Douglas Adams Continuum (DAC)

So he's going to write it as James???

The more I think about this the more outraged I become. How can a well respected write like Colfer lower himself to satisfy Penguin's lust for profit? And how would he feel if another author thought he good make a good job of writing an Artemis Fowl book?

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Her mouth opened, her eyes patients, the variety of age and constitution as a pullets egg, with some gobbits of fat, and the heavy sand.

(... don't piss us off)

I've been here and left this message "When you die are you alright with me continuing the Artemis Fowl series?" The moderators probably won't let it through though, or will they?

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Her mouth opened, her eyes patients, the variety of age and constitution as a pullets egg, with some gobbits of fat, and the heavy sand.

(... don't piss us off)

When I searched 'Eion Colfer' on my local newspaper's website, it asked 'Did you mean ein golfer?'

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(... don't piss us off)

HAHA! Good work!

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Batman: Nobody wants war.

Robin: Gee, Batman. Belgravia's such a small country. We'd beat them in a few hours.

Batman: Yes, and then we'd have to support them for years.

Yoko Ono has announced John Lennon's last album wasn't great, not upbeat enough, so she has decided to commission Westlife to write and record a final John Lennon album.

Westlife have had 14 number one singles and have sold over 40 million records worldwide so they are obviously not doing it for the money, but because they are Lennon fans and accomplished musicians.

Yoko has cashed the cheque, and told them to call the album Dub le fantasy wit da Milk an Honey mummy. Songs will include some famous Lennon characters including Lucy, Mr Kite, Prudence, Sexy Sadie, and Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids.

In other words I can't wait. Or perhaps I shouldn't judge a book by its' cover version.

They should, though, Scratch, because you're right.

I don't know Colfer, but back in 1998 when Douglas became public online through his website I used to email him a few times and I had asked him if he minded if I made reference to HHGG in one of my works. I just meant to ask him if I could mention the series, not to continue it, but he must have thought I meant to do my own Hitchhiker story because he said, "Why bother, is the real question. Why not write something from your own head that you could then actually do something with?" That was the first real inkling I got how protective he was of his story so I think anybody who says Douglas would have wanted someone else to come along and take his work over after he died is dead wrong.

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"If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot now!"

-- Zaphod Beeblebrox

-- Wrestling is a spectacle all right. But believe it or not, some of the most devoted fans are highly intelligent people

I'd prefer it if they hadn't even bothered starting this project to begin with. Sod whether he writes it in his style or DNA's style or whatever. It's not a series that needs a bonus episode.

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This has been another random act of nonsense.

I think that actually speaks to the heart of the matter.

Who the hell wants an H2G2 novel that's not written in Douglas' style?

And, at the same time, who wants to read someone trying (or failing,
likely) to ape Douglas' style?

It's an absolute No-Win Situation, at least the way I see it.


It's becoming more and more unfathomable to me as to why this thing
has even been proposed. It's just a bad idea, folks.

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Steal Compass. Drive North. Disappear.

twitter: @kensocrates

Aww, thanks!

And I agree with the ICK!

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I fuck*ng love you guys.

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Her mouth opened, her eyes patients, the variety of age and constitution as a pullets egg, with some gobbits of fat, and the heavy sand.

(... don't piss us off)

That is an terrific quote. While it could be simply interpreted as "encouraging you on to your own creativity" rather than "protective", it's interesting to hear DNA says the words "Why Bother?" in this context.



Take a look at the forum on Fark.com about this.... we have been mild in comparison to some of the anger and accusatory language on that forum. It was posted a few days ago, so look in archives.

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I'm just here

Fan fiction is seldom good, regardless the author. Neither is continuing a serie when a new author when the old one died/got fed up/lost ability to write or whatever.

Let this trilogy of five stay a trilogy of five.

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A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal. - Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)
[img]http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/kittifer.gif[/img]

This post in particular sums up my entire thoughts quite nicely, thanks.

I won't be buying it. Full stop.

Dr. S.

