this seems like a bad idea:The BBC has learned that children's author Eoin Colfer has been commissioned to write a sixth instalment of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series. Mostly Harmless, the last Hitchhiker book, was written by its creator, the late Douglas Adams, 16 years ago. Now Adams's widow, Jane Belson, has given her approval to bring back the hapless Arthur Dent in a new book entitled And Another Thing...Eoin Colfer, 43, is best known for the best-selling Artemis Fowl novels.
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24 comments:
Who should they gone with?
Robert
I dont know. Stephen Fry, Jasper Fforde or best of all just leave well enough alone?
Thanks for the comment
A...
nice pic of adams looking pissy.
cant believe he'd be happy about this. thats why you should never die.
"greed" as one of your labels - funny
But surely a bit unfair.
dana,
I dont know, Eoin has sold a gazillion books and Hollywood has given him a gazillion dollars and he doesnt have to pay taxes because he's (cough) an artist.
The Adams family cant be hurting HH is up over the 100 million mark.
So why do this? Why? I ask you?
The Artemis Fowl books reminded me of nothing so much as the Hitchhiker's Guide books in ways that, say, Jasper Fforde, did not. Still, I don't know about this idea of commissioning authors to write sequels to other writers' work. Maybe Eoin Colfer will render homage to the Hitchhiker's Guide books, but ...
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
I'm undecided. I've read Robert B. Parker's two Chandler sequels, and liked them. They're among Parker's better books, but they're definitely not Chandler. Adams had such a unique voice and sense of humor, I'm afraid the resemblence to his work will be superficial, the stylistic elements applied like decals on a car window. No offense to Colfer.
Dana, that's one risk to a project like this, isn't it? If Colfer's approach in this Hitchhiker's book strays too far from Adams', he risks alienating fans of Adams' voice. If he succeeds, perhaps he risks compromising his own voice.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Weren't all earths in the Multiverse destroyed at the end of Mostly Harmless?
Seems an emphatic statement against sequels to me.
Marco
dana
I read those 'Chandler' books too. I dont think I liked them as much as you, but I dont recall hating them either. I totally agree with your take on Adams. This project gives me the creeps.
Peter
I like Eoin a lot. The Artemis audiobooks are terrific for commuting, but I dont think I see the similarity with Adams as much as you. There's a very different tone and I'm not sure anyone can catch Adams's except maybe Stephen Fry who, thought not as funny perhaps, is certainly as intelligent.
Marco
You're absolutely correct. In the Salmon of Doubt Douglas Adams was working on a sequel to the Dirk Gently books. He was emphatically done with HH.
Yeah, I suppose Eoin Colfer lacks D. Adams' satirical edge. Jasper Fforde would have that base covered, and I haven't read Stephen Fry. So I'll conclude that your suggestion of leaving well enough alone is the best of the lot.
I can live with anyone's apprehensions about this project as long as they don't stem from doubts about Colfer's ability to write "adult" fiction. Check out his story "Taking on PJ" in the Dublin Noir anthology.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter
I second that. Eoin's a great writer AND (although this isnt that important) a nice guy, but this whole magilla leaves a bitter taste. The publishers know that even in a recession the book will sell a million copies easily and so it doesnt ultimately matter what DNA or the fans would have wanted. The bottom line is green. I know that I'll read the book the first week it comes out and that makes me mad.
I'm sure Norton are already thinking about who they can get to write more Patrick O'Brian novels. Other classics cant be far behind.
Surely To Kill A Mockingbird is crying out for a sequel. Scout's all growed up and working for a law firm in Alabama when she discovers a cold case that throws a new light on an old mystery...Grisham would be perfect if Ms Lee refuses.
William Shakespeare's Henry IX: The Continuing History.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Pratchett would have been a good choice.
A similar combination of erudition and humour.
I like Terry Pratchett. We hosted him at the Warwick University science fiction society. He talked to us, drank with us, signed all our books. What a decent fellow.
Thank you Anon
I'm against this. For one, like many H2G2 enthusiasts and fans, I hated SLATFATF and MH when they came out; however, when I'd grown older and matured a bit, I found that that's exactly what I needed to enjoy the books. SLATFATF actually might be my favorite HH book now, because it seems to be Adams' most personal book, aside from Last Chance to See.
(I do acknowledge that MH's last 30 humorless pages were no fun, but up to that point it was actually incredibly funny satire.)
But the main reason I'm against it is because Dirk Mags did an incredible job serializing the final novels. In fact, if you listen to them and are a true HH fan, I would find it incredibly cold hearted of anybody to listen to the final radio show and not be amazed at how he tied up so many HH loose ends, inconsistencies, and yet kept Adams' original ending while giving us a happy one at the same time *and not cheating like a dirty birdie about it.* Personally, as I sat in my truck listening to the final show on that winter night, I burst into tears, both of sadness and joy.
I'm not opposed to somebody taking up the mantle of Douglas Adams' sci-fi satire, or even necessarily setting it in the HH universe, but to think that the perfect ending they finally crafted for the radio series will now be marred by bringing back these characters... I won't support that.
Ken
Oh man I couldnt agree more. I know its an odd thing to say but I've always found the radio adaptations a bit more canonical than the books, and book 5 ends on a perfect bittersweet note. (Just as life does).
Eoin C. is a gifted writer but how can he match that? And will they do an audiobook version? Please no.
Cheers mate and thanks again for your Star Trek video. Great stuff. Now you have to do one for Nimoy's Bilbo song.
Cheers
A...
Completely unrelated:
What's your take on Eric Van Lustbader taking over for Robert Ludlum with The Bourne Series?
Tcs
I dont think thats a great idea either. the Bourne books end. Theres a definitive ending. I'm not sure this is anything more than cashing in.
thanks man
a....
Anyone notice that the BBC says "best known" and then "best selling" immediately after. Thats lazy writing.
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