# New Hitch-Hiker's novel to be written by Eoin Colfer of the Artemis Fowl series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582 "2008-09-21T21:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/1 "2008-09-21T21:17:32Z")
First a [link](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/09/eoin-colfer-wil.html)to the news release. Naturally, being the pretentious overbearing drama queen type, I am en-fucking-raged. My immediate impulse is to release the packs of velociraptors I keep around for just these occasions. But then I paused. Perhap I should not be so rigid, so anal, so judgmental–to be brief, so assholish. After all, there have been good Sherlock Holmes novels by persons other than Doyle. And it’s not like we’re talking about desecrating Lord of the Rings. It’s just– Sorry. That wasn’t working. I’m too poncy to be anything but en-fucking-raged. But I’m trying to evolve! Okay, I’ll leave it up to you guys. Shall I release the velociraptors? ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/2 "2008-09-21T22:00:02Z")
I like the Artemis Fowl books. I did not like the last few Hitchhiker’s books. I have no problem with this. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/3 "2008-09-21T22:01:35Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > First a [link](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/09/eoin-colfer-wil.html)to the news release. > > Naturally, being the pretentious overbearing drama queen type, I am en-fucking-raged. My immediate impulse is to release the packs of velociraptors I keep around for just these occasions. > > But then I paused. Perhap I should not be so rigid, so anal, so judgmental–to be brief, so assholish. After all, there have been good Sherlock Holmes novels by persons other than Doyle. And it’s not like we’re talking about desecrating Lord of the Rings. It’s just– > > Sorry. That wasn’t working. I’m too poncy to be anything but en-fucking-raged. > > But I’m trying to evolve! > > Okay, I’ll leave it up to you guys. Shall I release the velociraptors? Hmm… I say, Douglas being unavailable, we give the new guy his shot. If it isn’t up to snuff… THEN release the raptors. 😃 Which, fairly, doesn’t mean that it need be up to Douglas’ level, that would be setting the bar pretty high. Just - a worthwhile book that’s reasonably fit to be shelved near Douglas Adams books. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/4 "2008-09-21T22:02:43Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Hmm… I say, Douglas being unavailable, we give the new guy his shot. If it isn’t up to snuff… THEN release the raptors. 😃 See, the problem with that approach is that it isn’t evil, so I, obviously, cannot support it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/5 "2008-09-21T22:18:24Z")
[And Another Thing…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=483692) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/6 "2008-09-21T22:21:07Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > [And Another Thing…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=483692) Thanks; I couldn’t find that thread because Search isn’t working for me. That said, THIS thread is about whether we should pelt Eoin Colfer with flaming carrots. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/7 "2008-09-21T22:42:27Z")
I can’t really work up an outrage about this, but as I felt about the last couple of _Hitchhiker’s_ novels, what, really, is the point? The story, such as it was, was told _in toto_ in the first couple of books. _Life, The Universe, and Everything_ was an essentially self-contained story inserted into the _Hitchhiker’s_ universe for the sake of marketing and continuity. (It came from an unproduced _Dr. Who_ script written by Adams during his stint as writer called “Dr. Who and the Krikketmen”.) _So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish_ was clearly (and later admittedly) written by Adams strictly for the money; while it contains bits of cleverness, there is, overall, no story. _Mostly Harmless_ was clearly a message to the fans who kept bugging Adams for another book to FUCK OFF! I’m not sure what there is really to add to _Hitchhiker’s_, or indeed, how it would be relevant; it isn’t as if there is a building continuity or huge background story/ Adams essentially made up stuff as he went along, mostly in obviously mocking contempt of “serious” space opera which played fast and loose with continuity and _deus ex machina_ to resolve plot complications. The Infinite Improbability Drive allowed dismissal of objections of even the most absurd coincidences, and Adams’ style of leaping away from the narrative to discuss the details of some amusing but essentially irrelevant technology, like the Babel Fish or the Siruis Cybernetic Nutri-Matic Drinks Dispenser, prevented the reader from noticing that the story was actually little more than a bunch of skits strung together. I could see a far more persuasive case for continuing the Dirk Gently novels, which were set in an established background and offered much more in the way of continuity of story. I mean, seriously, WTF happened to Zaphod in the last two _Hitchhiker’s_ novels, anyway? Of course, despite being better at being actual novels, the Dirk Gently books weren’t nearly as popular, whereas _Hitchhiker’s_ has become absurdly popular even at mocking, as it does, the basic conventions of space opera. I don’t know this Eoin Colfer, but I don’t envy him. This sounds like the situation where the frontman has left your multi-platinum record band to be replaced by some unknown found during open mic night at a small and rather dirty pub in a back alley in Manchester. Oh well…at least they’re not making another film. That would be…bad. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-hitch-hikers-novel-to-be-written-by-eoin-colfer-of-the-artemis-fowl-series/464582/8 "2008-09-21T23:05:20Z")
Since there’s [an older thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=483692) still going, I’ll go ahead and close this one.