Panic!
This just in. Eoin Colfer, the author of the Potter-like Artemis Fowl series, has been commissioned to write a sixth book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “trilogy”.
Colfer has allegedly been given the blessing of Jane Belson, Hitchhiker author Douglas Adams’ widow. Adams did have plans for a sixth book, possibly titled “The Salmon of Doubt”, because he felt that his final Hitchhiker book, Mostly Harmless, ended on too down a note. The Hitchhiker books have sold over 16 million copies worldwide, and have been translated to and from movies, radio series, tv programs and games.
Colfer proclaims himself a lifelong Hitchhiker fan, but this reauthoring seems hollow. Why not Terry Pratchett, who worked closely with Adams on the game and novel “Starship Titanic”? Or why not just let it rest? Colfer’s “Artemis Fowl” fame will almost certainly bring yet another new generation of fans to Adams’ classic series, but to me, this just sounds too much like “Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money”.
I know I’ll read the damned thing, of course, and so will millions of other Hitchhiker’s fans who were taken aback by Adams’ sudden heart attack at age 49. A “Guide” without Adams, though, may prove to be even sadder than the end of “Mostly Harmless”.
Playing With My Weiner 