Dan Simmons turned down Zelazny estate?
ckovacs
get to me. I'm just reading the October issue which features an
interview with Dan Simmons, and I was quite intrigued by the part
where he says...
"In the past year, I've had two offers from publishers that would have
brought me in more than a million easy dollars - one to write prequels
in a much-loved SF writer's universe (he left instructions in his will
that there should be no sequels, so the family licensed prequels) and
the other to "collaborate" with a thriller author who's been dead for
years but who continues to churn out New York Times bestsellers.
Currently there's a popular film out based on one of this dead
writer's books and I was invited to write the sequel."
I couldn't help but think that the first offer refers to Amber and the
Zelazny estate given the time frame and my own biases, but I suppose
Dune and the Herbert estate is a possibility. Not sure who the other
refers to, I'm not familiar with "thrillers." Bloch? Dick? Dunno.
Maybe I'm not thinking of someone obvious. Any suggestions?
Chris
[@mun.ca for main address]
Robert Goudie
news:c56dc804.02103...@posting.google.com...
> the other to "collaborate" with a thriller author who's been dead for
> years but who continues to churn out New York Times bestsellers.
> Currently there's a popular film out based on one of this dead
> writer's books and I was invited to write the sequel."
L. Ron Hubbard, I suspect.
-Robert
ckovacs
But what would be the "popular film" currently out there based on
Hubbard? The thing "starring" Travolta is hardly current or popular.
Chris
Chris Proctor
news:c56dc804.02103...@posting.google.com:
Battlefield Earth? Depends on how old the interview is though, that's not a
current film . . . or a popular film, I hope ;-)
Chris
RavensZim
Of course, he was probably exaggerating anyway...
Chris Proctor
$V15.5...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net:
Sorry, the original post has left my news server.
It occurs to me that the "author who died and declared in his will that no
other author may write sequels in his universe" is just as likely to have
been Frank Herbert as Zelazny, with the Dune prequels etc. Perhaps Dan
Simmons was invited to work on them with Frank's son or something?
CHris
ckovacs
> Sorry, the original post has left my news server.
> It occurs to me that the "author who died and declared in his will that no
> other author may write sequels in his universe" is just as likely to have
> been Frank Herbert as Zelazny, with the Dune prequels etc. Perhaps Dan
> Simmons was invited to work on them with Frank's son or something?
>
> CHris
That's what I said in my original post:
"I couldn't help but think that the first offer refers to Amber and
the
Zelazny estate given the time frame and my own biases, but I suppose
Dune and the Herbert estate is a possibility. Not sure who the other
refers to, I'm not familiar with "thrillers." Bloch? Dick? Dunno.
Maybe I'm not thinking of someone obvious. Any suggestions?"
I had originally had "Hubbard" and "Tolkein" in the list for the
latter question, but neither are thriller writers, and I wouldn't
consider Battlefield Earth to be either current or popular. But maybe
Dan Simmons does? ;-)
Chris
Chris Proctor
news:c56dc804.02110...@posting.google.com:
That's what I get for trying to reply to a post that I can't see.
*sigh*
Apols.
I do think it's Dune though, since all I've ever heard about Amber was that
Zelazny didn't want anyone writing the Amber universe, and the quote you
gave specifically said something about sequels . . .
Chris
DworkinBarimen
>From: Chris Proctor chris_...@hotmail.com
>Date: 11/5/02 11:58 AM AUS Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <Xns92BD79D0485E3ch...@61.9.128.12>
Actually, it's been reported in at least one Web review of DOA that Zelazny's
will prohibited **sequels** - thus the (quite legal) decision to seek a
publisher who would find an author who would do a trilogy of prequels.
Couldn't tell ya where I read it though. <shrug>
DB
JJM1954
>Actually, it's been reported in at least one Web review of DOA that Zelazny's
>will prohibited **sequels** - thus the (quite legal) decision to seek a
>publisher who would find an author who would do a trilogy of prequels
The problem is that this whole notion of sequels, prequels, whateverquels was
not addressed in his will. Though his wishes were known.
John Miller
Kendall P. Bullen
quazer <qua...@DELETETHIShotmail.com> wrote:
> It would be strange if RZ had put such a condition in his will,
And probably useless...I'm not a lawyer, but I'm skeptical that a
request in a will would be legally binding.
Cheers,
Kendall
--
Kendall P. Bullen Web: http://www.his.com/~kendall/
E-mail: kendall at ^^^^^^^
I read Usenet. Please, NEVER send me e-mail copies of Usenet postings.
Captain Red Beard
"quazer" <qua...@DELETETHIShotmail.com> wrote in message
news:untgsu852lbvkb83a...@4ax.com...
> On 06 Nov 2002 01:24:21 GMT, dworkin...@aol.com (DworkinBarimen)
> wrote:
>
> >Actually, it's been reported in at least one Web review of DOA that
Zelazny's
> >will prohibited **sequels** - thus the (quite legal) decision to seek a
> >publisher who would find an author who would do a trilogy of prequels.
> >
> >Couldn't tell ya where I read it though. <shrug>
> >
> >DB
>
> not thought about prequels or any other use of the Amber universe. He
> would have just covered everything with a blanket ban, wouldn't he?
>
> I suppose anything's possible, but he was too intelligent to have left
> such an obvious loophole if he had taken such determined steps to stop
> use of the Amber universe after his death.
I highly doubt the reports as well. Yes, he may have had wishes regarding
other authors working on his universe, but I believe that we are hearing a
lot of hogwash, legend, and uber-fan wanking on the matter.
Personally, I liked DOA, and I'm looking forward to more.
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