Sure...why not. Why bother letting a CLASSIC piece of work stand on it's own merit when there are dollars to be made for retailers.... what a joke. I hope these folks are haunted by Douglas Adams.

While i was very hesitant about this at first, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, As it is done with the full blessing of Douglas's widow and Family, and done by an author who has a good sense of humor, and is a big Douglas Adams fan, (of course, i thought the same thing about the HHGTTG Movie, they were big fans, said all the right things, and still produced a steaming pile of Dreck)

Bottom line, nobody can write like DNA did. but i'll give it a read before declaring a judgement.

And another thing... Don't forget May 25th is International Towel Day! So make sure you know where your towel is!

Why don't they jus prop up adams' corpse while they are at it

Why don't they prop up the dead body of Adams whle they are at it? just leave a classic alone

Because Douglas Adams isn't really dead, He's just spending a decade dead for Tax purposes.

Coming next month from Penguin Books, War and Peace 2: More war, More peace.

I met Douglas many years ago at the San Diego Comic Con and spent many hours talking with him. He had a wicked sense of humor and I think he would get a big chuckle out of the fact his little book still has such a huge following. He would no doubt see this as a tribute from a devoted fan.

If Adams is spending the decade dead for tax reasons he's gonna be pissed when he gets up and find out he spent the wrong decade dead!

I can't wait for jj abrams or michael bay do the movie version.

why? for the love of anything please just leave it alone. its one of the few things in this world that has given me comfort and happiness...why don't i just take a dump on the cross or the koran and see how these capitalist jackasses feel.

for all the bashers - why are you so threatened? Are they going to erase all your existing copies of the books you already own? Are they going to wipe your memories of the Hitchhiker's books you've already read? This is a new book. It won't rewrite the old ones. If you don't want to read it, nobody is forcing you and nobody is asking you to turn in your old copies. Grow up.

Christ - Capitalists like that don't care about a religious book. Pinch a loaf on a hundred dollar bill if you wanna tick them off.

Drek - Waiting for that myself

Fernando Poo - Because you can't UN-READ it if it really does stink.

Horrible ... simply horrible.

You guys are idiots. This is great! I've been hoping and praying for this. Adams would be proud!

Hey Doc Impossible- you know NOTHING

Don't forget your towel!

Really, why are you so horrified by an author writing a book? If you don't want to read it, just don't. It can't possibly harm your enjoyment of the originals.

Better called "Eoin Colfer's So Long, and Thanks for All the Cash."

Next up: Slaughterhouse-Six; Catch-23; George Orwell's 1985; and The Lord of the Rings 2: Pippin Longstocking.

Just a quick correction: This book is being published by Hyperion, not Penguin. It is being distributed for Hyperion by Harper Collins.

Todd Mecklem,

There IS a 1985, actually, written by Anthony Burgess ("Clockwork Orange").

Forget it! I'm a purist. I didn't read the phony Bond sequels written after Ian Fleming died and I won't touch this bit of literary grave robbing.

At least when you turn Hitchhiker upside down you see a lady's bottom.

By Gilmoid at 3:05 AM ON 03/11/09

> At least when you turn Hitchhiker upside >down you see a lady's bottom.
And Cthulhu ....er.....satisfying her

I haven't seen this big of a fight since the last Star Trek news story!
And, to be fair, I thought the 2nd half of Hitchiker's was crap anyway. Besides, I much preferred the Dirk Gently books...and I would be glad to see that franchise taken on by a qualified author.
So give Eoin Colfer a chance...otherwise, I will just wait 'til one of you haters can do better...

Nope... Nope... Nope...

Many authors today specify in their contracts (and even wills) that their intellectual property be protected from this kind of thing - I'll bet you HUGE dollars that J.K. Rowling has this clause in her contracts. Douglas comes from a time when this kind of profiteering wasn't on the radar; everything I've ever read about him indicates he liked some amount of control (for example, the radio show).

Have any of you actually read Eoin Colfer's work? He's actually a very funny and witty author... don't write him off just because he writes 'kids' stuff'. I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have continue the Hitchhiker's Guide (except for the man himself) and I'll certainly be picking it up to read it when it comes along.

@Kyrilsetis
I, for one, do not have anything bad to say about Eoin Colfer. I haven't read any of his stuff.

My misgivings don't come from any particular potential lack of skill on Mr. Colfer's part, but instead stem from the fact that Colfer is not Adams.

I might have different feelings about it if the Hitchhikers' story line was one that Douglas had explicitly planned to have other authors write in, but I always got the sense that Hitchhikers' was exclusively Douglas's baby, and not anybody else's.

Then too, there's the point that I'm not sure if another author will be able to capture Douglas's style. It always seemed unique to me. That unique style was what made the stories so great.

So now you're telling me that some other author is gonna step in and write some funny stories in the Hitchhikers' setting, and I'm supposed to just go happily along with it? Nah. Not so much.

--
Furry cows moo and decompress.

Eoin Cofler was approached by the publisher to do this after they were given the go ahead from Adams' widow. And Cofler is a pretty funnny guy. Still, if you're really unhappy with it, then don't buy the book. If enough don't buy the book, publisher's may stop picking at the bones of a dead author. But we won't stop buying posthumous works, will we (as evidenced by the continued success of Robert Bourne, VC Andrews, Frank Herbert, Robert E Howard, etc.).

Also, Cofler was specifically requested by Douglas Adams widow. so for all you saying he's just out for cash, HE was approached by others to do this.

I'm going to buy 2 or 3 copies just to piss the rest of you unhappy lil' hairless apes off...

Fernando Poo is the only clever person here, the others are the ten people who watched "watchmen - the useless flop". he he he

I am trying to do a little research! I am taking a SciFi class and have a group project. We have to choose a collection of novels and my group has picked Hitchhikers Guide. I have just started reading it and looking for blogs. I am amazed at the following of Douglas Adams fans!! Any advice or input on the first novel?

You know, if anything, getting Pratchett & Gaiman to tema up again woudl ahve been a better choice.

For those of you not understanding the refference, go read Good Omens. Together, they wrote a worthy comedy in both quality and style, only author's I'd trust with another HGttG book.

Wyrd ik wat your talking about his style and stuff the book won't have the same feel as the others but i think it will still be good