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The Homestuck Epilogues
Ten years after their adventure began, the heroes are enjoying a well-earned retirement on Earth C. But John still has one last choice to make.
Unknown Binding
Published April 20, 2019
34 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Hussie
94 books431 followersAndrew Hussie is the creator of MS Paint Adventures, a collection of webcomics that includes Homestuck, as well as of several other webcomics, books, and videos.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 6, 2020
people say some of the characters were OOC but realistically, if you took a bunch of eight 16 yr olds, gave them god-like powers and a planet to preside over, you'd have at least ONE of them turn evil
April 28, 2019
Fantastic, bizarre, brutal, incredible. Brilliantly written, emotionally harrowing, makes you go "what the fuck" constantly. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I think and how I feel about it, but I think it was a really fitting postscript to Homestuck - really delving into the metatextual aspects that Homestuck has flirted with for its entire existence - making you question what's canon, what's the point of the idea of "canon" really, who's telling what stories in the canon and the fanfiction and why. And telling two potential (out of many) stories exploring what happens to the kids after their adventure is done and they have to actually live in the world they made.
Jennifer Giesbrecht should really be listed as a co-writer here, because, aside from the fact that she wrote the bulk of the actual prose, her work really sells this. Her first story I read for Homestuck was a ridiculous but unexpectedly emotional wild ride that made me care about an AU and a ship I didn't care about before; her work for Metal Gear was deeply compelling and emotionally ragged and got me invested in a character and a scenario I didn't care about before. This is both. She has that power.
She's a great writer and makes the epilogues shine.
Jennifer Giesbrecht should really be listed as a co-writer here, because, aside from the fact that she wrote the bulk of the actual prose, her work really sells this. Her first story I read for Homestuck was a ridiculous but unexpectedly emotional wild ride that made me care about an AU and a ship I didn't care about before; her work for Metal Gear was deeply compelling and emotionally ragged and got me invested in a character and a scenario I didn't care about before. This is both. She has that power.
She's a great writer and makes the epilogues shine.
April 18, 2020
This one really presses on the application of the five star rating. Did I enjoy reading this? No. This left me feeling a lot of emotions that I would hesitate to call positive. Disgust, betrayal, sheer creeping terror. That said, I feel this does what it sets out to do.
I said in my review of Homestuck here that I believe Homestuck, as a text and as a franchise, is the great work of literature of the 21st century. As Ulysses is to the 20th, I believe Homestuck should be to the 21st, and that Andrew Hussie should be placed in the same strata as the great authors of the past. I say this completely ironically, and I think that the Epilogues are probably proof of that. Again, this was an incredibly painful read. There is a lot in this that can trigger you, as a reader of Homestuck who has grown to love these damn kids (my children!), and if you have never read Homestuck.
Also, just....goddamn it Dirk Strider.
I said in my review of Homestuck here that I believe Homestuck, as a text and as a franchise, is the great work of literature of the 21st century. As Ulysses is to the 20th, I believe Homestuck should be to the 21st, and that Andrew Hussie should be placed in the same strata as the great authors of the past. I say this completely ironically, and I think that the Epilogues are probably proof of that. Again, this was an incredibly painful read. There is a lot in this that can trigger you, as a reader of Homestuck who has grown to love these damn kids (my children!), and if you have never read Homestuck.
Also, just....goddamn it Dirk Strider.
April 28, 2019
man this one really pissed off a certain subset of the fandom, but I thought it was alright. definitely very meta and up its own ass especially on the meat path. basically any scene with dead calliope and dirk were kinda. talky. but it was alright and brings back the best part of homestuck, which of course is the character dialogue. also obama is there
thanks obama
thanks obama
June 12, 2020
MEAT: 3.5/5
CANDY: 5/5
a martyr died and said fuck.
I guess it's fair to say that—and what's inevitable to expect from Homestuck—these two "epilogues" aren't so much epilogues as they are like a prologue to Homestuck 2, or even like their own (comparatively short) Homestuck sequel. The divisional naming within Homestuck became increasingly more nonsensical anyway, so it seems appropriate that these "tales of dubious authenticity" would carry on its tradition of sections within sections, having "Candy Epilogue Epilogue 8 Chapter 40" being the actual name of one of the chapters. And also like its source material, the choice of which epilogue to read first is not totally arbitrary, just like the branching paths within the webcomic make the most contextual sense when read in the order in which they're given. So I started with "MEAT" and it's probably the most logical one to read first, as mysterious hapenings (sic) without answers in CANDY are explained in MEAT, but not so much the other way around.
Regardless of the plots (which are great), the book explores a lot of complex themes, such as gender identity, mental illness, becoming your own self-fulfilled prophecy, coming to terms with your past, and realizing that maybe the friends you had as kids can't be your friends as adults. In a word, the epilogues are kinda bleak, but like, in a deep way.
Most importantly, the book examines what happens when 8 quasi-immortals who became literal masters of a universe at the age of 16; grow older and move on with their lives. They don't know what to do with themselves. They're living in a world that was fashioned to be their specific ideas of paradise, but what was paradise at 16 maybe isn't at 23, much less 39. And shared interests with close childhood friends can turn into unforgivable ideological differences that shatter those same friendships as adults.
it's almost like the god tier rules were designed to reward us for being useless pieces of shit?
