New Hitchhiker's novel?

[skenderberg]

I know I'm late to this party, but my 2 cents:

1) Eoin Colfer writes an exciting junior James Bond-ish fairy tale, but he sucks as a humorist.  His books are like brainless Hollywood 'splosion movies, fun but stupid.  As far as I'm concerned, he can have Adams' world and characters, but they won't do him any good because...

2) Adams' world and characters are shallow and nonsensical.  Adams' genius lies in the way he manipulates the English language for a laugh.  I can't think of a single living humorist that even comes close.  (Pratchett is almost as funny, and he tells a much better story, but his style is fundamentally different.)  Colfer hasn't a hope of emulating Adams.

[bratpop]

I like how they've come up with the title first, and then commissioned someone to write it.

Why the fuck would the guy do it if it "terrified" him? I'd love to write a Hitchhiker's book. Give me the job. I can go off on tangents about stuff like the dickens. Not Charles Dickens, that would be highly inappropriate.

[bratpop]

Now Adams's widow, Jane Belson, has given her approval to bring back the hapless Arthur Dent in a new book entitled And Another Thing...

[mrbasehart]

Now Adams's widow, Jane Belson, has given her approval to bring back the hapless Arthur Dent in a new book entitled And Another Thing...

Well, it's not like it gives away any specifics or anything.  It doesn't say "Marvin's Happy Fun Time with Santa" or some other such abomination.

[bratpop]

Er, but that makes it even more bizarre. Why come up with an arbitrary title for a book that hasn't been written? It's not like it was Douglas' dying wish that somebody write another HHGG book under this title. Besides... what an awful title to start over with. I mean if it was "Life, The Universe, And Everything" followed by "And Another Thing," I'd get the joke. As it is, it sounds like a book by Andy Rooney.

[Kzinistzerg]

I know I'm late to this party, but my 2 cents:

1) Eoin Colfer writes an exciting junior James Bond-ish fairy tale, but he sucks as a humorist.  His books are like brainless Hollywood 'splosion movies, fun but stupid.  As far as I'm concerned, he can have Adams' world and characters, but they won't do him any good because...

2) Adams' world and characters are shallow and nonsensical.  Adams' genius lies in the way he manipulates the English language for a laugh.  I can't think of a single living humorist that even comes close.  (Pratchett is almost as funny, and he tells a much better story, but his style is fundamentally different.)  Colfer hasn't a hope of emulating Adams.

as for 2), I'd like to point to Dave Barry, who is hilarious, and sorta....sorta the same thing. But even so, their styles are different. *sigh*

[Pak-Man]

I picked a copy of the new book up over the weekend. I'm only a few pages in, but I'm cautiously optimistic right now. Douglas Adams' wit seems to be nicely echoed. If we can get a good story told in addition to that wit, this will be a good book...

[Tripe]

I just noticed that had been published, I'll be interested to see your thoughts after finishing it.

[daltysmilth]

Imrahil, if you can't appreciate the subtle wit of Dave Barry, then you are, quite frankly, a booger brain.

Anyway, I wonder why no one has suggested Neil Gaiman as a successor to Douglas Adams.  He's got as much imagination as Adams and has just as much of a way with words, and his work on Good Omens proves he can be funny when he needs to be.  Plus he wrote a biography of Douglas Adams in the style of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.  I'd say that recommends him pretty well for the job.

[goflyblind]

good omens was just as much pratchett as it was gaiman. it would be hard to tell who the humour came from.

[Tripe]

Except by comparison with the texts of their other books.

Good Omens is much more similar to other works by Pratchett.

[PlayMSTie]

Dave Barry is just not very bright.  Also, "subtle" and "wit" are not words which characterize him or his work.

He's not TRYING to be subtle. Believe it or not, there's actually more than one type of humor in the world.

[daltysmilth]

Dave Barry is just not very bright.  Also, "subtle" and "wit" are not words which characterize him or his work.

He's not TRYING to be subtle. Believe it or not, there's actually more than one type of humor in the world.

Yeah, and have you ever read an interview with the man?  He's actually pretty smart.  The reason a lot of his humor is as broad as it is is because, as a newspaper columnist, he had to make his jokes appealing and understandable to the largest audience possible.  Try reading some of his more serious columns sometime.  Like his column about his son's trip to the hospital after a traffic accident, or the last time he saw his father before he died, or his article on first the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

[daltysmilth]

Dave Barry is just not very bright.  Also, "subtle" and "wit" are not words which characterize him or his work.

He's not TRYING to be subtle. Believe it or not, there's actually more than one type of humor in the world.

But the poster I'm replying to said that he has "subtle wit."  Take it up with him.

I was being facetious, while simultaneously trying to emulate Dave Barry's style of writing.  The fact that you missed that might serve as evidence that perhaps there is more subtlety to that style of humor than you give it credit for.

[PlayMSTie]

More Barry for me, then.