• I'm with Carl. I'm buying this just because Mostly Harmless' ending sucked! The series needs a better ending, and even Adams acknowledged that himself.

• I am a huge fan of Douglas Adams work and was really upset to hear about his death 9 years ago. However, I seem to be about the only individual who actually looked forward to Colfer's sequel. As far as that choice is concerned, I thought it was a great one. He has the snarky tone almost right, not quite but near enough, I thought. Of course, I am also a big fan of the Artemis Fowl books. Perhaps, aside from the money, Adam's widow wished for a more satisfying end to the series apart from the characters all dying at the end. And perhaps she understood from her husband where he was going from that point...maybe she knew it was not to be that end. Just some Random thoughts!

• "Conan alone probably has more than a dozen writers since Howard died." And there's a substantial contingent of fans who consider Howard to be the only Conan writer. One of the writers, Karl Edward Wagner, basically said that his story was no more or less canonical than one a fan would write himself. Plus the entire circumstances around De Camp's monopoly on Howard are self-serving and leave a really bad taste in the mouth.

• Not only will I buy (especially since Mostly Harmless's ending SUCKED ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!), but anyone that looks at me funny or makes some snarky remark will get a heart-punch and a combat boot in the junk...

• I don't actually blame the publisher. Blaming them for being money-grubbing bastards is like blaming dogs for licking their own balls. It's just what they do. I don't like it, but do you really expect them to respect anything creative beyond its ability to make 'em a quick buck? That's comedy worthy of Adams. I do blame Colfer, though. Go write another Artemis Fowl book. Or if that well is dry, come up with something on your own. Maybe there ARE tons of people waiting for "a Colfer book." But if that's the case, why trade on the cachet of someone else's work? If you really can sell books on your own, do it. Don't hitch your wagon to Adams' material simply as a shallow marketing tool. Was Adams spotty and inconsistent? Maybe. Did he churn out some stuff for a paycheck? Probably. But there's a difference between taking a paycheck for a writing assignment and just hijacking someone else's work. Maybe Adams wanted to continue the series, but he's gone, so that's that. And just because a publisher is going to make this crass, disrespectful, and boneheaded move, it doesn't excuse an AUTHOR from signing on to the process. It's a hack move, pure and simple. And this has nothing to do with Colfer's writing style. I haven't read the Fowl books. Maybe he's brilliant. Maybe I'd love the series. But simply as a person, I think his choice to take this assignment shows a lack of class. Also, @a.r.yngve: You mean like "The Silmarillion," "Unfinished Tales," "The History of Middle-Earth," and "The Children of Hurin?" :-)

• I don't really care if it sucks or not. If people end up actually liking it, fine. If (most likely) not, then the fan community won't accept it, it might not sell well enough to make another after it and it can be largely ignored.

• I am deeply uncomfortable with this idea that publishers should try to squeeze some more money out of a dead author's corpse. (*COUGH* Frank Herbert *COUGH*) Their motive is, of course, greed. BTW, if some publisher starts releasing "Authorized Sequels" to THE LORD OF THE RINGS, will the fans line up around the block to buy... or cry foul?

• @Zach T.: Zach O. agrees with you. "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul" were both amazing. I can't say that I love Mostly Harmless, but I read the first Artemis Fowl book, and found it to be awful. @Patrick and Merle: If people can't complain about things on the Internet, then America is dead. This site is all about nerd love and nerd hate, and we certainly don't need you to tell us to not buy a sure-to-be-terrible book. @cKHAVIKk: Your name still has way too many capital K's in it for my own personal comfort level. @me: A douchehammer is something you hit a cKHAVIKk with.

• What's a douchehammer?

• ive always hated that pretentious git Colfer this is the first time ive heard this news VERY NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

• i think the cover quite gladly sums up my thoughts "book six of three" totally pointless and shouldn't really exist and defies logic in it's doing so

• @ cKHAVIKk: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is brilliant, probably my favourite book!

• @ Kriti: I never said that Neil SHOULD have done the book, no one should have. I was just saying that he's the only one who I think would've been able to do the series justice since Adams is dead.

