http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7619828.stm
Children's author Eoin Colfer has been commissioned to write a sixth instalment of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series.
This seems really quite wrong.
Listen to what Eoin Colfer has to say about it
And this is Simon Jones as Arthur talking about it
Kate
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Ant, I thought you were joking. Is this just another case of me being exceptionally gullible (and you being exceptionally thorough with your practical jokes?)
Why, exactly, do we need another Hitchhiker book? I've not read anything by this Colfer fellow but I imagine he can write his own original material just fine without extending the characters from a series that was, let's face it, hugely successful because of the specific voice of its creator.
I wish I was joking, but as this was on the front page of BBC news in the UK it must be true.
As for why, I can only imagine it comes down to money. I can't see another reason for Douglas's widow to say yes. I would love to know who instigated this? Was it the author, or the family.
Douglas may not have given the series a happy ending but so what? He may have written another book if he'd lived as it was rumoured he wasn't happy with the downbeat ending. But I very much doubt he'd have let anyone else write it... unless the rumours that he didn't write all of mostly harmless are true. But I doubt he'd have wanted anyone to write a new story.
It's just sad that a complete unique series can't remain untouched.
Passion
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Sigh. While I didn't take to the ending in Mostly Harmless, I do think it's not quite right for some other guy (who I also have never heard of) to tromp in and write something new.
I'd like to say I have high morals and won't buy the new book, but that'd be a lie. I will buy the new book, but I can't guarantee I'll like it, and it's already lost some points with me just for the fact that it would never be as DNA had pictured it.
It's funny that this Colfer guy has sold more books than DNA, but is seemingly lesser known... maybe it's because he wrote a children's series?
Sigh again.
-Passion
The proposal from the literary agency which manages Adams's estate was "quite out of the blue", said Penguin marketing and publicity director Joanna Prior. "It was something I guess [Jane Belson] had been mulling over for some time, and we jumped the minute we got the call – we could immediately see what a fantastic project this would be."
The today programme on radio 4 interviewed Eoin Colfer this morning and you can listen to it here
I hope this Colfer guy doesn't completely ruin the books...
CrazyOne
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What? I don't know. Where's the tea?
That about sums up what I think so far. Very strange and unexpected thing to discover this morning.
Probably another thing to talk about for several months and then for most purists to trash for several months after that. Except, when it was the movie, you expect that to come out different and possibly be crap. This. This is attempting to further the original story without its original voice. Official as it all may be (and it is, with I suppose all the proper survivors on board), it is improbable that it will hold up to the scrutiny of the likes of us. For that matter, who among the non-fanatics is really that interested anymore? Maybe they're simply hoping to capture Colfer's ready audience with it, and thus gain a sufficiently large number of additional small green pieces of paper....
humanracer
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Hi everyone
I used to be a member of this site when Adams was alive and there was a vibrant community based around him.
I find the discussion about the new book quite interesting however I can't help but think some people are being a bit reactionary. It is important to remember that this new book was requested by Adams widow and not by so called "greedy" publishers. Indeed the publishers were taken by surprise when they received the request. Adams frequently stated while he was alive that he wanted to end the series on a more upbeat note. I am sure that being Adams wife, Jane Belson was aware of this fact too and the pair probably discussed the issue at some point. Adams was depressed when he wrote Mostly Harmless (his biography said he had a temporary split with his wife) and this was reflected in his writing. It did not mean that Adams was sick of the series or that he wanted to end it. Indeed Adams was keen to write more but I think he probably had a case of writers block. This probably explains why the Salmon of Doubt was still unfinished almost ten years after it was due to be published. I think Adams would have wished the series to be continued and if the money helps Jane and Polly then all the better. Douglas Adams was foremost a family man and he would have respected the wishes of his family. However it seems that some fans claim to know Adams better than his wife. The usual fan reaction will be to love it and accept the book if it is good and to dismiss the novel as non canonical if it is awful. But speaking as a far of the HHGTTG, I await this book with great excitement.
This funny thing is that the new radio series already gave the franchise a happy ending thus the new book will totally contradict that ending. But in the world of the HHGTTG, this is nothing new.
Thanks
Robert
I was doubtful as to how Adams himself would be able to pull off a sixth volume back then, and even more skeptical about how a completely different writer (whom I've never read, but who has apparently been well-received) should be capable of it now.