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Imagine a ball of iron, the size of the sun. And once a year a tiny sparrow brushes its surface with the tip of its wing. And when that ball of iron, the size of the sun, is worn away to nothing, your punishment will barely have begun.

www.sinisterincorporated.co.uk

www.tabletown.co.uk

I just posted this on Colfer's page (they'll probably take it off soon, though)

[quote="I"]

Mr. Colfer,

I am unfamiliar with your work, but I am familiar with Douglas Adams. I do not mean any disrespect with what I am about to tell you but I think you should hear this story before you start your sample chapter on your upcoming sixth Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book.

In 1998, I was seventeen years old and had been delighted when Douglas, my idol for five years, had made his email public because I was able to talk to him. I am an amateur writer myself studying to be a professional one day. I had asked Douglas in an email if I could mention his characters in one of my works, but he thought I meant could I do my own version, because he responded, and I quote, “Why bother is the real question? Why not write something from your own head that you could then actually do something with?â€

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"If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot now!"

-- Zaphod Beeblebrox

-- Wrestling is a spectacle all right. But believe it or not, some of the most devoted fans are highly intelligent people

What is the point of having the option to write comments, if they delete anything that sound critical?

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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

-H.L. Mencken


[url]http://www.madmanoz.blogspot.com[/url]

You got me. If he thinks he can take on Douglas' characters, he needs to hear comments like the ones which have been posted here.

I'm telling you guys, this whole thing has disaster written all over it!

That reminds me, what's with this title And Another Thing? What kind of title is that? Couldn't they have found a play on something else in the story? There are so many wonderful phrases, why couldn't they find something else to incorporate into it?

I'm curious to read this thing, if only to see how much Colfer gets wrong. If it sucks, which we all know it very probably will, it goes to eBay city!

I have a feeling, though, I'll be going through the whole book saying things like, "Why would Arthur say this? Why would Ford say that? Why would the Guide talk like this? Why did Marvin do this? When did Zaphod ever act like that?" And if I do, I'm sure I won't be the only one!

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"If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot now!"

-- Zaphod Beeblebrox

-- Wrestling is a spectacle all right. But believe it or not, some of the most devoted fans are highly intelligent people

My thoughts on the matter.

If the book is good, hey, that's cool and unexpected.

If the book sucks, oh, well, I still have my old ones.

That was pretty much how I went into the movie, as well.

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The truth ain't like puppies. A bunch of 'em running around, you pick your favorite.

There's nothing funny about a plastic vagina.

The Epic Project. It happened. Way too late.

My thoughts exactly, Joe. That's why I feel the mud-slinging a bit premature - we haven't even seen the material yet. It is true that the concept is very bad and even pointless, but as we will still have the freedom of choice after it's published, I see no point in considering this 'devastating news'. I think I'll read it, but I must admit, I probably won't be able to judge it entirely objectively.

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Sir Humphrey: With Trident we could obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe.
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You can't be a successful dictator and design women's underclothing. - Bertram Wooster, The Code of the Woosters

Thanks, AJ, that pretty much summed up my first thoughts when reading this thread.

From a "DNA didn't write it" point of view, I do not see very much difference between a new book on one hand and/or a new movie/TV series/ computer game/whatever on the other hand. More new material in a new book of course, but already the movie throwed away sereval favourite parts from the earlier versions of the story and replaced it with other new stuff. So my first and very unsentimental thought was just "Intersesting". If it adds something memrable to the story, then great! If not, then we'll just forget about it. So I see no harm in that guy trying to make a sequel. Either I'll like the end result, or I won't like it and then forget about it. No harm in trying if he really wants to. (I'm sure he relizes that he has a tough job ahead of him if he wants the novel to be successful.) Well enough said by me now on this subject. I just wanted to add something somewhat less negative to yhis thread.

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Niklas
Thanks to Claire for the artwork.

How true. We have two here that have made it know that they posted somewhat negative responses, and obviously both have been deleted. This makes me hate the whole thing, including Mr. Colfer, that much more. Media manipulation is no way to win fans.

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www.nocandyasses.com

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."--H.L. Mencken

www.campaignforliberty.com

Would you feel the same if this fellow was writing a new P.G. Wodehouse book?

