You may not have noticed, but there's something stirring in the
Galaxy...
Despite the efforts of the Vogons, and even those of a
more-than-typically troubled teenager, the increasingly
inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy continues, much to the
delight of its fans (and to the annoyance of the Vogons).
And Another Thing, the 6th book in the Hitchhiker's
trilogy, or rather 'double trilogy' as it has now become, is to be
written by the brilliantly funny Eoin Colfer, international
number-one bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl novels.
Colfer is not unaccustomed to strange going-ons and far-fetched
story-lines with his celebrated Artemis Fowl novels. Widow
Jane Belson said of Eoin Colfer, 'I love his books and could not
think of a better person to transport Arthur, Zaphod and Marvin to
pastures new.'
Douglas Adams himself once said: 'I suspect at some point in the
future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book. Five seems to be a
wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number.'
Colfer, a fan of Hitchhiker since his schooldays, said:
"I have decided to embark on a very different project. Something
unique that I hope will interest you as much as it does me. I have
written the official 6th book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy Series. Most of you have probably already read Douglas
Adams' insanely brilliant space series. If you haven't then you
don't know funny. Take it from me, the Hitchhiker books are bar
none the funniest sci-fi books ever written. People have laughed so
much reading Hitchhikers that they have had to have organs removed.
One guy in France popped an eyeball. I kid you not.
So, what's it all about, this Hitchhikers, I hear you cry.
Actually I don't hear you, if I did I would be sitting outside in
your driveway, which would be a bit freaky and show how few friends
I have. What's it all about, this Hitchhikers, I imagine you cry.
It's about Arthur Dent, one of the last humans left alive after the
Earth has been destroyed by the remorseless Vogons. Arthur manages
to hitch a ride on a spaceship and go planet hopping with his
friends Ford Prefect, the Betelgeusean journalist. Zaphod
Beeblebrox, the two headed president of the galaxy, pirate and
worst dressed man in the universe. And Marvin, the paranoid
andriod.
All this hitching and adventuring went on for five books and
then Douglas Adams passed away before he could write book six.
Hitchhiker has been heard on radio, seen on tv and enjoyed on the
cinema screen, there was even a musical version. But the story
could never end, until now. I am going to continue on where Douglas
left off. Unfortunately for me, he left off on rather a large
cliffhanger. Everyone was dead. Which means I have rather a large
challenge ahead of me, but it is one I am looking forward to.
The book will be out later this year. It will be called And
Another Thing. And I really hope you will board the spaceship
with me so we can travel through Douglas Adams' hilarious galaxy
together, which will save me having to hang around in your
driveway.
See you at Barnard's Star."