The epilogues also act as a sort of Homestuck equivalent to Steven Universe Future, as these kids who've spent three whole years fighting for their lives suddenly find themselves in a constant state of parasympathetic rest, which leads to inevitable restless ennui. John jumps back into the past just to feel relevant again. Or he doesn't, but then jumps into a life he doesn't really want. They fabricate their own global conflicts because that's all they know, and they force themselves to stay close because they don't know anyone else who doesn't literally worship them. Just like soldiers who keep reenlisting in pointless wars because they've become irreparably maladjusted to domestic life, these characters have such arrested development that they don't have the capacity to enjoy their potentially eternal lives... and they're only in their 20s.
4LL 1V3 DON3 1S W4ST3 MY 3NT1R3 L1F3SP4N W4LK1NG 1N C1RCL3S
The Homestuck Epilogues are very much NSFW. There's more than just the excessive bad language and occasional ultraviolent bloodshed that the webcomic had: there's straight-up explicit sex, sometimes in uncomfortable detail (though usually for comedic effect); mild horror elements throughout; intense descriptions of abusive relationships and discussions of suicide; and just a much more generally adult-centric story. Being released and taking place precisely ten years after the comic began, it's hard to say if it's intended for those who started reading it when they were young who are now adults, but it's not unlikely. Be warned going into this: if you're a parent who's introduced your own kids to Homestuck, maybe wait a few years before letting them read these.
CANDY: 5/5
a martyr died and said fuck.
I guess it's fair to say that—and what's inevitable to expect from Homestuck—these two "epilogues" aren't so much epilogues as they are like a prologue to Homestuck 2, or even like their own (comparatively short) Homestuck sequel. The divisional naming within Homestuck became increasingly more nonsensical anyway, so it seems appropriate that these "tales of dubious authenticity" would carry on its tradition of sections within sections, having "Candy Epilogue Epilogue 8 Chapter 40" being the actual name of one of the chapters. And also like its source material, the choice of which epilogue to read first is not totally arbitrary, just like the branching paths within the webcomic make the most contextual sense when read in the order in which they're given. So I started with "MEAT" and it's probably the most logical one to read first, as mysterious hapenings (sic) without answers in CANDY are explained in MEAT, but not so much the other way around.
Regardless of the plots (which are great), the book explores a lot of complex themes, such as gender identity, mental illness, becoming your own self-fulfilled prophecy, coming to terms with your past, and realizing that maybe the friends you had as kids can't be your friends as adults. In a word, the epilogues are kinda bleak, but like, in a deep way.
Most importantly, the book examines what happens when 8 quasi-immortals who became literal masters of a universe at the age of 16; grow older and move on with their lives. They don't know what to do with themselves. They're living in a world that was fashioned to be their specific ideas of paradise, but what was paradise at 16 maybe isn't at 23, much less 39. And shared interests with close childhood friends can turn into unforgivable ideological differences that shatter those same friendships as adults.
it's almost like the god tier rules were designed to reward us for being useless pieces of shit?
The epilogues also act as a sort of Homestuck equivalent to Steven Universe Future, as these kids who've spent three whole years fighting for their lives suddenly find themselves in a constant state of parasympathetic rest, which leads to inevitable restless ennui. John jumps back into the past just to feel relevant again. Or he doesn't, but then jumps into a life he doesn't really want. They fabricate their own global conflicts because that's all they know, and they force themselves to stay close because they don't know anyone else who doesn't literally worship them. Just like soldiers who keep reenlisting in pointless wars because they've become irreparably maladjusted to domestic life, these characters have such arrested development that they don't have the capacity to enjoy their potentially eternal lives... and they're only in their 20s.
4LL 1V3 DON3 1S W4ST3 MY 3NT1R3 L1F3SP4N W4LK1NG 1N C1RCL3S
The Homestuck Epilogues are very much NSFW. There's more than just the excessive bad language and occasional ultraviolent bloodshed that the webcomic had: there's straight-up explicit sex, sometimes in uncomfortable detail (though usually for comedic effect); mild horror elements throughout; intense descriptions of abusive relationships and discussions of suicide; and just a much more generally adult-centric story. Being released and taking place precisely ten years after the comic began, it's hard to say if it's intended for those who started reading it when they were young who are now adults, but it's not unlikely. Be warned going into this: if you're a parent who's introduced your own kids to Homestuck, maybe wait a few years before letting them read these.
October 25, 2019
Don't waste your time reading these.
In comparison to the rich hybrid forms/mediums Homestuck incorporates into its main body (from comic to chatlog to animation to minigame) the Epilogues are a cheap regression. Constructing the apparatus of a multimedia, multi-genre work by formatting it like the Archive of our Own does not guarantee said work will genuinely fill these categories. In the case of the Epilogues... they don't. It's all prose, folks. It's prose all the way down. And that ain't new.
They hold up as a relational work, sure. As much as any prose fanfiction would (does), they reinterpret and build upon the source text to spin new drama, mixing old arcs with new arcs, etc. In conception they are no different from a very long, very well thought-out fanwork.
