A tough act to follow

[pbray]

From the BBC website this morning: Children's author Eoin Colfer has been commissioned to write a sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series.

Sorry, but no. That's one book that's not being added to my TBR pile.

Comments

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Oh, God, especially not by Eoin Colfer. I read a couple (or one) of the Artemis Fowl books, and...no. The parts where the kid was acting like a kid were fine, but when he was being SuperGenius it just didn't work for me. So agh. I mean, if it was Terry Pratchett, maybe....

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

See, I haven't even got that far, because I was so turned off when I discovered that Artemis Fowl was a boy, when Artemis is clearly a girl's name. Not that I'm hideously shallow, or anything.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The series came highly recommended, but I couldn't even get through the first Artemis Fowl book. So yeah, ditto.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I think I'd much rather have Pratchett concentrate on Pratchett books, for whatever output he may still have in him.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. I was just thinking that if anybody could perhaps mimic Adams' style, it'd be Pratchett.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Pratchett is likely the closest in sensibility to Adams, but for that very reason he's likely far too wise to consider such a project.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, um, no.

Nothing against Mr Colfer personally, but ... no.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

In the interview Colfer admits that his first reaction was outrage that anyone would be allowed to tamper with the series. He should have stuck with his gut.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Sshyeah.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Don't think I've read anything by Colfer, but . . .

(Amazing, the mischance that the prospect of large sums of money will cause.)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's all about dollar signs, or in this case pounds and euros.

[lagilman]

some literary universes should just Not Become Franchises. Really. When we talk about an author's sensibility, or their voice, we're not discussing a mimic-able affectation, usually.

A spinoff, I might hold my nose and say 'whatever, if that's your cuppa.' But a sixth installment of the series? Just...no.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Douglas Adams' style is inimitable.

[princejvstin.livejournal.com]

Will I read it?

Ummm. No. Just no.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Stop. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect 200 dollars/pounds/euros.

Just Say No.

[chichiri-no-da.livejournal.com]

...whut. I don't care if he's the reincarnation of Douglas Adams. I'm definitely not interested.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

agreed.

[antonstrout.livejournal.com]

If you explode me head like that, I cain't write anymore of my own books, dammit!

I can't believe how bad an idea this sounds like...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

It's an insanely bad idea. I wonder how many other writers they approached who turned them down before they settled on this one?

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

I like Eoin Colfer, and I may read it just to see what it is like. Maybe it will deal with....um...I have no idea since the book ended with all the main characters blowing up.

Um. Ok, I will read it just to see what type of train wreck it is. But I will find a way to get my hands on it for free, so I am not actually giving money to such a bad idea.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

We'll let you scan it for mockworthiness.

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

although I did see today that he is writing it with the all the characters. Who were killed. Now I am really scared.

[karenthology.livejournal.com]

I'm just going to pretend that book doesn't exist.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Works for me. Just as some of the STAR TREK movies don't exist in my personal universe.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Um, which ones? (Just 'cos I'm curious whether they're the same ones that don't exist in my personal universe...)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The Enterprise goes off to find God (and Spock's half-brother, WTF?) is one that may exist in the universe of other people, but not in mine.

The first movie was sucky in hindsight, but at the time we were so desperate just to see the characters on the big screen that we didn't care. In general I found the "Odd numbered movies lame, even numbered ones good" rule of thumb to be a pretty good guide.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

... thought so.

;^)

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

Douglas Adams will claw his way out of his grave to prevent this abomination, screaming, "I tried to stop after THREE, you bastards!" or some such.

I do recall reading that he had a lot of trouble with later books in the series and wanted to stop... maybe it was after number four. Either way, some things need to remain ended.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

He originally intended to stop with Life, the Universe, and Everything, but I think he came up with So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish on his own, and that's where the real trap came. I really felt his heart wasn't in it after that.

Considering what that,(voice drops to a whisper) "movie" (talking in a normal voice again) did to Marvin, I shudder to think what someone else would do let loose in the Hitchhiker's Universe.

I suspect the whole plan was come up with by the editors of the Encyclopaedia Galactica.

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

sadly, douglas adams' widow came up with, and, approved the project.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

I suspect the whole plan was come up with by the editors of the Encyclopaedia Galactica.

Aha! I have the answer. Everyone involved is actually an employee of (or was manufactured by) the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. :P

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

Perhaps that's it!

See, the thing is, just because she's his widow, it doesn't exclude the Galactica or Sirius connections....