The Hitch Hiker Trilogy by Douglas Adams. Now even more innacurate…

[Baz]

A new book due, and not by Adams.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7619828.stm

Anyone read any books by this guy? I have a bad feeling about this…

Topic

[Tyrell Corporation]

A horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible idea.

[Ian Symes]

FUCK OFF

[Dave]

Mostly Aimless

[TheLeen]

I don’t like it. I don’t like it one. bit.

[Phil]

>Mostly Aimless

Oh fucking yes.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

It’ll probably be better than Mostly Harmless.

[Phil]

True story: when I was younger I wrote Douglas Adams a fan letter. I didn’t send many of those, but I loved his books. Particularly I loved Mostly Harmless (it’s been years since I read it, but I did genuinely think it was great at the time).

In my letter to him I told him Mostly Harmless was my favorite.

He replied with an autographed photo of himself (which I still have, if I even need to point that out) and a letter. I assumed I’d get a form letter if I got anything at all, but what it said was, “Mostly Harmless is your favorite? I think you’re out on a limb there.” (That wasn’t the entirety of the letter, but it’s all I can remember off-hand.)

I still get a little thrill from knowing that Douglas Adams read something I wrote…even if that something was a crappy little fan letter I wrote as a kid. Evidently he took the time to write back personally to as many letters as he could, as his way of giving back to the fans. What a great guy.

[Jonathan Capps]

“My first reaction was semi-outrage that anyone should be allowed to tamper with this incredible series,” he said.

“But on reflection I realised that this is a wonderful opportunity to work with characters I have loved since childhood and give them something of my own voice while holding on to the spirit of Douglas Adams.”

My God, could there ever be a more obvious and vomit worthy quote?

[Phil]

I just wrote my own version of Hitchhiker 6:

CHAPTER ONLY
The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village. In walked some idiot.

“Hello!” the idiot said. “I’d like you to write another Hitchhiker book.”

“No thanks,” I said. “There’s already one shitty novel in that series and it doesn’t need another.”

THE END FOREVER

[Jonathan Capps]

> ?No thanks,? I said. ?There?s already one shitty novel in that series and it doesn?t need another.?

OOOOOOOOOOOH. Wrong.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

Absolutely.

There’s at least two.

[Phil]

There’s only one, and if my mem’ry serves me well it ain’t Mostly Harmless.

[Jonathan Capps]

Some books can only be accused of the crime of doing something different, but none of them are bad.

[Seb Patrick]

Three is my least favourite; I think four and five get an unfair rep. Four, in particular, is wonderful, if slight.

Phil : your letter story is brilliant. Have you kept it? When I was in primary school we all wrote letters to Roald Dahl and got individual replies. It was about a year before he died. I LOST MINE. I’ve never forgiven my stupid, child self.

Anyway, (lots) more from me on this here, so no need to repeat myself : http://noisetosignal.org/2008/09/the-graverobbers-guide-to-the-galaxy

[Phil]

>Some books can only be accused of the crime of doing something different, but none of them are bad.

Fuck you for bringing logic to this discussion. My “shitty” above was certainly an exaggeration…I suppose I should have used “disappointing.”

>Phil : your letter story is brilliant. Have you kept it?

The answer is yes, I kept it…but I’m not absolutely positive I STILL have it. I’ll check when I go home tonight. I have a vague memory of keeping it in the frame behind the photo so that I wouldn’t lose it. If I do have it, I’ll take a picture of both (I’ve got no scanner…) and post them up.

>When I was in primary school we all wrote letters to Roald Dahl and got individual replies. It was about a year before he died. I LOST MINE.

Wow, what a shame. Maybe you’ll find it at some point…even so, it’s awesome enough that you received a reply. I love it when people do that. I don’t EXPECT it of famous people, but of course it’s refreshing to see somebody keep the common touch.

[hummingbird]

Oh God. The thought of 6th book is quite depressing.
Not even Douggie could sustain it for 5.

[Jo]

When I was in primary school we all wrote letters to Roald Dahl and got individual replies. It was about a year before he died. I LOST MINE. I?ve never forgiven my stupid, child self.