• I don't really mind someone making use of Adams' characters. After all, he was finished with them wasn't he? (Before he died, I mean. And even more so afterward.) And let's be honest, they were not delicately crafted characters to begin with. They were buffoons and straight men serving as mouthpieces for comedy that was much better than they were. And the character-based comedy wasn't even the best part of Adams' writing in the FIRST place. What would be impossible for Colfer to mimic is the tone. He might as well climb on stage and try to do an Eddie Izzard impression. He's wise not to even try. If, however, he can make something out of characters who were never much to begin with, he'll have contributed something to HHG that wasn't there before. And if not? Well, I have lots of practice ignoring sequels that missed the mark. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, there was only ever that first Star Wars movie, plus three books about Lando.

• I read the first Artemis Fowl book because my mom took away my copy of The Silmarillion and said I couldn't have it back until I read Artemis Fowl. (I had read The Silmarillion about four times in a row.) I read Artemis Fowl, and while it wasn't terrible, Eoin Colfer's writing definitely doesn't measure up to the Hitchiker's Guide. I don't like this idea at all, but I'll still probably check the book out from the library, just to see how bad it is.

• Colfer is an excellent writer. As a (sort of) adult I have enjoyed his stuff. I have no problem with this. For comparison, I have "The Willows in Winter" on my shelf, a post-mortem (authorial, obviously) sequel to The Wind in the Willows. I haven't been able to interest my kids in it, so I haven't gotten very far. But I don't feel offended by it. It might suck. It might be great. I like the characters and milieu enough to investigate. Why not the same with Colfer?

• Actually, this gives me a tiny bit of hope. I've heard Colfer isn't a bad writer, and frankly, him admitting he's nowhere near as good as Adams is, and won't even try to compete on his level means we'd only get standard level suck, rather than a totally uncomfortable failed attempt to fill a dead man's shoes. Also: Dirk Gently kicks ass.

• Wow.. How unexpected. More whining fanboys. Dude, as much as I love HGttG, Adams himself was hit and miss as a writer. <i>Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency</i> was a disaster. The problem with nerds is their pathetic narrow views on EVERYTHING. Give the dude a chance, you flaming douchehammers.

• This is the first I've heard of this, and it makes me very sad. As I'm not about to send any hate mail, this is all I have to say about it.

• I liked the Hitchhiker series back when I was a kid, though I haven't read them since. I have also read a little bit by Eoin Colfer. Hes ok too. Amazon.com is the largest bookstore in the world. Artimis Fowl, by Colfer, is 16,956 in book sales. Artimis Fowl book six is 1,906. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is 5,282. Thats pretty good on all accounts. How could Colfer writing a Hitchiker book possibly not make money? Are all you old nerds with your "Peter Pan complexes" buying newer copies of Adam's works? Maybe some of you are but I think the old bitter nerd market segment is saturated relative to the young adult market. I think you guys have it all backwards. See Eoin Colfer is actually a pretty popular author. I don't think anyone thought this was supposed to be for the nerds. I think this book is going to appeal to the Colfer fans who have grown up a little. The girls will be reading Twilight and the boys will read this.

• I'm sorry, but I don't get the hardcore hate. I understand if the Hitchhiker's fans out there aren't looking forward to a new writer, but honestly cut the guy some slack. How many sagas are out there that have had other writers pick up the reigns? Conan alone probably has more than a dozen writers since Howard died. It makes HGtG fanboys look worse than Star Wars fanboys. That's pretty steep. /unabashed Star Wars fanboy

• Dude. Just don't buy the book. It's that simple.

• Okay. I've gotta say, I'm another one who doesn't understand all the overreaction. I'm sure simply not buying the book when it comes out will send a loud enough message. Acting like a rabid fool does nothing but make you look stupid. What is it about the internet that makes people think such histrionics are appropriate?

• Have you read Starship Titanic? I'd have to say that one's proof that trying to mimic Douglas's style leads to a writer falling flat, fast. It almost goes without saying that Colfer's no Douglas. After all, who is? I recall seeing reports that Douglas did indeed plan to write another book - and possibly, his widow had his notes. Will this book be good? I can only hope - I've read Colfer, and he's got some skill, both at storytelling and at humor. I'll check it out in the library when it comes out, and if I like it I'll buy it.

• Well, Adams did So Long and Thanks for all the Fish for the cash, so this guy is on the right track so far. For info on this thanks for the fish for cash thing, check out a book called Don't Panic, a biography on Adams. The guy was great (Douglas Adams that is), and he milked the publishers for everything he could.

• I love Colfer, and I love Artemis Fowl, but I ALSO love Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I hope he will do well, but he won't have the same tangent nature that made the books shine in my eyes, and for that, I am sorrowful.