To me, this is completely different from the movie. With the movie, it was simply a fact of life that it would be markedly different from the books and might not be very good, but that was alright, because that's just the way it goes when you adapt something to a completely different format. A new book hits much closer to home, that's meddling directly with the creations of your predecessor, a guy who was very good at what he did. That's how it feels to me, anyway.
Oh, well. I guess we shall have to wait and see.
(and hi, btw.)
Reactionary, maybe. I think I'm just precious, I love the original and don't want anyone to spoil it.
Would Douglas want to provide for his family, of course. So I don't blame the family for wanting his work to be successful and read by as many people as possible.
I just don't like the idea of a new book, even if it ends up being really good. Adaptations, the movie the new radio series I have no problem with at all.
Of course there is the example of Starship Titanic which did have Douglas's blessing but unfortunately that wasn't much good.
Having said all that I will read it ;-)
JJJHowqua
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Wow. My heart fell a little when I read this. Yes, I'm a reactionary, die-hard fan unwilling to accept new things, but I don't think that means the feeling is unjustified.
It could be a fantastic book, don't get me wrong. But for me, I am happy with the series as is (regardless of the tone of the ending to Mostly Harmless) and I believe a book and the characters within belong to the original author. Without him, no matter how well written and amusing the book is, I will feel it to be fake.
I have rarely been impressed by 'continuation' books written by anyone other than the original author of a series. Although they may capture the right tone, to me they usually lack the depth of the original.
I probably won't buy it. I'll read it if it comes my way, but I won't be going out of mine to obtain it.
I note though that many of the comments on Eoin Colfer's website are very positive. So be it; this could be a very successful book enjoyed by many. I wish Eoin all the best with the project. But for me the 'written by Eoin Colfer' however it is written on the cover will be too much.
Kate
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I did have an strong initial reaction. I suppose you could call that "reactionary". I don't begrudge Adams' family its right to support itself, and if that means selling another HHG book then that's their business, not mine. I wasn't reacting to what I thought Adams would want (because as you point out, if anyone knows that it's his family), but more what I, as a longtime fan, think about the news of this new book.
I read Douglas Adams books because of Douglas Adams. I love the way he wrote, the way he connected with the reader, the way he could turn language on its side, the way he could poke fun at our nature without being derisive, the way he could make me burst out laughing with one or two twists of a phrase. I'm not saying that Colfer can't do those things; as I say, I wouldn't know, as I've never read any of his work and it sounds like he has a devoted fan base of his own. He seems like a charming and humble and talented writer and the new book will likely be wonderful. It just won't be something I'll have any interest in reading. Hitchhiker's without Douglas just isn't something I can get terribly enthusiastic about. To me, this endeavor presents more opening of old wounds than exploring of new possibilities.
That said, I hope the new book will succeed, and lead readers who have never heard of DNA or Hitchhiker's to read the series and his other works. Because while we have scattered a bit, we are still a vibrant community brought together by Adams, and we always have room for one more fan.
And on that note, hi Greg! Brought a smile to my face to see your name over there on the left, old friend.
CrazyOne
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Hello yourself. :-) Yes that bit about leading new readers to the DNA works is a good thought. That would certainly be a positive outcome from the new project. My own outlook is perhaps more mixed than reflected in my initial post up there. I do believe the fans of DNA who are still coming together on a site like this (and in other ways) after all these years will balk more than they will openly welcome the project. (I almost wrote "purists", but I wouldn't say all such fans are purists. When I wrote it above, yes, I believe there will be a majority of purists who pan the work just like many purists panned the movie. But purists is only a subset of all DNA fans, from what I can tell.) I do believe the general public will mostly yawn; they haven't been much interested in this for years. This leaves Colfer's audience from his other works, which is not insignificant. Probably the most ready audience, but then the reaction of all these groups *after actually reading* is going to be anyone's guess at this point.
Personally, I have doubts about how such a work will affect me. But the curiosity will sneak in there I suspect. Which means it is probably more likely than not that I will eventually read the new book and judge it by that rather than dismiss the work out of hand. That said, don't try to engage my enthusiasm because I haven't got one.
