How does everyone here feel about a new author taking over a book series?

[JoeBentley]

The newest Hitchhiker Book, and the first one written by someone other then Douglas Adams, hit the shelves today and I'm wondering how everyone feels about things like this, both this specific case and in general?

I'll probably give it a try, and the new guy is an established and well respected author, but I'm not sure if anyone other then Adams can really nail down that style.

[SmallTownKid]

The very first thing that popped into my head was the wonderful young adult novels Brad from Georgia wrote using John Bellairs' characters and setting. I first read those back in middle school and even then I was impressed with how well the author kept the tone of the series. I still love them.

So, the continuation of a series can be done well. As for Adams, well, it could go either way. I would be willing to read the other author's continuation. If I don't like it, I'll ignore the rest of it.

[Artemis]

Terribly. What's the point? It's their book series. What made it great wasn't just the character and the plot--it was that that author had his/her own style.

[Insensible Crier]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Terribly. What's the point? It's their book series. What made it great wasn't just the character and the plot--it was that that author had his/her own style.

It's still possible that the new author, with a new and different style, can still be enjoyable.

[A Turtle Named Mack]

I don't think even Douglas Adams was that effective continuing his series. The first few rewritings of the initial story - from radio play, to TV script, to book, were done well, and the movie script was pretty good, although it drew in elements of other books as well. But the later books, particularly after the third, became more straight-ahead tales that were strange but lacked the far-out sci-fi-spoof character that the original had.

[blucanary]

The first book from The Wheel of Time to be published after Robert Jordan's death comes out in a few weeks. But I've met the author who is taking over and I've read the first few chapters, and he's done a lot to get the feel of the series without trying to mimic Jordan's style. I know a lot of fans are nervous about it, and he get nasty letters and comments online about it all the time. But in the end this is what Jordan wanted. He wanted the story that was his life's work to be finished and left extensive notes in order for someone else to finish it.

Now the Hitchhiker books are another story. I don't see that we needed another one. It's kind of how Tolkien's son keeps putting out more material. It feels more like he's cashing in on the popularity.

[Beachlife!]

I guess I'm willing to give it a try.

One of my favorite authors, Gary Jennings, spawned three books sense his death. They are written by his former editor and another writer using his notes as a basis. In that case, I appreciate the continuation of the story and don't feel a big difference in the writing.

I had the privledge of meeting Douglas Adams and hearing him read from Hitchhiker's Guide many years ago. This was something I still cherish. I think that he did seem to lose his a bit way in his later writings. I think most of his unfinished work was published in "Salmon of Doubt" which makes me think that the new book is made out of whole cloth.

[MidgardDragon]

If the story's good it's good. Doesn't matter who the author is or if that author changed and the story continued to be good.

[Jay Tea]

Wouldn't even consider reading it, personally, no good can come from this sort of thing. Douglas 'was' the Guide, always will be and there can be no replicating it.

[Dropbear]

Originally Posted by blucanary

The first book from The Wheel of Time to be published after Robert Jordan's death comes out in a few weeks. But I've met the author who is taking over and I've read the first few chapters, and he's done a lot to get the feel of the series without trying to mimic Jordan's style.

I read the first chapter online and the difference in style was very noticeable. Within a couple of paragraphs it was very clear it was a different writer. It wasn't bad - I quite like Sanderson's writing - but it was a bit of a jar - especially given the 11 previous books got the reader very accustomed to a particular pattern. I think it would have been worse though for him to try to copy Jordan's style.

But in the end this is what Jordan wanted. He wanted the story that was his life's work to be finished and left extensive notes in order for someone else to finish it.

This is key I think - there is a difference between the author finishing a series and dying and then someone else coming along wanting to make cash off it and an incomplete series being finished off in a manner respectful of the author's wishes.

Originally Posted by MidgardDragon

If the story's good it's good. Doesn't matter who the author is or if that author changed and the story continued to be good.