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This has been another random act of nonsense.

If this whole thing was in aid of Save the Rhino or the Gorilla fund or something, I think we could all have rallied round, but this is ridiculous.

Also I think James is not the fellow to bug about this deal. It's nothing to do with the Adams/Thrift family, Jane Belson calls the shots in the estate, fiercly supported, I should imagine, by the purple bearded agent Ed Victor.

So let's keep james out of it, mmmkay?

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Before long now, I'll reach the age where farting will be an essential part of propulsion.
(...don't piss us off)

If James doesn't want to comment on it, we will certainly not force him to. And I think that we all understand that he is not to blame.

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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

-H.L. Mencken


[url]http://www.madmanoz.blogspot.com[/url]

Exactly. We blame eric.

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So long...etc.

Would I read it? Absolutely! Would I try to judge it objectively? Absolutely! Would I fail? Absolutely!
But the two scenerios are actually pretty different - in this case a writer will continue a series of books and not mimic the style of a writer, if he was writing a Wodehouse-book, he'd have to mimic the style for there rarely is any story worth continuing (meaning: I love Wodehouse-books but for their style not for their plots!).
But I do agree, it is pointless to write a H2G2 book that's not written in Douglas' style, all I'm saying is that let's read it first and then say that Colfer's an idiot and the book sucks.

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Sir Humphrey: With Trident we could obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe.
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You can't be a successful dictator and design women's underclothing. - Bertram Wooster, The Code of the Woosters

There's no way I'm going to give Penguin any money for their book. They're in a win win situation if we all buy it just so we can say it's crap. Steal it or get it from the library is the thing to do.

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Her mouth opened, her eyes patients, the variety of age and constitution as a pullets egg, with some gobbits of fat, and the heavy sand.

(... don't piss us off)

And another thing: is And Another Thing... the final title? Because that sucks! (I know most people will say that there are more things about this project that suck, but I mean, accepting all the suckiness of the situation, that still sucks!)

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Sir Humphrey: With Trident we could obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can't be a successful dictator and design women's underclothing. - Bertram Wooster, The Code of the Woosters

The And Another Thing title irks me because THAT is stolen from Steve Jobs...AKA CEO of Apple. It's his trade mark line at the end of product announcements when he's about to "matter of factly" reveal the big surprise.

As much as DNA loved Apple products, it's a bit uncreative to use that as a title.

But again, maybe I'm just reading(!) into this a bit too much.

I've thought about it, and really, at this point, anything anyone writes or creates, including the movie, is an afterthought. Without DNA's involvement, it just someone who got permission to take his characters and make them his own. It just reduces the whole creation to a simple, commercial, copyright. That's the travesty.

For my own peace of mind, I'm just going to try and think of it as Michelangelo's David and all those little plastic David's in the gift shop, you all know who made the plastic ones.

I need another drink.

I go missing for a couple of days and this is what i come home with?

First thought reading about this: Wow.

Maybe if this Colfer guy wrote a book completely with his own ideas and characters and make some references to the h2g2 characters then that would be fine, i think.

I have so many thoughts going through my head right now that i don't know where to start. But then again, most of them has already been stated.

I need a drink.

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WWJD... for a Klondike bar?

Here you go,

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 six 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.

Here are a few nice quotes:

Moderator: <Chauffeur> to <Moderator>: Shall we get the obvious question out of the way. Dont hate me for asking but... whats the future of the hitchiker series

DouglasAdams: Hitchhiker... well, there's the movie, of course, which is my next big project. A Caravan/Disney production. I'm writing the SP, Jay Roach (of Austin Powers fame) is directing. Watch for it to arrive in summer 2000. I probably will do a sixth novel one day, but not yet.

MajorVictory (PRODIGY Member)
Any plans on a new HGTTG book

Douglas Adams (Speaker)
No. I don't have a specific plan, but in fact i probably have enough material for a whole other hitchhiker's book. I may well do it one day. The last book was written during a bad period in my life and is therefore bleak and I'm somewhat disinclined to leave it on that note.