Kate
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Just catching up on some blog/journal reading - in case anyone is curious, here is what Neil Gaiman wrote about it when asked "did they ask you to do it, and would you have accepted if they had?":
Nobody asked me to do it, but then, when Douglas asked me if I'd like to adapt Life, The Universe and Everything for radio I said no, and that was with Douglas alive and asking. (Dirk Maggs did it, and did an excellent job.) It seemed a thankless task.I like Eoin very much, and wish him well with the book. He'll probably write a sixth Hitchhiker's book with more enthusiasm, and certainly faster, than Douglas would have done. But it won't be a Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's book.
For the record, if I don't get around to writing a sequel to something while I'm alive, I'd very much rather that nobody else does it once I'm dead. It should exist in your head or in Lucien's library, or in fanfic. But that's me, and not every author feels the same way.
I was one of the people who asked him what he thought about the new book. Forgot to go back and see if he responded though.
jj42
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There are probably about as many opinions on this subjects as there are stars in the sky and we each have to make up our minds on our own. While I like what I have read by Gaiman I also think he nails it in that last sentence "But that's me, and not every author feels the same way."
Whether Adams feels the same way or not, well, it is damn hard to ask him, so only if he was asked and answered the question could we find out.
I will likely get the book, either from the library or when it gets out in paperback (or hardback if, bob willing, I get a well paid job after exams...) and I will read it before I pass judgment.
Just think about the number of people who contributed to Dr. Who, both in writing and acting. James Bond is another example, as is the number of TV movies based on Inspector Morse. (13 based on actual novels by Colin Dexter, 20 especially written for TV). Not all were well received by all, some were like by parts of the audience, others by a different subset.
We can like the idea, dislike it vehemently or just sit down and wait for it to be available.
All this rambling was only to say that I can't tell if it is a good idea until I have read the book.
JakeUM
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Well this news has come of a bit of a shock for me! I thought that Ant was joking when I read the topic, but It's real isn't it? I just don't feel that this is a good thing, I mean I'm a big HHGTTG fan, but this is a bit much in my view. HHGTTG was such a good read because of Douglas Adams and his style of writing, I've read one of Colfer's books, and in my view it wasn't the best. I just feel that this is sort of like flogging a dead horse, The series was over the moment Douglas died. That's it, end of story. For the Love of Bob! I'm going to have to think on this for a while, I'll see if I can come up with a more sensible post tommorow.
Passion
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I was in my local bookstore today and decided to try and find some Eoin Colfer books, just to have a look-see (I didn't have the money to buy, and I'm not sure I would've anyway). I couldn't find any, so I asked one of the workers and she found the Colfer books for me.
While I was dumbly standing holding the first Colfer book, another worker came up as I was explaining to the first one "Colfer is supposed to write a 6th Hitch-Hiker's book." The first one said something like "Oh really?" but the second one had a few things to say.
The first I can't remember the exact words and it was kind of derogatory, so I won't bother trying to re-enact it, but the second thing she said on the topic of writing a 6th book was, "Why bother?"
I was in the process of agreeing with her and found out she was a self-proclaimed "huge fan" of the Hitch-Hiker's series, but when I went to mention this site to see if she knew about it, she went off with another customer.
It wasn't meant to be, I suppose. But on the off chance that she does come here, "Hi, I spoke to you today! :)"
-Passion
JakeUM
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I've had an idea thanks to ulfskei's post!
Excuse my language, but screw Colfer. How about we write our own version of Book 6! I'm up for it, seeing as I've got a lot of time on my hands, and I could rough out an idea very quickly if I need to. I'm sure Douglas would have wanted his fans to try and contribute to the series, especially if someone else was trying to profit from it.
I'll start roughing out some ideas...
Passion
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Ahh, I can feel the law-suit closing in on us even as we speak...
My paranoid instincts tell me to have no part of this, but my writerly instincts tell me to step on everyone's toes and try and be boss of the whole project, inevitably leading to my incarceration. :)
I think I'll try a happy medium and just see where this all leads to, adding input if I have any.
-Passion
JakeUM
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Lawsuit? For a fan Book? Pah! We'll see about that. Passion I would love it if your Writerly instinct took over. As I haven't got a clue how to lead a team for writing a book.
Oh well, I'll get to work on sorting something out.
