Old Shades, which came out in 1926, was originally intended to be a sequel to The Black Moth, which would redeem the devilish Belmanoir. But as The Black Moth was a melodrama and a sequel per se would not work in with the plot, she decided to make the new novel stand alone, renamed many characters and made them 'shades' of their former selves for These Old Shades. Analysis and legacy Scholars have perceived The Black Moths influence on Heyer's later works. In an essay published in 2012, K. Elizabeth Spillman describes the novel as "improbable" and "heavily derivative" but notes characteristics visible in Heyer's other books: the centrality of friendship, seamless action scenes, and a "natural discourse" between the male protagonists. The Encyclopaedia of British Writers adds that The Black Moth is "typical" of many later Heyer novels, as it has a "historical setting, aristocratic characters, and exciting plot". As Jack lives as a highwayman, James Devlin also notes themes of violence, suspense and criminality that appear in other Heyer stories such as The Masqueraders (1928) and Faro's Daughter (1941). Spillman also opines that Diana is the only Heyer heroine to be "unironic [and] untraditional", as the novel is dominated by the doings of its male characters. Diana is relegated to the background, "as if the author had little interest in her own heroine". In later Heyer novels, Spillman writes, the heroines show more agency and will. In 2012, Diana Wallace wrote of similarities between The Black Moth and the works of Jeffery Farnol and Rafael Sabatini, as well as Baroness Orczy's story The Scarlet Pimpernel. References Works cited External links Celebration of Women Writers: e-text (1921 edn) 1921 British novels Novels by Georgette Heyer British historical novels British romance novels Fiction set in 1751 Novels set in the 1750s Heinemann (publisher) books 1921 debut novels