Eoin Colfer to write sixth Hitchhiker's Guide book

I'm not familiar with his work, but this could be a very good thing...

Or the worst thing ever.

Yeah, I'm not sure this is necessary. If the dude's gotta hankerin', he can write his own wacky sci-fi comedy thing. No need to resurrect the Guide series.

Personally, I like the way the series devolved into existential polemic toward the end...

Well, he was approached to do it by Adams' widow. And the spirit of the series has always involved its many different adaptations and such (the radio version came before the book, after all). How could you turn it down?

My thing is more, Adams was one of the most brilliant comedic writers of his generation... Is the "Artemis Fowl" dude the best choice for that? Is anyone? Sure it sucks that Adams died so young, but he did. Just let it be.

Not sure I could. Doesn't make it a good idea.

Still, I'm sure I'll end up reading it.

I'd love a Neil Gaiman sequel.

He's (intentionally) funny?

Have you read his novels? Fat Charlie Nancy in "Anansi Boys" is like a cousin to Arthur Dent.

I've only read his Sandman stuff.

Ah. Well that would explain the "not funny" part. Check out "Anansi Boys" and "American Gods" sometime. They're very Adams-esque. And, if he was a novelist, I'd dig a Zach Helm (writer of Stranger Than Fiction) take on the series.

I....I don't know about this.

I call

Maybe Terry Pratchett. He could possibly pull off a Hitchhiker's book.

Maybe if you Brundlefly'D John Cleese and Richard Dawkins together...

Oh, you get me so hot when you talk like that.

I'd like to combine Eric Idle and Richard Dawson.

Well, there goes that erection.

Just to add: Adams was writing a Sixth book before his death - he was unhappy with the downbeat ending of the series.

Presumably, this will be based upon his unfinished work.
I hope.


Cos I will be very mardassy if he messes it up.

*Loves Mostly Harmless above all others*

Probably says a lot about me to some Psych student.

I'll read this book right after I get around to reading the Brian Herbert Dune and Christopher Tolkein Middle Earth books.

I thought that unfinished book was part of "The Salmon of Doubt," and that it was halfway a Dirk Gently book...

bait successful

Christopher Tolkien has always only considered himself to be an editor... eh, LotR is a retcon-fest anyway

It was (Rather, I know that it was a Dick Gently) originally, but he was.. "converting it" I guess you could say.

I'd only buy that "editor" explination if he were giving all of the money he makes off of his father to his father's favorite charities...



I'm pretty sure that Brian Herbert claims something similar, "Oh, I'm working off of my father's old notes and certainly not sponging off of his creativity since I lack any of my own."

Hey, the books may blow, but at least they're actually doing something with the family legacy they've been given, unlike those crook descendants of Siegel and Shuster who are getting money for having absolutely nothing to do with Superman other than being related to the guys that created him and sold him fair and square.

x forever and ever.

While I would welcome the idea of another HitchHiker book I wonder if it's even possible for another author to capture the same tone and sense of coherent bizareness that Douglas Adams had. If it was just a matter of trimming an almost finished product it would be different, but a whole new story from some other dude has me concerned. I'll end up getting it from the library or something.


Not that it's going to make me read them at all ...

the only non-Tolkien Tolkien book I really tried to read was The Silmarillion... "accessible" is not a word I would use for it (or for most / all of the post-Tolkien stuff). I think there's a reason why this stuff was only in notes form / unpublished.

(In fact, I remember reading once that Tolkien originally wanted to publish The Silmarillion first, but was dissuaded from doing so when a colleague told him that it read like the Old Testament.)

Actually, The Old testament is a 1000000000000 x more exciting read than "The Silmarillion".

The Silmarillion totally had Ancalagon.

I hope it makes his widow a lot of money.

I'm sure I'll read it. It may even be good.

It will however, not be what the rest of the guide is.

It will hopefully be a good book.


(is not sure what to say about this, supposes it would be like a religious person being told their holy book was being augmented and added to by a random yahoo. Oh... right, Sorry.)

Just so long as you don't panic.

I had a reeeally hard time with the middle bit of that book. As in, everything that wasn't the very beginning or the very end. The creation myth was cool, and the LotR backstory at the end was super cool, but in between... oy.

H R I N

I will read it, but It won't be Hitchhikers to me.

FWIW I prefered what they did at the end of the Radio series to give it a happy ending and tying up plot holes (like what happened to Fenchurch, Zaphod et all. Seeing how the third radio series onwards was based on the novels I view that as the proper ending to the Hitchhikers trilogy of 5. It just gave a feeling of satisfaction that at the end of all the turmoil for Arthur from the end of So long and thanks for all the fish he ultimately found happiness.