Well, I sure do have too much time on my hands...
Passion
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Hmm, well if someone comes up with a rough storyline I could get started on writing it (while I try and find a publisher in sleepy Adelaide for my own book, which I've finished writing by the way - I've found a New Age publisher, and 4 answering machines, but nothing for fantasy books *sigh*).
The problem is, I can't see how to write further from what DNA wrote. I mean, he blew up all the Earths and killed all the stars... unless we just write something in the preceding timeline that we can somehow make fit (there should be a significant period of time for us to write something..)
The other option is seeing how Colfer writes the continuation, because he'll probably write something or other that happens after Mostly Harmless, and just uses some sort of reason for everything being back to life...
But I take it you want this thing to be written either at the same time as Colfer writes his, or possibly beating him to the punch, so we might have to take the safe option and find a chunk of time in the 5 books that we can exploit, preferably where everyone is still alive.
If anyone has any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them.
Oh, and how long do you think this should be? The book I just wrote took me 5 months (lazily) and was about 70,000 words - 96 A4 pages, so about 200+ book pages.
If we do this, I'll probably need help with a few things - off the top of my head, I can foresee needing notes. Any facts and figures that DNA came up with, noted down and sent to me (or whoever takes over writing the fanfic) - probably 1 book per person, so the facts come in steadily. This will make things a lot easier when trying to be true to DNA's work.
I can probably write Marvin dialogue easily enough, as I went through a stage in my life where I was very Marvin-esque, and I think I have Trillian pegged, but writing the tricky stuff between Ford and Arthur (which was usually full of sly humour and tricks of language and smart-guy humour) will be a challenge, which could put the whole thing back for how long it takes to write.
Also, if I were to write a fanfic (would we try and get it published and okayed by DNA's estate? Who would get the considerable money?) I'd have to juggle writing the fic with writing my next book, because I have my own career to worry about, and I'd have to spend some time trying to get my existing book published. So, I might not be the fastest option to getting this thing made.
If someone else wants to write it, I volunteer for taking notes from So Long And Thanks For All The Fish. I loved that book, mostly because it was the most upbeat of the lot, what with romance and all that.
That's as much help as I can give right at this moment... but I still have no idea what storyline would suffice - perhaps the time period has to be established first before we can come up with a story...
-Passion
(And I wonder when this will become a thread of its own...)
JakeUM
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Well I see the issue with the earth being blown up and all that, but I was thinking, What if that was only one of the many different universes, So Arthur and co died at the end of that book, but in another, slightly altered universe, they're all still alive?
Oh, and I wouldn't say we beat Colfer to it, But we could release the "True Fan Version" Whilst he has the "True Version".
Perhaps there is a giant "undo" button out there?
Also, you could observe the "emo"kids for Marvinishness.
The undo button was pushed by a walnut (walnuts have a surprising amount of control over the universe)causing everything to come back to as it had been before. Also, a "question petunia" is found. It is on a distant planet, populated only by people think bathroom advertising is a good idea. The petunia, supposedly could tell them the question that goes along with the answer. The whole thing about the question and the answer not being able to exist in the same universe has supposedly been eaten by a wildebeest. It is apparently poo'd out again when the petunia is eaten by a goat.
No, you don't have to use my idea. I hope it isn't too horrible...
Passion, realise that the most brilliant books are usually rejected at first, so don't panic. ;-)
Passion
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Ah, "don't panic" - sage advice. Now where have I heard that one before?
I'll keep thinking about options for how things come back, because frankly I've nothing better to do.
I have a VPh.D (virtual doctorate) in "The Study And Fascination Of Emo Kids", so I'd watch them whether it was for a book or not. :)
I know my book might be rejected quite a lot, and I'm fine with that. The real problem is finding a publisher in my area! I'll probably have to go interstate for one. Not to mention that there's only 1 literary agent in my state, and they aren't accepting unsolicited submissions at the moment. Sigh.
But I've only just begun, so there's plenty of time for things to come together. Mwuahhahhahaha! *cough*
-Passion
beetle
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I'd read it. I'd own it. But I don't know if I'd consider it anything more than bound fanfic.
Shoebe
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*splutters*
This has only just been called to my attention and I'm horrified.
I shall have to see about my opinion on this. The shock is just too much for the moment.
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