Dubious ideas

[jhetley]

Apparently someone has commissioned another book in the "Hitchhiker" series.

Barring a really long and effective seance, I can't see how this will turn out well.  I can't think of a single instance of a series continuation for a dead author that I found satisfactory.  Hell, even series continuation by a living author gets dicey.  Citing here Frank Herbert's later "Dune" books, or Xanth . . .

Comments

[pernishus.livejournal.com]

I agree -- although an unfinished stand-alone completed by another sympathetic to the aesthetic of the original writer has a better chance of working -- Spider's Heinlein is an example.

And I must say I truly enjoyed both of the two sequels to Heidi, which were done by the translator.

There's also the complicated writing of the massive Chinese novel The Story of the Stone, also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

It gets worse ... MUCH worse.

They commissioned it from Eoin Colfer.




Yeah, THAT Eoin Colfer. The one responsible for Artemis Fowl.


"I sense a great disturbance in the Force... as though millions of souls suddenly cried out at once, 'Oh no, not again.'"

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Since I don't think I've ever read anything by Colfer, I decided to skip that aspect.

But I've read similar comments by others, who have.

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

Once again, I'm amazed that nobody's put out a "Publishing Necrophilia for Fun and Profit" yet.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

How about "Publishing Necrophilia for Dummies"?

check Woody Allen

[andreas_schaefer]

short : "The Metterling Lists" in "Getting Even"

I think enyone FOR a sequel

[andreas_schaefer]

misses the clear message of the 5th volume - this time everyone is dead. I read that book as Douglas Adams "Reichenbach Falls" ( not that I don't enjoy it and keep 2 copies in case I want to lend it to a neophyte reader ) - When an author decides to kill everybody off so that there can be no demand for a sequel we should respect that.

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Offtopic( though when he has not yet , like you, I can hope for more of the good stuff: recently finished Dragons Eye - your books I will keep and reread . Unlike certain other authors your blend of common and magic makes magic plausible. )

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On-topic
I think Spider wanted to end the Callahans-stories when he nuked the bar ( otoh I can't begrudge him earning money if there is demand for sequels.


Eoin Colfer IMO is not completely untalented, but he is not the same class of weirdly funny either : had a name like Pratchett, Holt, or Rankin been mentioned and or that someone from the Monty Pythons squad I would be optimistic.
I would also be more optimistic if this was about a third Dirk Gently novel - of which at least exist sketches.