I wrote to Raymond Briggs and Spike Milligan when I was in primary school as part of a school project. I got handwritten letters back from both of them – I have no idea what happened to them though. I know how you feel Seb, I’ve never forgiven my child self for this carelessness :o(

[mick]

OH MY FUCKING JEBUS NO!

On a remotely related note I just finished Salmon of Doubt for the first time, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so emotional reading a book, from actually crying to laughing out loud, awesome.

[Smeg4Brains]

I’ve only read the first two so far. I’m going to reserve judgement on a new book till i’ve read it…as far as i know it’ll be hilarious.

[ChrisM]

I liked all the hitchhiker guide books, although the last least of all.

As for the new book, I’m prepared to give him a chance. I’d like it better if it were at least partly based on Adam’s notes, but I’m not sure he left any. He did plan on writing another book however.

[locusceruleus]

Money has a lot of shit entries in great franchises to answer for.

[pfm]

Let’s just correct this, shall we?

“My first reaction was semi-outrage that anyone should be allowed to tamper with this incredible series,” he said.

“But on reflection I realised that…I was gonna be paid for this so I thought ‘fuck it’.”

[locusceruleus]

This is an awfully tacky idea. Douglas Adams’ narrative voice was so distinctive and gave the Hitchhiker books so much of their flavour that it won’t possibly work without that style. And as for someone else self-consciously writing in Adams’ style, well…isn’t that just taking the piss?

[Seb Patrick]

Jo : we rep Raymond Briggs, so I could ask his agent if we could get you another letter, if you want ;-)

[Zombie Jim Undead]

Thinking about it…the last similar venture where somebody was commissioned to write in the spirit of Adams was “Starship Titanic”….and that was a massive pile of gypsy shit.

[Dave]

>”Starship Titanic??.and that was a massive pile of gypsy shit

With Kylie in it.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

Ha. Not THAT Starship Titanic.

[Seb Patrick]

Fun fact – Starship Titanic was the title of that episode for ages, and RTD only found out about the game when he was looking online for info about the real Titanic!

(yes, I’ve got an early copy of the RTD book, and yes, it’s brilliant)

[mick]

>Thinking about it?the last similar venture where somebody was commissioned to write in the spirit of Adams was ?Starship Titanic??.and that was a massive pile of gypsy shit.

You should make it clear to peeps not in the know that you are referring to the dire novelization and not the absolutely fantastic computer game ;)

[Zombie Jim Undead]

I am referring to the dire novelization and not the absolutely fantastic computer game.

:)

[Phil]

That fucking computer game had a glitch in it that prevented me from getting more than about halfway through it. I’ve never been able to see the rest of the damn game. There was some point during which you needed to get a roast chicken from a vending machine or something, and for the life of me I couldn’t do it. I eventually consulted a strategy guide or a walkthrough and found out that it was just a problem with the game. I’d get the chicken but it wouldn’t show up in my inventory, so I couldn’t use it later.

Douglas, if you’re reading this, I want half my money back.

[Ben Paddon]

My default setting is Cautious Optimism.

[Jonsmad]

News of new Red Dwarf Specials confirmed today, and then this post about a hitch hikers book 6 written by someone else. I feel like i’ve just received the best tender blow job ever, and then imediately afterwards been whacked in the knackers with a pointy sledge hammer.

Even if Fry was writing this or Dirk Maggs, it would still be the worst idea ever,
to do another novel.

It’s coming out in October they say. If they have any care about adams previous work at all then it should be hugely delayed, hopefully for as long as the great profit zarquon. Sadly it must be a different profit they are interested in though.

[Zombie Jim Undead]

If Stephen Fry was writing it I’d be officially excited.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

>If Stephen Fry was writing it I?d be officially excited.

This is probably the only way I could ever get excited about this book. He’s just about the only author I can think of with a sharp enough ear for language and precise enough comic timing.

…Well, maybe if Terry Pratchett tried it he could pull off something great. It wouldn’t be at all like Adams’ work, but it’d be great. But I don’t think he would, and I dunno if Stephen Fry would either–he has a lot of respect for Douglas Adams’ work and his memory.

[Author]

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