Wake the fuck up... It's the last Saturday of April 2013

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by ecchi

You think that's bad, think of those old enough to have bought the aforementioned Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Books as they came out. We were told in advance that it was a trilogy, so we expected to have to buy three books. But then a fourth book came out, then a fifth (which had the tagline "the fifth book in the increasingly incorrectly named Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy")....and so on. But the author died a few years ago, so at last we are free from having to buy book ofter book in the "constantly increasingly incorrectly named Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy" right? Wrong! The "estate of Douglas Adams" has just commissioned another author to continue the trilogy further.

I swear, if not for Amazon, I'd be bankrupt by now!

Have you read the Dirk Gently books?

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

Have you read the Dirk Gently books?

Only the first one so far. It combines obsessions for me, because my all time favourite TV show is Dr Who, and back in the late 70's one series got hit by a union strike with the result that one six episode story was never completed. It was written by Douglas Adams and later he adapted it into a novel, but for obvious copyright reasons changed the time travelling Doctor into a holistic private investigator, and sort of glossed over the fact that the Professor was a Time Lord and his office was a Tardis.

The fun thing was that I did not know this when I started the book (I was reading it as "another book by the Hitchhiker guy"), but about half way through I realised what he had done!

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by ecchi

Only the first one so far. It combines obsessions for me, because my all time favourite TV show is Dr Who, and back in the late 70's one series got hit by a union strike with the result that one six episode story was never completed. It was written by Douglas Adams and later he adapted it into a novel, but for obvious copyright reasons changed the time travelling Doctor into a holistic private investigator, and sort of glossed over the fact that the Professor was a Time Lord and his office was a Tardis.

The fun thing was that I did not know this when I started the book (I was reading it as "another book by the Hitchhiker guy"), but about half way through I realised what he had done!

I had NO idea!! I too read it because it was "another book by the Hitchhiker guy". And, at 1st, I fucking HATED it! If I remember correctly, the 1st 7 chapters had NOTHING to do with each other. And the guy with the rain. UGH! But then when it all started to blend together, I found it to be BETTER than Hitchhiker.

And, as far as Dr Who, I have a very strange fear of it based on watching 1 (and only 1) episode when I was very young & being scared shitless by the events. Time traveling phone booth, if I remember correctly?

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

Time traveling phone booth, if I remember correctly?

Close, it is a police call box (Bill And Ted used a 'phone booth - I'm told it was a sort of tribute).

As to being scared off after one episode: Back in the late 1960's there was a Scottish guy who had the same problem. But after a year or two he tried again and stuck with it. He is now the producer and head writer of the show. Stephen Spielberg offered him two million to leave the show and write for him, but he turned it down. He says that the only reason he became a TV writer in the first place was because he hoped to write for Doctor Who, and now he "runs the candy store" he is not giving it up for Spielberg.

So just think, if you had not given up watching after one episode, Spielberg might have been chasing you with a cheque for two million!