Its not just the story though - the writing has got to be good as well. Good (or potentially good) stories get destroyed by bad writing all the time. just as terrible stories can be saved by terrific writing.

Dropbear

[Menolly]

I agree that it's possible to have a different writer, along with a different writing style, take on an established book series and produce an enjoyable read. Personally, what I'm looking for is to have the new writer have very similar writing talent and vision for the series that the original author had. That said, I'm going to wait until JoeB gives us his review on the new Hitchhikers book.

Anne McCaffrey's son, Todd, has written a few Dragonriders of Pern books, but he has taken offshoot stories with not that many pages devoted to the long-standing characters his mother created in the series. He chose to incorporate new characters and types of storylines. That is working for me. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have tried writing a prequel to Dune using main characters from the series. They missed on some of the facts of the characters as well as having them act 'out of character', if you will. This is not working for me.

[JoeBentley]

Eion Colfer (best known for the Artemis Fowl series) apparently has the blessing of Douglas Adam's widow for this new Hitchhiker book.

I mean Terry Jone's Starship Titanic was set in the Hitchhiker's universe and wasn't that bad.

[Ana Ng]

It didn't matter much for the V.C. Andrews books...

I'd be skeptical about someone taking over for Douglas Adams, though.

[blucanary]

Originally Posted by Dropbear

I read the first chapter online and the difference in style was very noticeable. Within a couple of paragraphs it was very clear it was a different writer. It wasn't bad - I quite like Sanderson's writing - but it was a bit of a jar - especially given the 11 previous books got the reader very accustomed to a particular pattern. I think it would have been worse though for him to try to copy Jordan's style.
Dropbear

Oh yes, I never meant to say you can't hear Sanderson's voice. There's also great chunks of the rest of the book that were written before his death. I'm personally looking forward to seeing the end. I'm a big fan of Sanderson, since I discovered him after Jim's death.

This is key I think - there is a difference between the author finishing a series and dying and then someone else coming along wanting to make cash off it and an incomplete series being finished off in a manner respectful of the author's wishes.

I'm on staff for Jordan Con, and back in April Harriet and Wilson brought a tape of Jordan dictating the scene from the prologue. It was recorded days before his death. It was so moving to hear and you could tell all he really wanted was his story to be known. You're right that makes all the difference.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Insensible Crier

It's still possible that the new author, with a new and different style, can still be enjoyable.

If they're really that good, then can't they just write their own books? I tend to roll my eyes at unauthorized sequels like the one to Rebecca or Gone With the Wind. What I want from the original author is the style--not just someone else using the same words and character names.

[me, no really]

My problem with the Hitchhiker's books is that the tone of the last one is very much "OK, now I'm a bit sick of this whole hitchhiker's thing, so I'll give you this one last book just to shut you all up, and make sure there can never ever be another one no matter how much you beg". I really get the idea that Douglas was trying relly hard to shut the door on the series for ever, and yet somebody is going to do it anyway.

me

[Linnea]

I got it today, and about 1/4 of the way through I'm still not too sure what to think. I'm not loving it, but I'm not hating it.

[Brad from Georgia]

Personally, I love the whole idea. I think it should happen a lot more often.

Of course, at the request of the author's son, I have continued the series begun by the late John Bellairs for many years now.

[Brad from Georgia]

How did I miss this? Many thanks, SmallTownKid!

Originally Posted by SmallTownKid

The very first thing that popped into my head was the wonderful young adult novels Brad from Georgia wrote using John Bellairs' characters and setting. I first read those back in middle school and even then I was impressed with how well the author kept the tone of the series. I still love them.

So, the continuation of a series can be done well. As for Adams, well, it could go either way. I would be willing to read the other author's continuation. If I don't like it, I'll ignore the rest of it.

[DemonWolf]

I think that it depends on who the authors in question are. I doubt that I could write a sequel to, say, Huck Finn. His style and my own are not similar and I have very little knowlege of growing up in antebellum Mississippi. It is, however, one of my favorite stories.