Unfortunately, they don't do anything exciting with their source material. They in no way deepen my understanding of Homestuck as a text. The relationships they try to build, the depth they attempt to articulate; these efforts are like ants beneath OG Homestuck's hulking boot. They borrow from Homestuck's vast catalogue of thematic focuses only a few meaty (ha) tidbits (namely selfhood and hate-love), and leave the rest out to dry. For texts with such mammoth word counts, they don't say much.
Intertextuality has existed for fucking ever. "Oh shit, look, it's a work based on another work, but this time a novel, and with more, different Themes!" is maybe the lamest way to utilize it. For more original and exciting intertextual works, see Homestuck's own Detective Pony (the audiobook is great), Dan Beachy-Quick's "A Whaler's Dictionary," even "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," the television series, which I think is better than all of the prequels combined. If you want to read a long, boring prose novel based on another text of a more elusive format, background, and mythos, just go read Ulysses. It's better. (The Epilogues' takes on canonicity are also dry; they are not the first texts to wonder about how canon is constructed and maintained, on a personal level or throughout history, and they will not be the last) (literally every world religion has had conferences about this, pick up a history book).
I am also of the opinion that the prose is stilted for much of the Epilogues, and that the craftmanship holds no candle to the body of Homestuck or, indeed, to many a great fanfiction I've read. I'm sure the themes these texts enumerate appeal to some people, but coming into them already endowed with my own personal understanding of Homestuck, they yielded virtually zero (0) new insights. They were not an enjoyable reading experience, they brought me no sense of narrative fulfillment (or educational unfulfillment), and now many months after they were published, I'm just annoyed about the lack of critical, literary responses.
Being happy or upset about the way they treat your favorite characters are one thing. What I'm saying is:
I just don't think they're good works.
In comparison to the rich hybrid forms/mediums Homestuck incorporates into its main body (from comic to chatlog to animation to minigame) the Epilogues are a cheap regression. Constructing the apparatus of a multimedia, multi-genre work by formatting it like the Archive of our Own does not guarantee said work will genuinely fill these categories. In the case of the Epilogues... they don't. It's all prose, folks. It's prose all the way down. And that ain't new.
They hold up as a relational work, sure. As much as any prose fanfiction would (does), they reinterpret and build upon the source text to spin new drama, mixing old arcs with new arcs, etc. In conception they are no different from a very long, very well thought-out fanwork.
Unfortunately, they don't do anything exciting with their source material. They in no way deepen my understanding of Homestuck as a text. The relationships they try to build, the depth they attempt to articulate; these efforts are like ants beneath OG Homestuck's hulking boot. They borrow from Homestuck's vast catalogue of thematic focuses only a few meaty (ha) tidbits (namely selfhood and hate-love), and leave the rest out to dry. For texts with such mammoth word counts, they don't say much.
Intertextuality has existed for fucking ever. "Oh shit, look, it's a work based on another work, but this time a novel, and with more, different Themes!" is maybe the lamest way to utilize it. For more original and exciting intertextual works, see Homestuck's own Detective Pony (the audiobook is great), Dan Beachy-Quick's "A Whaler's Dictionary," even "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," the television series, which I think is better than all of the prequels combined. If you want to read a long, boring prose novel based on another text of a more elusive format, background, and mythos, just go read Ulysses. It's better. (The Epilogues' takes on canonicity are also dry; they are not the first texts to wonder about how canon is constructed and maintained, on a personal level or throughout history, and they will not be the last) (literally every world religion has had conferences about this, pick up a history book).
I am also of the opinion that the prose is stilted for much of the Epilogues, and that the craftmanship holds no candle to the body of Homestuck or, indeed, to many a great fanfiction I've read. I'm sure the themes these texts enumerate appeal to some people, but coming into them already endowed with my own personal understanding of Homestuck, they yielded virtually zero (0) new insights. They were not an enjoyable reading experience, they brought me no sense of narrative fulfillment (or educational unfulfillment), and now many months after they were published, I'm just annoyed about the lack of critical, literary responses.
Being happy or upset about the way they treat your favorite characters are one thing. What I'm saying is:
I just don't think they're good works.
July 12, 2021
A lot of people complain that the characters are behaving very out-of-character. I think that makes sense, given that about a decade has passed since the start of Homestuck and you can't expect a bunch of 20-somethings to behave and act the same way as they did when they were teenagers, which they were in Homestuck. Does it make sense that some of the beloved characters act completely different? Yes. But it's not exactly fun for the reader, either, to see the characters whose adventures they followed throughout several real-life years suddenly become evil. For the in-universe characters, those changes in personality are gradual. But for the reader, every changes that take place during the many timeskips are sudden and often feel out of place.
What I love about the epilogue is that Adrew Hussie's very unique, self-referential, signature writing style is still clearly present. If you enjoyed reading Homestuck, chances are you'll enjoy reading this book. Is it still Homestuck? Yes. Is it as good as Homestuck? No. But if you enjoyed reading the webcomic, you probably did so because of the comic's humor, the complicated plot (in a good way), the overall weirdness and the well-written characters. And those things are all still present in the epilogues, albeit in a lesser amount.
