# We're never going to see these books, are we? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 16, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830 "2019-10-16T04:29:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/81 "2019-11-01T05:49:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll admit to being unfair to Forester. All of the other books I mentioned had long periods when people were awaiting them and asking if the author was ever going to finish them. > > That was not really the case with Forester. He had slowed his pace somewhat. His most recent completed book had been published in 1962 when he died in 1966. But there’s every indication that if he had lived, _Hornblower and the Crisis_ would have been completed and published within a year or two. > > As for the unauthorized completions, there’s one by [John Mahon](https://www.amazon.com/Jamaican-Affair-1805-Hornblower-Saga-ebook/dp/B00806S3Y6) and one by [R.W. Smith](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hornblower-the-crisis-jetse-reijenga/1105794278) in addition to the Parkinson one you mentioned. The sample of the Mahon looks much more like a fantasy version of Hornblower rather than a completion–Maria’s personality has changed completely. The Smith version seems much more faithful. I refuse to read the Parkinson. I’ll never forgive him for his assertion, against all the evidence, that Hornblower killed Captain Sawyer. The copy I read back in 1980 was a library book; if it had been my own copy I’d have thrown it in a fire or a swamp. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/82 "2019-11-01T06:30:59Z")
For anyone still looking for the Hornblower story “The Hand of Destiny”, here’s a link [https://www.fadedpage.com/books/20190857/html.php](https://www.fadedpage.com/books/20190857/html.php) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/83 "2019-11-02T13:19:04Z")
[quote=“Morgyn, post:77, topic:841830”] [li]That Mercedes Lackey would write more books in the Hunter universe. In this case, the publisher didn’t want more, which just goes to show that some people are bloody idiots.[/LIST][/li][/QUOTE] I’d like another Diana Tregarde book or few, but Lackey gave the same reason for not writing more of those. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/84 "2019-11-02T19:45:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll admit I would have put _Irontown Blues_ in this thread up until recently. John Varley said he was planning on a three book series. _Steel Beach_ was published in 1992 and _The Golden Globe_ was published in 1998. Then he went off and started working on other books and it seemed like he was finished with his Eight Worlds work. So I was surprised when _Irontown Blues_ was published last year. Thanks for this, I love Steel Beach and the Golden Globe. Prompted by this post I found out that the Ophiuchi Hotline was the starting point, and that there is a newish sequel. Two more books for the queue! -DF ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/85 "2019-11-02T23:47:10Z")
I want one last Thomas Pynchon novel (he’s 83). Though I confess I didn’t care that much for his last one, 2013’s [Bleeding Edge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Edge)). Or better yet, what if he’s sitting on a whole pile of finished manuscripts that he’s instructed his publishers to release posthumously so he doesn’t have to deal with the publicity? (to be clear, this is complete baseless speculation) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/86 "2019-11-02T23:58:05Z")
Still wishing for _The World Turned Upside Down_ and the conclusion of _The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles_ by Robert Anton Wilson. (Author existence failure.) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/87 "2019-11-03T06:34:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Or the two remaining space monkey books. Yeah, I’d much rather see more Lovelock than more Alvin. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/88 "2020-11-15T04:16:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Harlan Ellison > \*The Last Dangerous Visions \* > current status: Originally due in 1972. Ellison died in 2018. Some stories from the book have been published separately > **[On Finishing The Last Dangerous Visions | J. Michael Straczynski](https://www.patreon.com/posts/43848905)** > > Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. > Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/89 "2020-11-15T04:47:47Z")
It’s nice to see a sign of progress. But I will admit to having doubts about participating in the patreon campaign. The book is approximately five hundred and seventy five months overdue. If that trend continues, this could be quite a financial commitment, even at the two dollar a month level. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/90 "2020-11-15T05:09:06Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Wheel of Time: C’mon. Sanderson wrapped the series - do we need to go all Chris Tolkien and milk every footnote and mention related to it? I know some of the top J. R. R. Tolkien scholars. In fact, I live approximately halfway between two of them, Verlyn Flieger and Carl Hostetter, so I joke that my home is now the center of Tolkien scholarship. I’ve been told that a book will appear next year entitled _The Nature of Middle-earth_, edited by Carl Hostetter, which will be the last collection of the remaining unpublished works of Tolkien. It’s an annotated version of some unpublished Tolkien writings: > **[J. R. R. Tolkien bibliography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien_bibliography)** > > This is a list of all published works of the English writer and philologist J. R. R. Tolkien. Tolkien's works were published before and after his death. > Unless stated otherwise, the years indicate the date of composition. > A large volume of Tolkien's writings on his constructed languages, primarily the Elvish languages such as Quenya and Sindarin, was published and annotated by scholars in the journals Vinyar Tengwar and Parma Eldalamberon. > **[New History of Middle Earth volume to be published next year](https://thetolkien.forum/threads/new-history-of-middle-earth-volume-to-be-published-next-year.29027/)** > > I found out about this on Reddit > > https://www.tolkienguide.com/uploads/newbb/10\_5eef7c72e5079.jpg ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/91 "2020-11-15T06:48:35Z")
