my novel but it certainly does reveal (albeit vaguely) certain aspects of the plot that some readers would prefer not to know.
Spoiler note from Sarah: I don’t think the story elements Yates mentions below would ruin the book for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. They are vague and just give you one more thing to wonder about.

The case for ‘yes, a sequel is screamed for’
My novel concludes with answers to about 90 per cent of the mysteries/questions that are thrown up by the story. However, one of the main characters goes missing near the end of the tale (leaving his wife knowing nothing) and it’s possible that he goes missing to join a secret society; but it’s also possible he goes missing to escape from this secret society; and these are not the only two possibilities. So why not continue the story? Why not tell the reader what happens next? How dare I leave everything so open to interpretation!

Furthermore, at the end of Black Chalk, it’s never made quite clear whether the aforementioned secret society is something vast and meaningful, maybe one cog in a worldwide conspiracy; or whether this was never really a secret society at all. Perhaps these were just rich boys behaving very badly. Doesn’t the reader deserve to know? Isn’t it a cop-out not to explain which version is the truth?

Plus, a sequel would already have a great set-up. Unanswered questions. A wife who has lost her husband but doesn’t know why. Mysterious sects. And bear in mind that the current British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was part of a secret society at Oxford, the Bullingdon Club. This club also included the current mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Princess Diana’s brother. Aren’t there fascinating potential conspiracy theories to examine here as well as loose threads?

It’s a strong case.

The case for ‘no’
I knew I was writing an ending for Black Chalk that left the reader with several unanswered questions. But in my defense, I feel like I gave a lot of answers as well.

So, I have a question for readers—do you believe in conspiracy theories? And how about this question—do I, the writer, believe in conspiracy theories?

Well, I’m not going to answer the second question, because my feeling is that the way I ended my story allows the reader to use their own personal view of the world to interpret what really happened in Black Chalk and what’s likely to happen next.

I don’t think it’s my job as a writer to tell you, orator-style, what you should think of the world. (I’m not saying there’s not a little part of me that wouldn’t love to do that; to be honest, I think many writers are sneaky propagandists.)

A sequel, therefore, would destroy the precise balance I chose to leave at the end of the story, a balance that leads me to say to the reader: What do you think of the way the world works? For example: Who killed JFK and who was behind it? What do the Bilderberg Group really talk about in their secret conferences? (The New World Order?) Did NASA fake the moon landings? In short, is there any such thing in our world as a vast and intricate conspiracy or is there only an average list of human failings played out in thousands of different ways?

The verdict
I’m so sorry, Sarah’s Book Shelves, but I’m coming down on the side of no sequel. Undoubtedly there’s a great story to be written as a follow-up. But I just couldn’t bear to destroy the balance and ambiguity of the my novel’s ending, something that I was always aiming to achieve right from the start.

I can’t tell the reader what to think of the world. I’ve chosen to tell a story of how I believe some humans interact and maybe the reader might decide to imagine how such behavior extends to players on the world stage. (In business, in politics, in life.) But I choose to remain neutral.

However, I repeat—a sequel would make a great story. So never say never, right?

Click here to read a sample of Black Chalk

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

About the AuthorChristopher J. Yates Author Photo, Black Chalk
Christopher J. Yates studied law at Wadham College, Oxford from 1990-93 and initially pursued a career in law before he began working in puzzles, representing the UK at the World Puzzle Championships. Since then he has worked as a freelance journalist, sub-editor and puzzles editor/compiler. In 2007 he moved to New York City with his wife, and currently lives in the East Village. 

For more information on Christopher, please visit his website.

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5 Comments

  1. Ruth2Day wrote:

    I’m betting the sequel will come with time. Sometimes years have to pass before you can return to something that was once so important/good

    Posted 4.24.14 Reply
  2. Thanks for featuring Christopher for the tour!

    Posted 4.28.14 Reply
  3. Adam Oded wrote:

    I just finished reading the book and was totally confused by the ending. Reading this blog post by the author has clarified a few of my hunches, but I’m still hungry for more.
    I guess I’ll have to use my imagination.
    Or join a book club!

    Posted 9.3.15 Reply
  4. Carol wrote:

    Thank you, Christopher. Great response for those of us also riding the fence re a sequel (not to mention conspiracy theories). Perhaps a future offshoot story featuring a character that was on the fringe? Theres always a prequel… Regardless, very much enjoyed the story and look forward to others from you in the future. With your puzzle background, I expect to be taken for a confusing, twisted, surprising ride!

    Posted 10.18.15 Reply

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