The Lost World

Hi all! First time making a post in this sub! I’m on the fence about whether or not to read the sequel to Jurassic Park (The Lost World). I recently finished the book for the first time and absolutely adored it. I was captivated by the writing style, the story, the themes and the characters and genuinely want to read more stories in the same universe. However, part of me is wary of reading the sequel knowing it’s overall considered to be less good than the original book. I’m worried that it might ruin my enjoyment of the first installment, and take some of the wonder away from any rereads I might do. On the other hand, I have read the Doyle “Lost World” book and loved it, so a book paying homage to it should be right up my alley. I know that this does retcon a few things from the first book, but considering I was distraught by Malcolm’s death (even though I understand why it makes both plot and thematic sense if Jurassic Park was a standalone story, there’s something so ordinary and deeply human about dying from an infection, and that he was further denied the dignity of a quick burial to me was heartbreaking) I’m not too worried about being upset by the plot retcons. Plus, in what is definitely an unpopular opinion, I also enjoyed Book!Malcolm’s diatribes so I’m on board for more of them. I’m more worried reading the Lost World will have a “wow I can’t believe all of that amazingness leads up to something so disappointing” impact that retroactively makes the first book worse. Given all of this context, would anyone familiar with “The Lost World” recommend I read it or not?

Update 1: While I’m responding to y’all’s specific comments, I just wanted share that I’ve appreciated all of the advice and have begun to read the book! Will post another update when I’ve finished it :)

Update 2: I finished the book in 4 days! I had a lot of thoughts on it to say the least, so I made a new post to start to share them in https://www.reddit.com/r/JurassicPark/s/XWfisaG2vr