New Authors with Old Characters.

[Andy in Sig]

I've just read something on another thread which mentioned that an author is to be commissioned to continue Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series of books. If it's done well, it will be brilliant, if not, it will flop so I suppose one can't complain.

It did however get me thinking that the same could happen with other authors, particularly Tolkein as he has sketched out material which would fill many volumes if given a treatment in LOTR detail. That would probably be a project for his son to "research" the histories and then a suitably gifted writer to tell the stories in the familiar vein. Could it be a goer?

 

[Melvil]

Stephen Baxter did a terrific job with 'The Time Ships' - his sequel to HG Wells' 'The Time Machine' (at last IMO) so I think this kind of thing can work, if enough effort is put in.

 

[Arch]

I've just read something on another thread which mentioned that an author is to be commissioned to continue Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series of books. If it's done well, it will be brilliant, if not, it will flop so I suppose one can't complain.

It did however get me thinking that the same could happen with other authors, particularly Tolkein as he has sketched out material which would fill many volumes if given a treatment in LOTR detail. That would probably be a project for his son to "research" the histories and then a suitably gifted writer to tell the stories in the familiar vein. Could it be a goer?

oh, please, not MORE LOTR!

No, I know, I wouldn't have to read it...

It's been done with the Lord Peter Whimsy mysteries, a completed book Dorothy L Sayers left unfinished and a new one based on letters she wrote. As a fan, I've read both and they were OK, but not quite the same. I guess they wouldn't be, or it might end up too much like a parody.

Not sure about the Hitch Hikers stuff. I think those characters had run out of steam a bit anyway and I'm not sure where else they could go....

 

[Tetedelacourse]

John Gardner did fine with Bond too by the same tolkein (badoom-chshhh) but by then they were practically film scripts anyway and not much to do with character development.

 

[papercorn2000]

I've just read something on another thread which mentioned that an author is to be commissioned to continue Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series of books. If it's done well, it will be brilliant, if not, it will flop so I suppose one can't complain.

It did however get me thinking that the same could happen with other authors, particularly Tolkein as he has sketched out material which would fill many volumes if given a treatment in LOTR detail. That would probably be a project for his son to "research" the histories and then a suitably gifted writer to tell the stories in the familiar vein. Could it be a goer?

See the pile of stodge that is The Silmarillion!

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Yeah, although I thought Fish's solo stuff was not bad.

 

[papercorn2000]

Boom, tish!

 

[Andy in Sig]

See the pile of stodge that is The Silmarillion!

I really like the Silmarillion written in that semi-archaic style (well not so much the first chapter). Anyway that was by Tolkein so it doesn't count on this thread.

 

[Dayvo]

It was done years ago with Ian Fleming being 'replaced' by 'Robert Markham'!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Sun

 

[marinyork]

The first four in the trilogy were great, the fifth was of a lower standard than the others. Not really sure after the 5th where things can be taken in a high standard point of view.

Expanded famous material is a strange one, so I find melvil's comments interesting. One of the most complained about book's I've ever encountered is Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman which was a sequel to Rebecca.

 

[mds101]

I read about the hitch hikers thing today and thought that as some of the principles behind the book remain the same the new guy could probably freshen the characters up a little. I've read some of his other books and while mainly aimed at children (honest I read them to/with my son) they are quite funny.

LOTR....I think the new(ish) Children of Hurin by Christopher Tolkein (and someone else) using JRR's notes?

 

[Andy in Sig]

Children of Hurin certainly worked well although I believe the vast bulk of it was written by JRR Tolkein. I was thinking more of the massive stories he hinted at in The Silmarillion.

 

[jonesy]

I really like the Silmarillion written in that semi-archaic style (well not so much the first chapter). ...

I hope you aren't suggesting that the universe wasn't created by the Music of the Ainur, that were the offspring of the thought of Illuvatar? After all, you can't prove that Illuvatar doesn't exist...

 

[jonesy]

Children of Hurin certainly worked well although I believe the vast bulk of it was written by JRR Tolkein. I was thinking more of the massive stories he hinted at in The Silmarillion.

A rather depressing story though...

Actually I'm glad he left it at the LOTR. I'm not sure the more myth-like stories in the Sillmarillion would have worked if turned into a more conventional novel. In the LOTR, magic, the gods and great supernatural powers mostly remain the background (we never actually meet Sauron for example) while most of the story is about basically ordinary people struggling across mountains, deserts, marshes etc; most of the battles and heroes involve normal weapons rather than overtly magical powers etc wheras in the Silmarillion they are fighting a renegade Valar and the story ends with a continent-destroying battle between the godlike beings, which would be much harder for people to relate to than Frodo and Sam selflessly struggling up a mountain. (Cue FM with a suitably pompous comment about Tolkien fans! )

 

[Andy in Sig]

A rather depressing story though...

Actually I'm glad he left it at the LOTR. I'm not sure the more myth-like stories in the Sillmarillion would have worked if turned into a more conventional novel. In the LOTR, magic, the gods and great supernatural powers mostly remain the background (we never actually meet Sauron for example) while most of the story is about basically ordinary people struggling across mountains, deserts, marshes etc; most of the battles and heroes involve normal weapons rather than overtly magical powers etc wheras in the Silmarillion they are fighting a renegade Valar and the story ends with a continent-destroying battle between the godlike beings, which would be much harder for people to relate to than Frodo and Sam selflessly struggling up a mountain. (Cue FM with a suitably pompous comment about Tolkien fans! )

Indeed a sad story. The odd thing is though that although I normally avoid tragedies like the plague (what's the point of reading about people's lives going wrong?) I really enjoyed that one as it said a lot about the nature of badness.

I don't agree with the second bit because I think that the Silmarillion contains about at least a dozen stories which could be done on an LOTR scale, for instance the stuff leading up to the big battles, the stories of Gondolin and the other place (Nagothrond?) etc. They just need somebody to come up with the necessary extra characters and sub-plots etc.