This illustrates the entire problem. I'm sure he has great love for Amber. And for Star Trek and Hercules, for that matter. That doesn't mean he can make something a worthwhile read.
The only reason why it's going to be at all successful, however, is because ZELAZNY wrote so well, that there's a whole flock of people who'll buy anything that says "Amber" on it.
So the book will be a "success" regardless of its quality, the publishers will give him a pat on the back, and a sizeable cheque, and he'll roam bookstores until he finds another book he can piggyback on.
I find the fact that he's involved on a Zelazny newsgroup disheartening, actually. It means rather than bringing in a unique viewpoint and insight, he's far more likely to base the story on the opinions of the fans that he's writing to. It would be far more interesting if he deviated substantially from what was mentioned in Zelazny's work (not too difficult, as it was written first person, and the opinions expressed were those of the characters, not the author), creating his own universe based loosely on Zelazny's concepts, while leaving off at the end of the "prequel" in a position for Zelazny's books to follow logically.
Quite frankly, I don't want to read what will likely be the equivalent to somebody's well chronicled Amber role playing game.
Which is a shame, because I too will read the book. I'll probably actually use a library, though, instead of aiding what appears to be a simple rip-off of a dead man's intellectual property.
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Date: 2002-04-24 10:38 am (UTC)The only reason why it's going to be at all successful, however, is because ZELAZNY wrote so well, that there's a whole flock of people who'll buy anything that says "Amber" on it.
So the book will be a "success" regardless of its quality, the publishers will give him a pat on the back, and a sizeable cheque, and he'll roam bookstores until he finds another book he can piggyback on.
I find the fact that he's involved on a Zelazny newsgroup disheartening, actually. It means rather than bringing in a unique viewpoint and insight, he's far more likely to base the story on the opinions of the fans that he's writing to. It would be far more interesting if he deviated substantially from what was mentioned in Zelazny's work (not too difficult, as it was written first person, and the opinions expressed were those of the characters, not the author), creating his own universe based loosely on Zelazny's concepts, while leaving off at the end of the "prequel" in a position for Zelazny's books to follow logically.
Quite frankly, I don't want to read what will likely be the equivalent to somebody's well chronicled Amber role playing game.
Which is a shame, because I too will read the book. I'll probably actually use a library, though, instead of aiding what appears to be a simple rip-off of a dead man's intellectual property.