What I love about the epilogue is that Adrew Hussie's very unique, self-referential, signature writing style is still clearly present. If you enjoyed reading Homestuck, chances are you'll enjoy reading this book. Is it still Homestuck? Yes. Is it as good as Homestuck? No. But if you enjoyed reading the webcomic, you probably did so because of the comic's humor, the complicated plot (in a good way), the overall weirdness and the well-written characters. And those things are all still present in the epilogues, albeit in a lesser amount.
January 20, 2020
4.5 stars
Why do people hate this? It’s funny, it’s compelling, it’s SMART. The time related stuff was nearly impossible for me to track bc... Homestuck, but over all I thought this was a really mature and insightful look at a lot of big issues and the nature of storytelling itself
Why do people hate this? It’s funny, it’s compelling, it’s SMART. The time related stuff was nearly impossible for me to track bc... Homestuck, but over all I thought this was a really mature and insightful look at a lot of big issues and the nature of storytelling itself
Read
March 26, 2021ok first of all LMAOOOOO at this being on goodreads. second of all. oh idk what my second of all is. i'm not so invested in metatextual narratives to understand wtf was goin in candy. call me caliborn but i enjoyed meat.
March 15, 2020
The beginning is great, some moments really made me laugh, Candy was actually mostly enjoyable, but after finishing Meat, I just... NO. I'd give a 3 if this were genuinely just a darkfic and not this super OOC mess. To spare a whole ass rant on how I hate most characters' changes, I'll simply say: I really fucking miss the original Dirk.
September 13, 2022
deranged. just. pure derangement. (affectionate for meat, hostile for candy)
July 21, 2022
I had very low expectations for this considering how much everyone seemed to hate it, but this was SO GOOD. I loved how it examined what makes a satisfying ending in the most meta way possible.
April 1, 2023
former us president barack obama is in this one so i guess it's pretty cool
December 21, 2023
The Homestuck Epilogues ruined my life and all I got was this Goodreads review...
September 14, 2022
there were some enjoyable things about the epilogues. there were times where they (mainly meat) pleasantly surprised me, or i was pleased with a decision that was made. again, mostly in meat. fuck candy so much. and there were also Many things that made me want to throw the book (yes i read a physical book) across the room.
i would definitely recommend meat over candy if someone was only going to read one. i didn’t 100% hate candy but there was only one aspect of it that i consistently liked. everything else either didn’t capture my attention or made every part of my brain shriek lmao… and meat had a lot more elements to it that i enjoyed, but i think both of them tended to read like someone’s fanfiction.
to sum it up? everything happens so much. jesus christ
i would definitely recommend meat over candy if someone was only going to read one. i didn’t 100% hate candy but there was only one aspect of it that i consistently liked. everything else either didn’t capture my attention or made every part of my brain shriek lmao… and meat had a lot more elements to it that i enjoyed, but i think both of them tended to read like someone’s fanfiction.
to sum it up? everything happens so much. jesus christ
July 12, 2024
So. I think most people dislike this book because of Meat. I love the epilogues and I do agree that Meat IS OOC, grotesque and uncanny. But isn’t that the point?! Or have I completely misunderstood the entire plot???? Meat is supposed to be f*cked bcs candy is the “good” timeline! John is the only character that is still in character and he notices something is off about his reality. Dirk kills himself, Gamzee is perverted and awful but not necessarily OOC, he wasn’t ever supposed to be redeemed. It’s just another way to show that meat is the bad timeline.
I think this is a genius and very Homestuckingly confusing plot. Long love the epilogues!
I think this is a genius and very Homestuckingly confusing plot. Long love the epilogues!
February 20, 2023
ich check absolut nicht warum so viele die epiloge nicht mögen, ich bin kompletter fan
ich liebe die meat and candy metapher und wie sich die story entweder blutig oder eklig süß ausspielt. es ist ne realistische conclusion was mit fucked up teenagern passiert die quasi zu göttern wurden.
ein stern weniger weils leider paar zu viele loose ends gab :(
ich liebe die meat and candy metapher und wie sich die story entweder blutig oder eklig süß ausspielt. es ist ne realistische conclusion was mit fucked up teenagern passiert die quasi zu göttern wurden.
ein stern weniger weils leider paar zu viele loose ends gab :(
November 5, 2025
very biased review because i refuse to accept my favorite characters could become horrible people.
mogło być gorzej like as much as i shit on this nawet miałem fun reading this
still chyba jednak chce lobotomie
anything done by gamzee fucked me up. breastfeeding..... im killing myself
mogło być gorzej like as much as i shit on this nawet miałem fun reading this
still chyba jednak chce lobotomie
anything done by gamzee fucked me up. breastfeeding..... im killing myself
August 25, 2021
Aún me arden los ojos
August 25, 2021
En realidad las tres estrellas van por Meat y las dos que faltan por Candy, que quede bien claro.
Un abrazo a Sollux como actor revelación en el papel "cero a la izquierda", pobre chaval.
Un abrazo a Sollux como actor revelación en el papel "cero a la izquierda", pobre chaval.
April 14, 2024
One star left because GOG, IT HURT.
October 9, 2024
i dont think that one scene was necessary
Read
March 13, 2024That was a thing I read
April 21, 2022
As a warning, this review is full of spoilers.