Adams: The thing with Dirk was that I felt I had lost contact with that character, I couldn't make that book viable, which is why I said, "Okay, let's go off and do something else." Then looking back at all the ideas that were there in Salmon of Doubt, I looked at it again about a year later and suddenly realised what it was that I'd been getting wrong, which was that these are essentially much more like Hitch-Hiker ideas and not like Dirk Gently ideas.

So, there will come a point I suspect at some point in the future where I will write a sixth Hitch-Hiker book. But I kind of want to do that in an odd kind of way because people have said, quite rightly, that Mostly Harmless is a very bleak book. And it was a bleak book. The reason for that is very simple—I was having a lousy year, for all sorts of personal reasons that I don't want to go into, I just had a thoroughly miserable year, and I was trying to write a book against that background. And, guess what, it was a rather bleak book!

I would love to finish Hitch-Hiker on a slightly more upbeat note, so five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number. I think that a lot of the stuff which was originally in Salmon of Doubt, was planned into Salmon of Doubt and really wasn't working, I think could be yanked out and put together some new thoughts.




Thanks

Robert

I think you just proved my point.

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This has been another random act of nonsense.

I would just like to take time out to thank Scratch. I had decided I would check out the book just out of idle curiosity but I was not particularly anxious about spending thirty-five dollars on a HHGG book which is not even written by the person who's supposed to write it and which. Scratch suggested a few posts ago that he would get it out of the library and that's what I think I'm going to do. I'll save some bread that way.

However, does anyone think we would have given this project the benefit of the doubt if Ms. Belson had approved someone like Neil Gaiman or John Lloyd to do the book? My mind is not changed about this sixth book, I'm still pessimistic, I'm just asking.

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"If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot now!"

-- Zaphod Beeblebrox

-- Wrestling is a spectacle all right. But believe it or not, some of the most devoted fans are highly intelligent people

I don't think it matters. I mean, we could understand why they would be chosen due to their connections to Adams. But I would still think it would be a bad idea.

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This has been another random act of nonsense.

Oh I missed that part, and it sounds worrying indeed, in a probably unavoidable way, because if he wants to write a good book he must do it his own style, not trying to mimic DNA style. I do not know what that style is, but indead, there's not much point in trying to write good or bad things about it without first reading the book. But certainly it's a "risky" book to write. Big risk that people who have read the HHGTTG books (who else would read this book?) just gets disappointed and wonders 'who asked for this?'

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Niklas
Thanks to Claire for the artwork.

But they said that when they read so long and mostly harmless too.

Interesting. From where are those quotes?

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Niklas
Thanks to Claire for the artwork.

Maybe it was offered to them but out of decency they both turned it down.

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Her mouth opened, her eyes patients, the variety of age and constitution as a pullets egg, with some gobbits of fat, and the heavy sand.

(... don't piss us off)

http://web.archive.org/web/200208031557 ... nachat.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/200206052349 ... Adams.html

I heard an interview with Colfer on NPR, where the interviewer said she was a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of DNA (Colfer amusingly said that he was most impressed by the third huge) and she asked many of these questions: "Why", for example (which he didn't really answer directly) and also the one above that Scratch asked.

His reply that was that if someone tried to write an Artemis Fowl while he was still alive he would disapprove, as that would be "cheeky." He also said that he wouldn't mind some one doing it after he was dead "as long as they are good."

Other than that, he didn't really say anything in the interview that hadn't already been said in print.

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I'm just here

The interview can be heard here.

He evades the questions very well. Again, the question of "why" is unresolved. If he's taking Douglas' characters and writing new adventures for them, then why can he not just create his own characters and write a new series?

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This has been another random act of nonsense.

Now this is an attitude I like. I wonder if they've done their homework
on this, though. Is it possible they have no idea what a large percentage
of the fan base will want nothing to do with it? How much success can it
really have when a majority of it's core audience doesn't even want to
see it published let alone shell out any hard-earned cash for the thing?


I hope it's like an SEP for me. So I can't even see it when I walk into
the bookstore.

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Steal Compass. Drive North. Disappear.

twitter: @kensocrates