New Hitchhiker's novel?

[Kzinistzerg]

Read the new HHGTTG book. It's pretty good. Nothing as awesome as the originals but suitable to tie up loose ends.

[goflyblind]

what loose ends? the new earth got blowed up at the end of mostly harmless.

[Tripe]

The multiverse is big, really big, you just won't believe how hugely mindboggingly big it is...

[goflyblind]

but it's a long way down to the chemist. how much bigger could it possibly be?

[Tripe]

The trip to the chemists is just peanuts compared to the size of the multiverse, LISTEN ...

[Dr. Whopoopeepee]

Booo!  Unless they call it "Fan-Fiction" this idea would be an unspeakable horror, and an insult to Adams and fans of the real series.

[Tripe]

Booo!  Unless they call it "Fan-Fiction" this idea would be an unspeakable horror, and an insult to Adams and fans of the real series.

Adam's missus is of a differing opinion.

[Dr. Whopoopeepee]

Booo!  Unless they call it "Fan-Fiction" this idea would be an unspeakable horror, and an insult to Adams and fans of the real series.

Would be? It's published; you don't need to use the subjunctive.

However, I'll reserve judgment til I read it.

Yeah, I just noticed when this thread was started.  I had no idea the book was out already.  I'd be more likely to read the original series again, or some other Douglas Adams' work than this.  But you never know.

[Cosmic Muse]

Hmmmm.......I read a sample of this book on Amazon and I have to say that I was thoroughly unimpressed by it. I thought that Arthur, Ford and Random were written alright, if a little blander than Douglas Adams prose. But Zaphod....Douglas had molded the personality of the character after crazy American surfer types. (Just think of how Sam Rockwell portrayed the character in the movie.) The way he's written by this guy who is not Douglas Adams, he comes off as too British.

[FordPrefect]

Hmmmm.......I read a sample of this book on Amazon and I have to say that I was thoroughly unimpressed by it. I thought that Arthur, Ford and Random were written alright, if a little blander than Douglas Adams prose. But Zaphod....Douglas had molded the personality of the character after crazy American surfer types. (Just think of how Sam Rockwell portrayed the character in the movie.) The way he's written by this guy who is not Douglas Adams, he comes off as too British.

I haven't read the book yet, but it could be that the writer is trying to channel Mark Wing Davey more than Sam Rockwell. Mark Wing Davey was the british actor who played Zaphod in the radio and TV versions.

[Tripe]

Yeah Zaphod's not a surfer type, he more a Transatlantic  hipster/unspecified media-show business job type

[Cosmic Muse]

I haven't read the book yet, but it could be that the writer is trying to channel Mark Wing Davey more than Sam Rockwell. Mark Wing Davey was the british actor who played Zaphod in the radio and TV versions.

I suppose that's the author's preference, (Not that I'm bashing Mark Wing Davey's performance in the miniseries.) but like I said Douglas Adams based Zaphod more on bombastic Americans. I never read him as being particularly British.

[Tripe]

No, he originated the character, have you listened to the radio show?

Mark Wing Davey is Zaphod

[Cosmic Muse]

No, he originated the character, have you listened to the radio show?

Mark Wing Davey is Zaphod

Okay.  I listened to the Radio show yes but not until after I read the books. Thing is, and I say again, as Douglas Adams intended him to be, Zaphod was based upon American culture. In the books he's described as tanned and blond. The fact a British man was cast as Zaphod in the Radio Play has everything to do with geography. I'd say since the Radio play was British based they would hire 100% British actors.

[Tripe]

The radio shows came first. All that is in the books eaither is taken from the shows or is influenced by them (the specific actors performances and the like).

These people are the characters regardless of how they were originally conceived.

The Book: Peter Jones
Arthur Dent: Simon Jones
Ford Prefect: Geoffrey McGivern
Zaphod Beeblebrox: Mark Wing-Davey
Trillian: Susan Sheridan
Marvin the Paranoid Android: Stephen Moore

How these people played them shaped how they were portrayed subsequently. The best you can say for Rockwell is that he's doing a poor takeoff of Wing-Davey.

The fact a British man was cast as Zaphod in the Radio Play has everything to do with geography.

No, it doesn't, it has everything to do with theatrical connections. Zaphod is a parody of Americans (or actually, as I said earlier, Transatlantic types), having a British actor play him only helps with the parody aspect.

Listen to the sound of the foyer of Megadodo Publications, those aren't supposed to be Americans per se, but rather the sort of media peopl;e who affect an American accent due to the perceived Coolness in doing so.

Oh and Adams based Zaphod on a friend from Cambridge who, in his words

had that nervous sort of hyperenergetic way of trying to appear relaxed.

Now, I don't know the nationality of Johnny Simpson, and I don't have Don't Panic to hand to see if it states it or not*, but there's little there to suggest a surfer dude and much more to suggest the hipster/media bod sort of person.

*about page 200 or so if anyone want's to take a look.