First of all, I think this book fails, in a particularly spectacular way, to explain itself at all. I understand that sequels don't always have to re-explain the plot of their predecessors, as there's a certain amount of knowledge that you expect your audience to go in with. However, as a retail release, and especially as ostensibly the seventh book in a series that failed to publish about a third of its entire canon, it might have been smart to make this book a bit more accessible to anyone other than people who have read Homestuck, multiple times, backwards and forwards, and obsessed over it for years.
Luckily for the users of goodreads.com, I am exactly one of those people.
This is a polarizing book in the fandom, but generally I think it accomplishes what it sets out to, and very well. The frequent criticisms around the Epilogues, namely that they're too melodramatic, they flanderize the characters and give them new and harmful character traits for no real reason, and that they ultimately *feel* different from Homestuck... these are all valid criticisms. I can't say that I didn't feel those feelings while (re)reading. However, I think it's important to recognize a few things about the Epilogues that set them apart from Homestuck proper, in order to properly criticize them.
The first is that this is not an extension of the webcomic. This is closer to an official fanfiction detailing what could happen to the characters after the end of their Sburb session. While it's obviously canon to Homestuck^2, it's not necessarily canon to Homestuck. This touches on my second point - the Epilogues feel to me as if they were written as a stopgap to gently guide the fanbase into HS^2. The writing style divulges so heavily and so quickly from the original, by introducing a narrator (though we quickly learn that we were aware of the identity of the narrator all along). This functions partially as a reflection of the Epilogues' framing device: the frontispiece facsimile of an Archive Of Our Own adult content warning page. However, it also serves as a concrete divider standing between Homestuck and its dubiously-canon sequel, with the sequel borrowing heavily from the Epilogues and continuing the plot points that are introduced there.
I'd again like to mention the framing device and how it functions as an introspection on the actual function of "canon" as it relates to fiction. Being introduced as fanfiction, the Epilogues can be understood to be outside of canon completely, which is (for the most part) where they function. A few scenes from the original webcomic are recreated, but most of the book is devoted to new and different problems that build upon the completed events of the original. However, this book bears the name of the original work's creator, which generally means that it would be considered canon inside the fandom. But because the characters in this book are so aware of the canonicity of their actions, they can be said to be moving past the shackles of fanfiction and bursting back into canon, whether they intend to or not. This is how Homestuck^2 came to be: the characters decided they had more story to tell, so they started a brand-new canon to tell it in.
With the canonicity of the Epilogues explored as well as I possibly can, I think I ought to touch on the more concrete issues with the book.
The legacy of Homestuck is one that is very difficult to live up to. Andrew Hussie himself has been unable to do so with any of his followups, and the handful of multimedia internet experiences that have tried to reach the same heights have settled into small but passionate niches. So, I believe that the Epilogues were fighting a battle that they'd lost before they started. However, I don't believe that it had to be quite this bad of a loss... There's a lot of things to dislike about the Epilogues. Dirk Strider is one of the most popular characters, and to see him turned into a megalomaniacal reality-sculpting villain with a penchant for mental and physical abuse is one that's hard to stomach. Especially to an audience who fondly remembers seeing HS1 Dirk express real concern that he might live up to the trauma that Bro caused Dave. It feels like an about-face that might have made more sense if it was expanded on at all. But because of the time-jump that occurs between HS1 and the Epilogues, and the continued focus on John as the main character and audience surrogate, we don't get to see that. In a similar boat is Jane. While in Homestuck she's introduced as our audience surrogate and heir (no pun intended) to John's narrative significance for about a thousand pages or so, the Epilogues sees her heel-turn into a literally-genocidal pseudo-commentary on centrism, big business, and identity politics. Unfortunately, despite a crew of contributors and huge fanbase of very open-minded and understanding people, the Epilogues must still carry the cross of expressing its sole creator's dated political opinions. Whether any of this is intentional or not, I can't say. Because once again, the audience is robbed of seeing Jane *become* this evil dictator, or *develop* any of these beliefs. She just *is* evil when the Epilogues start. Once again, it's not like the groundwork wasn't laid in HS1, with the Condesce mind-controlling her through the Tiaratop, and the lasting impact that may or may not have had on her brain. The evidence points to the fact that none of the writers of the Epilogues really felt like doing any of the hard work to develop and grow a character. Out of all of the characters in the Epilogues who made an appearance in HS1, I can subjectively think of maybe two who are consistently characterized here in the same way they were in the webcomic. Kanaya gets off fairly easily. In the Meat epilogue, she's being actively controlled by Dirk, so there's an excuse for her uncharacteristic behavior. In Candy, her silent but unstoppable rage is subdued, but that could possibly be explained by her simply getting older and mellowing out a little. Calliope functions strangely in the Epilogues. Despite being the singular reason behind the split nature of the book, they're nearly completely absent from the important plot points of Meat until their alternate-universe ghost inhabits Earth-C Jade. In Candy, Callie behaves in a strange and hard to understand way, but they've always kind of done that anyway, so it's understandable.