• I'm surprised the widow actually asked for a sequel right now, didn't the author die like years ago? Just how is he gonna bring back the characters unless he writes what the lame ass radio series ending did

• Why wouldn't he even take a stab at writing like Douglas...? It might still be awful but at least it'd sound right :( Ugh.

• Ehh... ok, I'm all for a healthy portion of nerd hate, but really... Picking on someone's brother because you don't like <i>him</i> is just not cool. I thought most of us learned that shit in elementary school.

• Having read an Artemis Fowl book, I know I'm not reading the new hitchhiker as his writing style is boring as hell.

• Didn't the universe get blown up in the last book?

• This is such a travesty. Your original article on the sixth Hitchhiker's book is what got me reading Topless Robot regularly, and I am in full support of all the venom. And I actually have read almost all of Colfer's previous books :/. He just can't do this. @Zach T. : Neil Gaiman posted on his blog that this book was a bad idea when it was first announced (he was more polite than that, though.)

• This is a travesty, nuff said. On another note: Eoin is actually pronounced Owen, and is basically John. (that goes for Owen, Ian, and Iain too)

• Am I the only one who automatically thought of the Dune sequel/prequel abominations? Yeah, same kind of deal. Awesome author is succeeded by one who couldn't write if he tried to find his balls by ducking his head between his feet.

• &#64;Arsenal Ah, see, I thought it was something like "eeon" like aeon. or something. boo

• The hate comes from the fact that this is nothing more than a shameless cash grab by Adams' widow. The man is dead, he killed off the Hitchhiker's characters died at the end of Mostly Harmless. There is no reason for this book to exist other than greed. There isn't anymore story to tell, and even if there were, Colfer shouldn't be the one to right it. Vonnegut's dead too, should some author unrelated to the original works come along and craft another Kilgore Trout tale? No. This is bullshit. Fans of Adams' work are up in arms about this thing because there really is zero need for it. As for the argument that Adams himself planned another Hitchhiker's tale, well, as much as I love the writer, he had a real hard time getting anything finished in his later years. He had so many ideas floating around that he would move from one project to another. Tragically his death cut all of these short before they could come to fruition. The "if you don't like, don't read it" argument I can understand. I don't plan on reading it, but it's very existence is annoying. Why? See the reasons above.

• I don't see the hate.

• I don't see the problem. If you don't like it, DON'T READ IT. It's not like every copy of Mostly Harmless will suddenly change to accommodate this new book. Mostly Harmless had a pretty tidy ending. I can't even think of any loose ends to pick up on. It's not like an unfinished series, where you want to see the ending. This is like, fan fiction with an official title.

• Having worked in the book business for a while, I can say this is another fine example of publishers being bone-headed idiots. How many great authors are out there with new stories waiting to be heard, and yet they give a dead author's stories to an established author so he can write a book nobody in the literary world (aside from the publisher) wants. I don't blame Eoin for taking the job. I blame the publishing industry for being so eager to whore out a dead author's work for the sake of a few controversial dollars.

• It's not a cool name it is just Ian spelled funky like Geoff/Jeff. And I could really care less about this book, I liked the origonals but some guy keeping the story alive does not phase me, I mean look at Dune (well maybe not) and the Bourne Identity books some hack started to write them, hell even James Bond got a new writer.

• Well, at least Eoin is a cool name.

• On one hand, Douglas Adams left his series kind of at a bad spot (although the downbeat ending did sort of fit), and rumors are that he did plan to continue it at some point. I would like to read about the characters' continuing adventures, but it's such a longshot that this is gonna be any good. While it perhaps shouldn't have happened, I'd like to give this guy one shot to see if he can not cock it up.

• Jeez, sounds like you've been sending a good share of the hate mail yourself. I don't think the book has any mainstream appeal, so it's only real is audience is Hitchhiker fans. If you fans hate the idea so much then don't buy the book. If there is no money to be made then it will be the end of the illegitimate sequels and everyone can just forget they ever existed.

• The sad thing is, I KNOW it's gonna suck and that I'll just hate myself for doing so, but I'll probably stop by a Borders when it comes out and read it. Definitely NOT buying it, mind you, but I'll settle into one of the chairs there and read through it. Morbid curiosity, really. Too bad they didn't pick someone who knows and understands Adams' work like Neil Gaiman to do it. Then again, Neil probably wouldn't anyway out of respect for his late friend.

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