I’m glad I have my towel with me today (naturally I always carry one) as James Bacon sends us a link to Hitchhiker’s Guide site ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha (if you need an explanation for that name you’re obviously not a fan of the Guide). You might recall some months ago Penguin told us that bestselling author Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl) was writing the officially sanctioned new entry in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, essentially a sixth book in the late Douglas Adams’ ‘trilogy’; ZZ9 now has the first look at the cover art:
I’ve been really unsure about this entire project since it was announced – I respect Eoin as a writer but I’m just unsure about the wisdom of continuing another writer’s work several years after their death. Although having been a colossal Guide fan going right back to the original radio series (I still have the radio cast adaptations which were recorded on vinyl before the original BBC shows were available to buy) of course there is a part of me which really wants to read more.
ZZ9′s John Coxon was at an event with Penguin, who will be publishing the new book this autumn and what he’s been saying is making me a little more optimistic about it: “I talked to some people throughout the night who have had the luck to read Part 6 of 3, and I was struck by how positive they all seemed about the novel – not just people connected to Eoin, but also Maggie Phillips, who has been involved with Douglas’ works since he was connected to Ed Victor, if I recall correctly. This has really boosted my hopes for the novel, and although I’m still being cautious in my optimism, I’m looking forward to reading it.” What can I say, I know regardless of anything I will need to read it…
March 10th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I’m skeptical too, but I still can’t wait to read it.