Despite its problems, I enjoyed the Epilogues enough to reread them. Because, at the end of the day, it's nice to see these characters you so fondly remember get to focus on these small bits of happiness. It's nice to see them have domestic issues, instead of having to save the world or make a new one. And above all I think it's nice to see the next generation of kids. Vrissy, Tavros, and Harry Anderson are where this book really shines. Once they're introduced, they bring a fantastic new dynamic to the entire group. It's no coincidence that the best parts of HS^2 are also the ones which feature the kids. If there's a reason to read the Epilogues, it's for them. The scene of John whipping up a tornado of frustration in Tavros' room is the best-written part of this entire book. It's a shame it couldn't all live up to that standard of quality.
A few personal issues I have:
-Gamzee really brings down the Candy epilogue. Ostensibly he's meant to be the catalyst for the division that the group undergoes, and a sort of metaphysical "punishment" that John has wrought by choosing not to fulfill his duties to canon. I can respect that. But at some point, as a writer, you have to choose between what is right for your story and what is palatable to your readers. And Gamzee's "redemption arc" is neither. I will confess, however, that all of his antics make his death that much more s8tisfying.
-The book's attitude toward polyamory is frankly disgusting. Homestuck is a queer-friendly piece of media, and luring them in with the promise of representation only to have both canon poly relationships in the book end extremely messily and traumatically is uncalled for. Not only that, but the whole plot point of Callie being jealous of Roxy and John could easily, *easily* have been solved or avoided entirely if the author(s) had a positive view of polyamory. The bias shows, and it's not pretty.
-Trans and non-binary characters are handled with all the dexterity of a sledgehammer, as well. It's honestly kind of embarrassing to have your narrator character, who is functioning as the author's conduit, pivot from over-enthusiastic, bordering-on-pandering support of canon nonbinary characters, to actively misgendering trans/nb characters as a deliberate show of cruelty. Just something to point out.
All told, I did enjoy my time with the Homestuck Epilogues, but they are certainly not without their faults. Worth a read, but don't expect a complete experience higher than 3 stars.
First of all, I think this book fails, in a particularly spectacular way, to explain itself at all. I understand that sequels don't always have to re-explain the plot of their predecessors, as there's a certain amount of knowledge that you expect your audience to go in with. However, as a retail release, and especially as ostensibly the seventh book in a series that failed to publish about a third of its entire canon, it might have been smart to make this book a bit more accessible to anyone other than people who have read Homestuck, multiple times, backwards and forwards, and obsessed over it for years.
Luckily for the users of goodreads.com, I am exactly one of those people.
This is a polarizing book in the fandom, but generally I think it accomplishes what it sets out to, and very well. The frequent criticisms around the Epilogues, namely that they're too melodramatic, they flanderize the characters and give them new and harmful character traits for no real reason, and that they ultimately *feel* different from Homestuck... these are all valid criticisms. I can't say that I didn't feel those feelings while (re)reading. However, I think it's important to recognize a few things about the Epilogues that set them apart from Homestuck proper, in order to properly criticize them.
The first is that this is not an extension of the webcomic. This is closer to an official fanfiction detailing what could happen to the characters after the end of their Sburb session. While it's obviously canon to Homestuck^2, it's not necessarily canon to Homestuck. This touches on my second point - the Epilogues feel to me as if they were written as a stopgap to gently guide the fanbase into HS^2. The writing style divulges so heavily and so quickly from the original, by introducing a narrator (though we quickly learn that we were aware of the identity of the narrator all along). This functions partially as a reflection of the Epilogues' framing device: the frontispiece facsimile of an Archive Of Our Own adult content warning page. However, it also serves as a concrete divider standing between Homestuck and its dubiously-canon sequel, with the sequel borrowing heavily from the Epilogues and continuing the plot points that are introduced there.
I'd again like to mention the framing device and how it functions as an introspection on the actual function of "canon" as it relates to fiction. Being introduced as fanfiction, the Epilogues can be understood to be outside of canon completely, which is (for the most part) where they function. A few scenes from the original webcomic are recreated, but most of the book is devoted to new and different problems that build upon the completed events of the original. However, this book bears the name of the original work's creator, which generally means that it would be considered canon inside the fandom. But because the characters in this book are so aware of the canonicity of their actions, they can be said to be moving past the shackles of fanfiction and bursting back into canon, whether they intend to or not. This is how Homestuck^2 came to be: the characters decided they had more story to tell, so they started a brand-new canon to tell it in.
With the canonicity of the Epilogues explored as well as I possibly can, I think I ought to touch on the more concrete issues with the book.