Well, manuscripts or outlines by dead authors are discovered fairly commonly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/92 "2020-11-15T06:56:59Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I was always hoping that Barry Hughart would write more books about the adventures of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, but now that he’s died I’m guessing that won’t ever happen. I wrote to the man. He had three more stories but no publisher wanted them, so they are maybe still out there. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/93 "2020-11-15T17:54:14Z")
My friend had the distinction of writing the first story Harlan bought for The Last Dangerous Visions. He died this week, almost fifty years later. I usually defend Harlan against the many broad accusations hurled at him. He was a huge presence with many outsized flaws and just as many outsized virtues. The private Harlan was almost always different from the public one. I can’t forgive him for the fiasco that was TLDV. He fucked it up, down, sideways, and inside out. The blame can’t be passed along to publishers. The fault emerged from his ego. Along the way, the fact that the book never saw publication hurt dozens of writers, both personally and professionally. Harlan always found ways to make it worse, often by viciously attacking people who rightly were criticizing him for his failures. Nothing Straczynski does can ameliorate the losses they suffered. Apparently, an unpublished story by Harlan “ties directly into the reason why _The Last Dangerous Visions_ has taken so long to come to light.” Hard to believe that will be the true explanation, but I wish my friend could have lived to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/94 "2020-11-15T20:04:08Z")
My guess as to the reason for the delay (and it is only a guess) is that Ellison got caught in a procrastination loop - if an ambitious project is late, the only way to make up for the lateness is to make the project even more ambitious- but this only makes the thing later (not that I’ve ever gotten into such a predicament- no sir, not me) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/95 "2020-11-15T22:02:58Z")
So, what exactly is the holdup on a multi-author anthology work? You take whatever stories do exist, you bundle them together, and you publish it. I mean, you still need to write a few paragraphs introducing each story, and the like, but any professional writer should be able to crank that out in an afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/96 "2020-11-15T22:54:19Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > My guess as to the reason for the delay (and it is only a guess) is that Ellison got caught in a procrastination loop - if an ambitious project is late, the only way to make up for the lateness is to make the project even more ambitious- but this only makes the thing later (not that I’ve ever gotten into such a predicament- no sir, not me) There’s no physical hold-up for the book. It could have been published anytime in the last forty years. I feel the reason is what Andy\_L gave; Ellison just set expectations too high and worried he couldn’t meet them. So he kept delaying the publication while he tinkered away trying to make it perfect. But the longer he delayed, the higher the expectation rose so the publication date just kept receding into the future. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/97 "2020-11-16T02:22:33Z")
That could explain an author’s own work being delayed (like the endless revisions Tolkien was always doing). But surely Ellison wasn’t tinkering away on other authors’ work? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/98 "2020-11-16T02:37:46Z")
He could have been tinkering with the introductory material for each story (“How much of the author’s post-1978 career should I talk about for an introduction to a story written in 1978?” or “Crap, now X is dead, which probably means the intro to story Y needs an update”) , with the ordering of the stories, or their distribution into the book’s many volumes (“If I move this story to Volume II, does it make too many stories with theme X in one volume?”). Or even bigger decisions like “If the publisher insists that the book should have four volumes instead of three, I can add some stories from these three newcomers who have written up a storm in the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s”) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/99 "2020-11-16T02:42:01Z")
He might have been dithering what stories to include? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830/100 "2020-11-16T03:06:29Z")
That’s what I’ve heard. Ellison apparently got the rights to more material than he could actually publish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-never-going-to-see-these-books-are-we/841830.md?page=6)