The legacy of Homestuck is one that is very difficult to live up to. Andrew Hussie himself has been unable to do so with any of his followups, and the handful of multimedia internet experiences that have tried to reach the same heights have settled into small but passionate niches. So, I believe that the Epilogues were fighting a battle that they'd lost before they started. However, I don't believe that it had to be quite this bad of a loss... There's a lot of things to dislike about the Epilogues. Dirk Strider is one of the most popular characters, and to see him turned into a megalomaniacal reality-sculpting villain with a penchant for mental and physical abuse is one that's hard to stomach. Especially to an audience who fondly remembers seeing HS1 Dirk express real concern that he might live up to the trauma that Bro caused Dave. It feels like an about-face that might have made more sense if it was expanded on at all. But because of the time-jump that occurs between HS1 and the Epilogues, and the continued focus on John as the main character and audience surrogate, we don't get to see that. In a similar boat is Jane. While in Homestuck she's introduced as our audience surrogate and heir (no pun intended) to John's narrative significance for about a thousand pages or so, the Epilogues sees her heel-turn into a literally-genocidal pseudo-commentary on centrism, big business, and identity politics. Unfortunately, despite a crew of contributors and huge fanbase of very open-minded and understanding people, the Epilogues must still carry the cross of expressing its sole creator's dated political opinions. Whether any of this is intentional or not, I can't say. Because once again, the audience is robbed of seeing Jane *become* this evil dictator, or *develop* any of these beliefs. She just *is* evil when the Epilogues start. Once again, it's not like the groundwork wasn't laid in HS1, with the Condesce mind-controlling her through the Tiaratop, and the lasting impact that may or may not have had on her brain. The evidence points to the fact that none of the writers of the Epilogues really felt like doing any of the hard work to develop and grow a character. Out of all of the characters in the Epilogues who made an appearance in HS1, I can subjectively think of maybe two who are consistently characterized here in the same way they were in the webcomic. Kanaya gets off fairly easily. In the Meat epilogue, she's being actively controlled by Dirk, so there's an excuse for her uncharacteristic behavior. In Candy, her silent but unstoppable rage is subdued, but that could possibly be explained by her simply getting older and mellowing out a little. Calliope functions strangely in the Epilogues. Despite being the singular reason behind the split nature of the book, they're nearly completely absent from the important plot points of Meat until their alternate-universe ghost inhabits Earth-C Jade. In Candy, Callie behaves in a strange and hard to understand way, but they've always kind of done that anyway, so it's understandable.
Despite its problems, I enjoyed the Epilogues enough to reread them. Because, at the end of the day, it's nice to see these characters you so fondly remember get to focus on these small bits of happiness. It's nice to see them have domestic issues, instead of having to save the world or make a new one. And above all I think it's nice to see the next generation of kids. Vrissy, Tavros, and Harry Anderson are where this book really shines. Once they're introduced, they bring a fantastic new dynamic to the entire group. It's no coincidence that the best parts of HS^2 are also the ones which feature the kids. If there's a reason to read the Epilogues, it's for them. The scene of John whipping up a tornado of frustration in Tavros' room is the best-written part of this entire book. It's a shame it couldn't all live up to that standard of quality.
A few personal issues I have:
-Gamzee really brings down the Candy epilogue. Ostensibly he's meant to be the catalyst for the division that the group undergoes, and a sort of metaphysical "punishment" that John has wrought by choosing not to fulfill his duties to canon. I can respect that. But at some point, as a writer, you have to choose between what is right for your story and what is palatable to your readers. And Gamzee's "redemption arc" is neither. I will confess, however, that all of his antics make his death that much more s8tisfying.
-The book's attitude toward polyamory is frankly disgusting. Homestuck is a queer-friendly piece of media, and luring them in with the promise of representation only to have both canon poly relationships in the book end extremely messily and traumatically is uncalled for. Not only that, but the whole plot point of Callie being jealous of Roxy and John could easily, *easily* have been solved or avoided entirely if the author(s) had a positive view of polyamory. The bias shows, and it's not pretty.
-Trans and non-binary characters are handled with all the dexterity of a sledgehammer, as well. It's honestly kind of embarrassing to have your narrator character, who is functioning as the author's conduit, pivot from over-enthusiastic, bordering-on-pandering support of canon nonbinary characters, to actively misgendering trans/nb characters as a deliberate show of cruelty. Just something to point out.
All told, I did enjoy my time with the Homestuck Epilogues, but they are certainly not without their faults. Worth a read, but don't expect a complete experience higher than 3 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2024
ngl no clue how to rate this.
February 13, 2020
The Epilogues sucks, plain simple, is a poor excuse of prose disguised as a Homestuck book, it honestly felt like it was trying to be an edgy reboot of Homestuck with all the heavy and "mature" subject matter.
I did find it interesting to see where all the characters wound up after the events of the comic, but most of those didn't really make for a good plot, there were some good ideas but most of them fall flat in a spectacular way. Most arcs and characters got butchered and dare to say that some got their character completely assassinated, not all are that bad but still... I won't mention everyone, but one of the worse cases was Jade, she's now a sex drive chick that literally harasses two of her friends...yeah.
There are so many things wrong with this thing that I can't even convey it in this review, things varying for the stale and overplayed sex humor, the boring side-plots, the blatant political speech, the plot-holes, and inconsistencies, the insufferable meta-commentary that basically just became a crutch to writing... going on! So, for sparing my time and yours, I will say it: DON'T BUY IT! It's free to read online on the official Homestuck site, go read it there, or better yet! Don't read it! It sucks! It's not smart, it's not clever, it's not fun, it's not even so bad that it's good, the Epilogues are a void, where nothing happens and nothing matters, the end!
2/10 - Don't read.
I did find it interesting to see where all the characters wound up after the events of the comic, but most of those didn't really make for a good plot, there were some good ideas but most of them fall flat in a spectacular way. Most arcs and characters got butchered and dare to say that some got their character completely assassinated, not all are that bad but still... I won't mention everyone, but one of the worse cases was Jade, she's now a sex drive chick that literally harasses two of her friends...yeah.
There are so many things wrong with this thing that I can't even convey it in this review, things varying for the stale and overplayed sex humor, the boring side-plots, the blatant political speech, the plot-holes, and inconsistencies, the insufferable meta-commentary that basically just became a crutch to writing... going on! So, for sparing my time and yours, I will say it: DON'T BUY IT! It's free to read online on the official Homestuck site, go read it there, or better yet! Don't read it! It sucks! It's not smart, it's not clever, it's not fun, it's not even so bad that it's good, the Epilogues are a void, where nothing happens and nothing matters, the end!
2/10 - Don't read.
August 18, 2025
I love the epilogues. As someone who really adored the first five acts of homestuck, enjoyed early act 6, and really hated some of the lategame developments, in a lot of ways the epilogues feel made for me. Despite the radical change in form, the Homestuck epilogues are in many ways a return to form for Hussie's writing style. Reading that first conversation between John and Rose, now ten years older, feels eerily, but comfortably, similar to their talks in Act 1. These works are despised by arguably the majority of the people who read them. I understand why. They corrupt, alter, and in some ways torture the characters that fans love. But they don't do this without purpose. They introduce unreliable narrators who are warping the canon to their whims, injecting conflict and tension, or attempting to create saccharine relationships and family units against the will of the characters involved. And they're also a statement by Hussie. It is your choice to read this story, and your choice to regard it as canon or not. But if you do, you are depriving the characters and the narrative of the open, happy ending the webcomic gave them. Some characters are flanderized or unrecognizable from their original counterparts, but some feel more like they have since years before the comic ended. These stories can be stupid, and melodramatic, and sometimes devolve into parody, but they are some of my favorite writing Andrew Hussie and the rest of the team behind them has ever done.
July 24, 2025
When I reread HS earlier this year, I planned fairly decisively not to reread the epilogues. This was the thing that severed the last fondness I had for the comic when it was first released, and I didn't really want to rehash all that.
But, I'm an idiot and it kept nagging at me.
The HS Epilogues weren't any more fun to read the second time around. They're mean-spirited, dated, and unnecessarily edgy for the sake of shock value. There's a really fundamental misunderstanding and disrespect for the vast majority of the cast, and it's extremely clear which characters the authors disliked. Multiple characters get pages and pages of their character development retconned or dismissed as not having been ~authentic~. It barely spends more than a few pages addressing the lingering threads from the end of the comic, and dedicates the vast, vast majority of its bulk setting up a sequel built on such miserable groundwork I can't even fathom reading this and then looking forward to more.
The HS Epilogues read like bad fanfiction by people who hate the source material, because that's what they are. Trash upon trash upon trash. If you like Homestuck but don't like the loose ends from Act 7, write your own fanfic. Even if you've never written before in your life, I guarantee it'll be better than this crap.
But, I'm an idiot and it kept nagging at me.
The HS Epilogues weren't any more fun to read the second time around. They're mean-spirited, dated, and unnecessarily edgy for the sake of shock value. There's a really fundamental misunderstanding and disrespect for the vast majority of the cast, and it's extremely clear which characters the authors disliked. Multiple characters get pages and pages of their character development retconned or dismissed as not having been ~authentic~. It barely spends more than a few pages addressing the lingering threads from the end of the comic, and dedicates the vast, vast majority of its bulk setting up a sequel built on such miserable groundwork I can't even fathom reading this and then looking forward to more.
The HS Epilogues read like bad fanfiction by people who hate the source material, because that's what they are. Trash upon trash upon trash. If you like Homestuck but don't like the loose ends from Act 7, write your own fanfic. Even if you've never written before in your life, I guarantee it'll be better than this crap.
February 16, 2024
If the Homestuck Epilogues aimed to be a meta critique/deconstruction of transmedia storytelling, fan culture and fanfiction, I believe it was successful and I got a lot from that deconstruction.
But oh boy, it was difficult to get through. The undermining of the original ending to the story, the rapid character changes that felt unearned, and the layers, and layers, and layers of confusing metatextual analysis all seemed intentional and added to the meaning of the epilogue, but did so at the expense of connection. I think there were times when subversion of expectations was pushed into the territory of shock value as a means of critiquing a fan's desire for shocking plot events. This is something I would normally be down for an exploration into, but it felt just a bit mean spirited.
I think this was probably the point, and I do really love their use of fanfiction as a framing device, so the wannabe-transmedia-scholar in me briefly considered 5 stars. But then I remembered being so angry I wanted to throw the book across the room so I chose 3.
But oh boy, it was difficult to get through. The undermining of the original ending to the story, the rapid character changes that felt unearned, and the layers, and layers, and layers of confusing metatextual analysis all seemed intentional and added to the meaning of the epilogue, but did so at the expense of connection. I think there were times when subversion of expectations was pushed into the territory of shock value as a means of critiquing a fan's desire for shocking plot events. This is something I would normally be down for an exploration into, but it felt just a bit mean spirited.
I think this was probably the point, and I do really love their use of fanfiction as a framing device, so the wannabe-transmedia-scholar in me briefly considered 5 stars. But then I remembered being so angry I wanted to throw the book across the room so I chose 3.
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